As businesses compete in the ongoing cost of living situation, having an effective marketing strategy is more important than ever. Whether you run a small B&B, a city centre hotel or a beachside restaurant, understanding your industry and crafting a bespoke marketing strategy and leveraging relevant marketing channels can be the difference between success and failure. This article will explain the key marketing strategies to focus on when marketing your hospitality business and how working with a content agency like Aperture Comms, London can help.
Your Place in the Industry
Before you start marketing you need to identify your niche within the hospitality industry. Every type of business is different, with different needs, challenges and customer journeys. A restaurant marketing strategy will differ from a hotel marketing strategy, and a hotel marketing plan for a franchise will be different from a small B&B.
Restaurants focus on local SEO, food photography, user-generated content, and social media to attract customers. An effective hotel marketing strategy usually focuses on travel blogs, partnerships with travel agents and booking websites, and loyalty programs. By understanding your unique position you can develop a marketing strategy that speaks to your target audience and meets their needs.
Your Customer’s Journey
A key part of a marketing campaign in hospitality is understanding how customers find and engage with your business. The customer journey has several stages from research to booking to feedback.
Identify the touchpoints where prospective guests interact with your brand. This could be search engines, social media platforms, travel websites or word of mouth. Many local businesses like restaurants even benefit from flyers and similar offline marketing. Once you’ve mapped out these touchpoints you can tailor your marketing to guide customers through their journey and ultimately increase bookings and customer satisfaction.
Potential guests should feel comfortable using your online channels, whether making direct bookings on your hotel website or online bookings for your restaurant. Website visitors appreciate having clear, simple steps, and a seamless checkout process will prevent frustration and cart abandonment. A content marketing agency is a great place to start when designing restaurant or hotel marketing strategies and guiding them on their journey.
Who are Your Customers?
Knowing your target audience is key to creating a great restaurant, travel, or hotel marketing strategy. Are you targeting couples looking for a hotel room for a romantic getaway, families with young children or business travellers? If you own a restaurant, are your customers looking for an upscale or casual experience? Understanding your audience’s demographics, preferences and pain points will help you craft messages that speak to them.
For example, in the hotel industry, if your main audience is business travellers focus on high-speed internet, meeting rooms and convenient transport options. For families, focus on kid-friendly activities, spacious rooms and special promotions. Tailor your hotel’s marketing strategy to your audience’s needs and you’ll get more engagement and bookings.
Restaurant clientele varies widely, from fast food diners prioritising convenience to customers seeking a luxurious experience. Restaurants can benefit from engagement and online marketing campaigns on social media sites, email marketing campaigns, and resources like Google Hotel Ads and Google Ads.
Many restaurant visitors check reviews before choosing a place to eat, and will also take recommendations from friends and family. Clear, quality pictures of a restaurant’s menu, food, and décor can help potential guests decide if it is the right choice for their casual meal, family gathering, special occasion, or corporate event.
Whatever niche your business falls into, market research to determine your target customers and industry trends is a valuable tool to ensure your marketing efforts reach the right people.
Reviews
Guest reviews are important in hospitality. Positive reviews provide social proof so potential customers know what to expect. Negative reviews offer feedback enabling you to improve your restaurant or hotel marketing strategy.
Encourage guests to leave online reviews on platforms like TripAdvisor, Google and Yelp. Respond to all reviews – positive and negative – promptly and professionally. By addressing customer concerns and showing you care about your service and are willing to take criticism and improve, you can build trust and a good reputation for your restaurant or hotel brand.
Personalise the Experience
The ability to offer a personalised experience for your guests is one of the biggest opportunities in hospitality. Customising their stay or dining experience will leave a lasting impression and encourage repeat business.
Offer personalised packages with local attractions and activities. For restaurants, consider offering menu options for different dietary needs, like vegan or gluten-free diets. Hotels can offer accessible rooms or special amenities for solo travellers, business travellers, and families. By personalising your services to individual needs you’ll create memorable experiences that set you apart from the competition.
If you offer personalised options, broadcast them as part of your restaurant or hotel marketing blueprint. A content creation agency can help you design a powerful hotel marketing strategy or comprehensive marketing campaigns for restaurants and other hospitality businesses to showcase the features that make yours unique.
Local Marketing
Local marketing is important for any restaurant or hotel business, as many customers search for local options when planning their trip or dining out. Knowing the values and expectations of your local audience will help you create targeted marketing that speaks to them.
While many customers will search for a hotel or restaurant online, community outreach also plays a role in local marketing. Join or host local events, partner with neighbouring businesses and use local search engine optimization to make sure you appear in searches for relevant keywords.
Engaging with your local community will get you more visibility, customer loyalty and word of mouth. Content design is still important for local marketing campaigns. Whether you choose localised email marketing, hang posters or hand out business cards and fliers, eye-catching, informative content is vital for attracting restaurant or hotel guests in your niche.
Mobile Experience
With more and more people using smartphones providing a seamless mobile experience is vital for hospitality businesses and supports a considerable percentage of restaurant and hotel revenue. If your business model includes a loyalty program, make the benefits and sign-up process clear on your mobile website and apps. Similarly, hotel marketers should ensure listings on partner sites offer a smooth checkout experience as part of their hotel online marketing strategy. Many people book and reserve on their mobiles and a bad mobile experience on restaurant or hotel websites will lose you paying customers.
Optimising your website for mobile with fast load times, easy navigation and a simple booking process is a key part of a good hotel marketing strategy, and applies to all hospitality businesses. Make sure your social media content is mobile-friendly to encourage impulse bookings and customer satisfaction.
Be Flexible with Your Marketing
The hospitality industry is always changing so being flexible as a restaurant or hotel marketer is key to staying ahead. Adjust your approach based on industry data and your own marketing results from sources like Meta Business Suite for Facebook and Instagram and Google Analytics.
Restaurant and hotel owners should review your campaigns regularly to see what’s working and what’s not. Use data to track key metrics like website traffic, social media engagement and booking conversions. Adjust your restaurant or hotel marketing objectives as needed to optimise and achieve your marketing goals.
How we can help
Working with a content creation agency like Aperture Comms will boost your marketing plan. Here’s how:
Content
A content creation agency can produce high-quality visual, video and print content that showcases your business. From professional photography to engaging video and well-written brochures, great content will grab your audience and drive engagement.
PR
Good public relations will get you more visibility and credibility within your community and beyond. A skilled content creation agency can help you get media coverage, manage events and manage your reputation so you stand out.
SEO
Search engine optimisation is key to making sure your audience can find you online. A content creation agency can implement SEO strategies that improve your search engine rankings, drive organic traffic to your website and increase your online visibility.
Social Media and Influencer Marketing
Social media is a powerful way to connect with your audience. A content creation agency can manage your social media accounts, create content and work with influencers to expand your reach and brand.
Conclusion
Hospitality marketing requires a deep understanding of your industry, audience and the latest marketing trends. By focusing on customer journeys, personalisation, local marketing and flexible marketing you can market your business and drive bookings.
Working with a content creation agency like Aperture Comms will take your marketing to the next level, we’ll provide you with content, PR, SEO and social media management. Get in touch today to see how Aperture Comms can boost your hospitality business.