Hotels are facing an uphill battle when it comes to competing with OTAs for online bookings.
With the rise of digital platforms, hotels have struggled to keep up and stand out from their competitors. Traditional marketing strategies just don’t cut it anymore in this ever-evolving digital landscape.
That’s why we created this comprehensive hotel digital marketing guide to help you understand the latest trends in hotel marketing and how to use them to your advantage.
In this guide, you'll learn how to create effective campaigns, optimize your website for conversions, leverage social media channels, and other hotel digital marketing strategies!
Get ready to take your hotel online presence and bookings to the next level!
Chapter 1: Building Your Website Through Webflow
A website is one of the most fundamental elements of successful digital marketing for hotels.
This is because your website is your hotel’s online presence hub — customers can get information about your services, check availability, and book rooms.
Webflow is a famous, visually-stunning hotel website builder that makes creating beautiful and functional websites easy.
This platform enables you to quickly build a professional website without needing coding knowledge — perfect for small and medium-sized hotels looking for an affordable way to get online.
In this chapter, we’ll look at the basics of setting up your site with Webflow for hotels and explore some of the features you need to create a hotel website that will drive more bookings and give customers the information they need.
Tips on Building Your Website
We'll start with some tips to help you get the most from your new website.
SEO Matters
The success of any website depends heavily on its search engine optimization (SEO).
When it comes to Webflow, there are several strategies you can employ to ensure that your website performs well in search engine rankings.
First, ensure that each page contains relevant keywords related to the content of that page.
Include meta descriptions on every page that accurately summarize each page's content. This will help search engines understand what your website is about and how it should be ranked. Local SEO for hotels should also be considered to ensure that you’re reaching out to potential customers in your local area.
Use a Variety of Content Types
While text is essential for SEO for hotels, other types of content can make your website stand out from the competition.
For instance, including high-quality images and videos throughout your hotel's website can help create an immersive experience for visitors and make them more likely to book a stay at your establishment.
Additionally, interactive elements like slideshows or quizzes can draw attention and keep visitors engaged with your site’s content.
Seamless Navigation Is Essential
Navigation should be easy and intuitive on any website — especially if you use Webflow!
To create seamless navigation within the platform, use menus at the top or side of each page and include drop-down menus for categories or sub-pages with additional information about each topic.
This gives visitors easy access to exactly what they need without guessing where things are or navigating through multiple pages before finding what they are looking for.
Additionally, including internal links throughout the text of each page will help visitors find related topics quickly and easily.
Hotel Mobile Optimization
Today, more people are using smartphones and tablets to access the internet than ever before. As such, you must optimize any website you create with Webflow for mobile devices.
The platform includes various features that enable you to design and test your website on multiple devices. Take advantage of these options to ensure an optimal user experience — regardless of what device visitors use.
Steps to Building Your Website Through Webflow
Now that you know what makes a Webflow website successful, let’s look at the steps to getting your website up and running.
Step 1: Create Your Webflow Account
Before you begin building your website, you must create a Webflow account.
It’s easy! All you need is an email address and password.
Once you’ve signed up, it will take you to your dashboard, where all the tools needed for website creation are located.
Step 2: Choose a Plan (or a Free Account)
Next, decide which plan works best for your hotel needs.
No worries if you don’t have the budget or resources to commit to an ongoing subscription plan just yet! You can always start with the free account option and upgrade anytime.
Step 3: Start With a Blank Canvas or a Website Template
Now it’s time to get creative!
You can start from scratch with a blank canvas or select one of Webflow's many pre-built templates designed specifically for hotels.
This makes it easy for anyone without coding experience to create stunning websites quickly and easily.
Step 4: Create Pages and Structure Content
Once the basic design is complete, the next step is adding content to each website page.
Make sure each page contains relevant information about your hotel, such as:
- Amenities offered
- Guest reviews
- Contact information
- Quality images that showcase its best features
Step 5: Link Navigation Elements Together
After creating pages and structuring content on each page, link navigation elements together using anchor links that connect different sections within the same page or hyperlinks that direct visitors from one page on your site to another.
This makes it easier for visitors to navigate through your website without having to manually scroll through multiple pages in search of what they need.
Step 6: Customize Your Hotel Website Design
Your hotel website design is essential if you want it to stand out among other industry competitors.
This includes selecting fonts based on readability and brand identity, playing around with colors depending on the mood, choosing appropriate backgrounds, including interactive elements like forms, adding helpful tools like maps/directions, and more!
Step 7: Add Interactivity with Webflow Animations and Effects
This is optional, but animations and effects add visual interest while making it easier for visitors to interact with various elements on your site, such as buttons or images when clicked or hovered over by their cursor.
Plus, they look great too!
Step 8: Optimize for Search Engines
Hotel search engine optimization should be noticed when creating websites because it helps increase online visibility so more people will learn about what you offer through SERPs.
With Webflow’s built-in SEO tools, optimizing web pages becomes much more manageable since users don’t have to worry about applying complex codes manually every time they make changes on their site — Webflow does it automatically instead!
Step 9: Test and Publish Your Site
Last but certainly not least, before launching, test everything thoroughly just in case something doesn't work correctly. Nobody wants their guests to experience technical difficulties while browsing! Errors may be due to some code issue or any other unexpected problem that arises before publishing live online.
Testing should include checking all functionality, such as clickable links, and ensuring mobile compatibility across different devices and browser types so that once published, everything runs smoothly from start to finish (fingers crossed!).
Chapter 2: Consistent Hotel Branding: Creating a Style Guide For Your Hotel
All of your website's elements (and other digital marketing collaterals in later chapters) should have a consistent look and feel.
That's why it's essential to create your style guide for your hotel.
Your style guide is like a 'rule book' that dictates how these elements should be presented, which includes:
- Fonts
- Colors
- Images and graphics
- Logo usage and placement
Creating a unified visual experience for visitors will make them more likely to remember your hotel's brand when searching online or booking their next stay in the future.
Plus, it'll help you remain consistent with your other marketing materials, such as emails and digital ads — so everything looks polished and professional!
How To Create a Winning Hotel Style Guide for Your Digital Marketing Strategy
So, how does this work? Here's a comprehensive overview of what you must do to create a winning style guide for your hotel:
Define Your Hotel's Core Values and Mission Statement
The first step in creating a winning hotel style guide is to define your core values and mission statement. This helps set the tone and direction of all future communication.
Your core values should reflect what makes your hotel unique while capturing what customers can expect from their stay with you.
It’s important to ask yourself, “What do we want our customers to think about when they think of our hotel?”
Answering this question will help guide you in defining how you want your brand represented online.
Identify Your Unique Selling Points (USPs)
Once you’ve identified your core values, consider what makes your hotel stand out from its competitors.
Are there specific amenities or services that set you apart from others in the area?
Knowing this information will help you create visuals that reflect your hotel's uniqueness and help customers understand why they should choose yours over another option.
Choose a Color Scheme to Represent Your Brand
Colors can be powerful tools when used effectively in design work, so choosing colors that accurately represent your brand identity and message is essential.
Different colors evoke different emotions, so take some time to research which colors best fit your brand's tone of voice and overall feel before deciding which ones to use in your style guide.
Create Fonts and Typography That Reflect Your Brand Voice
Fonts are just as important as color when representing your brand voice.
The typeface should reflect not only who you are but also what customer experience you offer.
Classic serif fonts might be ideal for more traditional hotels, while modern sans-serif fonts could work better for contemporary properties.
Make sure the font size is legible on all devices, too — no one wants squinting eyes trying to read small texts!
Develop an Iconography and Logo Design System That Resonates With Customers
Icons are also essential elements for any visual design system — particularly logos — so make sure that yours is consistent across all platforms) and represents the core values of your brand identity accurately.
If done correctly, icons can become powerful symbols associated with people's perception of your hotel — so choose wisely!
Design Visual Elements That Accurately Represent the Hotel Amenities
When developing visual elements like photos or graphics for use on websites or other media outlets, ensure they accurately represent the amenities offered at each location while still being visually appealing enough to draw customers in.
This could mean taking photos of each room or showcasing specific features like pools or gyms — whatever works best to communicate what makes each location unique should be featured prominently in any visual design system created to promote them online.
Understand How Customers View Your Brand and Embrace that Perception
An essential step in developing your style guide is to do some research to determine what people think about when they hear the name of your hotel.
Are there particular attributes or images associated with it?
By incorporating these ideas into the overall design system, you can ensure that all visuals accurately represent what customers expect from your hotel.
Outline Communication Protocols for Each Digital Platform
Finally, it’s crucial to outline the protocols for representing your hotel on each digital platform.
This includes identifying which social media channels you will use and how often content will be posted, deciding what messaging best resonates with customers on each channel, and outlining any guidelines for user interactions.
By establishing these rules in advance, all team members will be on the same page regarding engaging with customers online.
Creating a style guide is essential to building a successful digital marketing strategy for hotels that accurately reflects your brand's identity and allows customers to connect with your property on a deeper level.
With the right approach, you can ensure that you use every visual element in a promotion.
Chapter 3: A Beginner’s Guide to Improving Your Social Media Presence
Social media has become a powerful tool for hotels to increase visibility and reach new customers, but it’s essential to understand why you should use it first.
For one, social media allows you to interact directly with your target audience, building relationships with potential customers and creating authentic conversations about what makes your hotel unique.
Social media also provides an easy way for people to find information about your hotel, review services offered, and quickly book reservations — all of which can result in increased sales if done correctly.
Social media is an effective method of hotel content marketing that allows you to share exciting stories and visuals that showcase the personality of your business while driving meaningful engagement from followers.
Organic Social Media and Paid Social Media
Organic social media involves creating content and engaging with people on your platforms without paying for advertisements.
Dedicating enough time and resources to this aspect of digital marketing is crucial to building relationships, driving engagement, and spreading awareness about your hotel.
Paid social media includes boosting posts or running campaigns that involve spending money on targeted ads to reach a specific audience.
It’s more expensive than organic social media but can be very effective if done correctly — especially when reaching new customers or promoting special offers.
How To Improve Your Social Media Presence
Hotel social media marketing requires practice, but you need to start somewhere.
Let's discuss how you can create your social media marketing strategy in seven simple steps:
Step 1: Choose Your Social Media Platform
Before creating content for your hotel, deciding which platforms will best reach your target audience is essential.
Do market research and identify the platforms where your guests spend their time online. If your guests are primarily millennials, Instagram might be a great fit. If they’re more middle-aged travelers, Facebook could be the better choice.
Step 2: Identify Your Target Audience
Once you have selected the platforms that make sense for your hotel, it’s time to get specific about who you want to reach.
Who is most likely to stay at your hotel? Are there specific demographics or interests that make them a prime target for your services?
Identifying these details will help you tailor content for this group and increase engagement.
Step 3: Create Engaging Content
Once you know who you’re talking to, it’s time to create content that resonates with this audience.
Share photos of the views from rooms or activities at the hotel, post videos with staff members sharing customer stories, or write blog posts about local attractions and events near the property.
These posts will help potential guests visualize themselves enjoying an unforgettable stay at your hotel and entice them to book a room!
Step 4: Optimize Social Media Profiles
Another important step towards improving visibility on social media is optimizing profiles so they appear in search engine results when users type in relevant keywords related to hotels or destinations near yours.
Make sure all profile information is up-to-date, including:
- Contact information
- Profile pictures
- Banners
- Logos
This information will help users quickly find your hotel when they're searching for hotels online.
Additionally, adding hashtags relevant to the area and hotel industry can also help boost visibility when users search using those terms on platforms like Instagram and Twitter!
Step 5: Interact With Customers Regularly
Engagement is vital to improving your hotel’s social media presence.
Make sure you respond promptly to customer queries and comments on all platforms to maintain visibility and build trust with potential customers.
This may mean having dedicated staff members monitoring social media accounts during certain hours of the day or setting up automated responses for common questions or inquiries.
Either way, responding promptly shows customers that their feedback matters which will help increase loyalty over time.
Step 6: Utilize Paid Advertising To Reach New Audiences
If organic growth isn't enough, hotel paid advertising is also worth considering!
Utilizing paid ads allows businesses access to a much larger pool of potential customers who may not have found their website otherwise due to targeting specific demographics through various platforms such as Facebook Ads Manager or Google AdWords!
However, remember quality over quantity. Ensure ads are engaging enough, so users will take action after viewing them!
Step 7: Analyze Performance Metrics for Improvement
Finally, analyze performance metrics such as likes, shares, and comments on posts or interactions with ads to gauge how successful different strategies have been for reaching new audiences or increasing engagement from existing followers and customers!
Doing this regularly will help ensure that all efforts are being put into activities that produce results rather than just wasting time & resources on tasks without measurable outcomes!
Bonus: Using a Google My Business Profile For Hotels
While social media is essential, it’s not the only way to increase your online visibility!
One crucial step often overlooked is setting up a Google My Business Profile.
Setting up a Google My Business profile is the best way to ensure potential customers can find your hotel quickly and efficiently when doing an online search. With a business profile, you can give people all the information they need about your hotel, including:
- Address
- Hours of operation
- Contact details
Customers can also leave reviews on your business profile page, which is another excellent way to provide feedback about their experience at your hotel. It’s an easy and free way to increase visibility for your business and attract new customers.
It only takes a few minutes to set up and can make all the difference in securing those valuable bookings.
Many hotels don't have a Google My Business Profile yet, so setting up yours now can help you stand out!
Here's a quick way to get you started with GBP:
You need an account on google.com/business with a business email address, and you are ready to start.
Providing potential customers with specific information about the location, hours of operation, contact information, website URL, and photos will give them peace of mind when booking their stay.
It is also essential to set up reviews and ratings from past guests so they will be more likely to decide based on positive experiences that others have had.
And if at any point they have an issue or a question, you can always take the conversation private!
Chapter 4: Thinking Outside the (In)Box: Your First Steps in Email Marketing
So far, we have talked about strategies to improve your online presence and reach new audiences. Now, let's talk about a more targeted approach — hotel email marketing.
Email marketing is a form of digital marketing that uses emails to promote products or services, build customer relationships, and drive sales.
This strategy involves sending emails to potential and existing customers about your hotel's:
- Products
- Services
- Special offers
- Events
- Promotions
This type of marketing is highly effective because it allows you to reach people directly in their inboxes rather than relying on them to come across your content through SEO or other methods.
Reach Potential Guests Directly
Email marketing lets you reach out to potential guests directly with special offers and promotions tailored specifically to them.
You can make sure your message stands out by using personalization features like dynamic content, which displays different information based on who is viewing the message.
This helps to create a truly personalized experience that is more likely to result in conversions.
It's Cost Efficient
Unlike other forms of digital marketing, hotel email marketing is relatively low-cost and can be done with minimal resources.
You don't need expensive software or a vast team to set up an email list — all you need is an email service provider like MailChimp and some creative ideas for content.
Boost Website Traffic
You can also use email campaigns to drive website traffic by including links to landing pages on your site — this could be used for special offers or events, for example — which encourages customers to visit and learn more about what makes your hotel so unique!
Plus, if they make a booking after clicking through from an email campaign, you’ll know exactly where they came from (email!).
Generate Leads
Email campaigns are also an effective way of generating leads for future bookings — especially if you segment your list so that each person receives only relevant messages tailored specifically to their needs and interests.
You could even set up automated campaigns that send messages whenever someone joins your mailing list or visits certain pages on your website.
This strategy could encourage them to book in the future by reminding them why they should choose your hotel over others!
Create Loyalty Programs
Finally, email campaigns are perfect for creating loyalty programs that reward customers for returning again and again.
You can use these programs as an incentive for signing up for newsletters or booking rooms through specific channels; this will give people an extra reason to book directly with you rather than through third-party websites or other travel agents!
Plus, it will help create a sense of connection between you and your customers as they become loyal followers of your brand over time — another critical factor in building relationships with customers who may eventually become repeat guests!
Getting Started With Email Marketing
While email marketing is complex, it doesn't have to be difficult.
Here are a few steps to get you started with your email marketing program:
Build Your List
The first step in any successful email marketing campaign is gathering subscribers.
You need an opt-in form on your website to build your list that allows visitors to subscribe to your mailing list.
You should also have a call to action in every blog post or article you publish. This will allow readers to quickly sign up for your mailing list without searching for an opt-in form.
Once you have gathered some subscribers, you need to create content that keeps them interested in hearing more from you.
Create a Segmented List
Once you’ve got your list of subscribers, it’s important to segment them according to various criteria.
This helps you create more targeted campaigns tailored specifically for each segment.
For example, you could send out special offers and promotions to those who have stayed at your hotel before and reach out to potential customers who haven’t yet stayed with you by offering discounts or other incentives.
Craft Engaging Content
Once you’ve created a targeted list, it’s time to start crafting engaging content for each segment.
Your goal should be to provide value-driven content that educates and informs your readers, so they feel like they’re getting something out of your emails.
You can write about local events, attractions in the area, discounts or promotions you’re offering, or anything related to your hotel that interests your readers.
Remember — keep it creative and fun!
Use Automation
Email automation is one of the most potent tools in email marketing.
It allows you to set up automated campaigns that are sent out on a schedule — this could be anything from weekly newsletters to special offers and promotions.
Email automation helps save time and makes sure that everyone receives messages when they’re most likely to open and read them.
Plus, it can reduce the amount of work you need by automating tasks like segmentation and lead nurturing!
Chapter 5: Leveraging High-Quality Images and Other Assets for Your Hotel
If you didn't notice, digital assets are the cornerstone of any successful digital marketing strategy.
Digitals also provide an excellent way to promote your hotel and generate leads by creating an emotional connection with potential customers.
High-quality visuals make your website more attractive and engaging, and they can also be used in social media campaigns to reach a wider audience.
These assets allow you to tell stories about your hotel’s history, culture, and the experience guests have when staying with you — all of which can help increase bookings!
In Hotels, A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words
Photos are one of the most powerful assets you can use to advertise your hotel online.
They give viewers an immediate sense of your property and provide an up-front view of your amenities.
High-quality images help create an emotional connection between potential customers and your hotel.
If you want people to book rooms at your hotel, make sure you invest in professional photography services to capture high-resolution images that accurately represent the style and atmosphere of your property.
Entice Them With Excellent Video Production
Video content is becoming increasingly popular as people search for more engaging ways to consume information online.
Videos are handy when showcasing the features and amenities available at your property — they provide a visual representation that photos simply cannot match! You can also use video tours for virtual walkthroughs or creatively highlight special offers or promotions.
Investing in professional video production services will ensure that the final product is up to industry standards and captures what makes your hotel unique.
More Digestible Information Through Infographics
Infographics are a great way to present complex data in an easily digestible format.
Whether comparing room rates across different hotels or showing off the services offered by various departments within your property, you can use infographics effectively in blog posts or other travel or hospitality topics.
Be sure to include eye-catching visuals and concise text so that readers clearly understand what they’re looking at without getting overwhelmed with too much information!
Let Potential Guests Digitally Explore Your Hotel Using 3D Tours
For those who prefer a more interactive experience when researching potential vacation spots, 3D tours quickly become one of the go-to options.
These tours allow travelers to get an immersive view of different areas within a hotel before they even step foot on the property — it’s like being there without actually being there!
3D tours provide an excellent way for guests to preview their stay before booking their room — and they often provide helpful insights into which room might best suit their needs based on how close it is to specific amenities or attractions available onsite.
Of Course, Blogs!
Lastly, creating quality blog content is essential for any successful digital marketing campaign today!
Blogging allows you as a business owner or manager to show off all that makes your hotel unique while also providing readers with valuable information related to travel tips, news stories related to hospitality industry trends, and more!
The right blog post can do wonders for driving traffic back toward your website while also helping build trust between potential customers who may be researching different properties throughout their travels.
Chapter 6: Your Digital Presence vs. Online Travel Agencies: Transforming Your Digital Marketing Strategy To Compete in Today’s Digital World
Congratulations! Now that you've come this far, we wanted to address the elephant in the room: why not just rely on OTAs? After all, they drive bookings and leads to your hotels.
While OTAs provide a valuable service, it's important to note that relying on them for your digital marketing efforts can limit your potential.
This is why it's essential to create your digital marketing strategy. A strategy allows you to compete with OTAs properly and build a direct relationship with potential customers.
Here are four ways why creating your digital marketing strategy will benefit your hotel in the long term:
Lower Cost of Acquisition
One of the significant advantages of competing with OTAs is that it can significantly lower your acquisition cost.
You keep more money in-house without paying commissions or fees for each guest who books through an OTA.
This all starts by building a solid presence on the web by increasing visibility across various search engines like Google, Yahoo!, Bing, and others, as well as optimizing for mobile devices and tablets.
Having an active presence on social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube is another effective way to engage potential customers and build brand loyalty at a much lower cost than traditional marketing tactics like television ads or magazine spreads.
Increased Business Sustainability
By relying less on OTAs, hotels can build more sustainable businesses that don’t depend solely on third-party sites for bookings.
This allows you to better manage lead generation efforts and customer relationships in-house without sacrificing quality or service standards.
Less reliance on OTAs also opens up opportunities for hotels to focus more resources on developing their direct booking channels, which will ultimately help them avoid costly commission payments in the long run.
More Control Over Advertising and The Booking Process
OTAs have always had much control over what ads get seen by potential customers and when they are seen.
However, hotels have much more freedom with their websites when deciding which promotions they want to run and at what times they want them seen by potential customers.
This allows them greater flexibility in targeting specific audiences with certain offers, which can help optimize their ROI while allowing them more control over the booking process since they will be managing it directly rather than relying on third-party sites or services.
Direct Access To Data and Hotel Analytics From Your Campaigns
Finally, having your website gives you direct access to data about who visits your site and insights into how those visitors interact with it.
You can use this information to tailor content specifically for different audiences or create targeted marketing campaigns based on user behavior patterns observed from your hotel analytics dashboard and hotel tracking.
This real-time feedback helps ensure that each campaign is tailored specifically for maximum impact resulting in higher conversion rates from each dollar spent on advertising costs compared with an OTA platform.
Chapter 7: Reputation Management
Finally, we're on the last stretch of this e-book.
In this chapter, we're going to discuss hotel reputation management.
How do you ensure that your hotel is seen positively online?
The truth is that it’s nearly impossible to avoid negative reviews and comments. But with effective reputation management, you can minimize their impact on your business.
What Is Reputation Management?
Reputation management is about understanding and managing what people think about your hotel online. This involves monitoring customer feedback, responding appropriately to negative and positive comments, and leveraging customer reviews to attract more guests.
Effective reputation management allows you to create an online presence that reflects positively on your business and lets potential guests know why they should stay with you over another hotel in the area.
Here are a few ways to effectively manage your reputation online:
Respond, Thank, and Work With Your Customers
A significant part of reputation management is responding to customer issues and queries.
Responding quickly shows that you care about customers and their concerns; this will go a long way toward ensuring that customers have a good experience with your business.
Remember to thank customers who leave positive reviews. They must know their opinion matters!
If customers raise any negative reviews or complaints, try to work with them directly so that you can find a resolution together.
Be Proactive With Your Content
In addition to monitoring customer feedback and responding accordingly, it's also vital that you be proactive with your content production on social media channels and websites.
Posting regularly will help keep your post engagement high while also making sure potential guests know what's happening at your establishment regularly — like upcoming promotions or special offers — which could convince them to book with you instead of someone else!
Encourage Your Customers To Leave Positive Feedback
Finally, one of the best ways for hotels to manage their reputation is by encouraging customers to leave positive reviews after their stay.
You can include information about how they can leave feedback when booking or during check-in. This will make it easier for them to do so afterward!
Sending follow-up emails thanking them for choosing your establishment and asking if they would leave a review is another great way of increasing the number of positive reviews from satisfied guests!
By implementing these strategies and closely monitoring your hotel online reputation, you can ensure that your hotel has a highly positive presence on the web.
This will help you attract more customers and stand out from the competition, ultimately leading to increased bookings and higher revenues.
Need Help Optimizing Your Digital Presence?
We've had a great time talking about digital marketing with you today. We've shared the importance of local SEO for hotels and reputation management and techniques to help your hotel succeed — all of which require a strategy that demands steady effort and commitment.
But it pays off in dividends!
So what are you waiting for? Start investing in these digital marketing tactics today and establish yourself as an expert in the field.
Remember, there’s no rush — choose one tactic at a time and master it thoroughly before considering the rest.
And if you’re looking for more help or advice on digital marketing, contact WebDevCam. We specialize in helping hotels build and manage their digital presence, so you can trust us to get the job done.
From social media to building websites and everything in between, we are here to help.
Ready to get started? Apply to work with us at the form below.
