It’s no secret that developing an effective marketing strategy for your hotel can be a decisive factor in raising awareness of your establishment, attracting new customers and increasing revenue growth. Investing to create quality hotel ads on certain digital channels can be one of the keys to your success. But you should take the time to optimize your online marketing strategy, before you jump in! To give you a hand, our hotel marketing pros shared some great tips.

Invest according to your high seasons

Predictive marketing is essential when planning your digital ads in the hotel industry. Anticipate your customers’ behaviors by utilizing your existing data in an informed way. This data will allow you to make your predictions more reliable.

Start by identifying your target customers and how they fluctuate throughout the year. Then allocate your budget wisely, investing more during the peak seasons. These seasons vary greatly from one establishment to another: a hotel favored for its proximity to the ski slopes and a hotel known for its quick access to the beach will not have the same busy periods. Determine when your hotel is most booked, and then allocate a larger budget to advertising during those times. You can track the season, the days of the week, and even the hours when your guests book to be more specific. During slower traffic periods, invest less! Don’t be afraid to reduce your digital advertising budget after the holiday season, when travel is scarcer, for example. Stay alert, and collect your data throughout the year: you’ll get better results by adjusting your budget based on the data you collect over time.

Make your audience dream with your pictures and videos

One thing our experts know for sure is that the trip starts at the beginning of the search phase for a great number of people. It is therefore imperative to choose immersive visuals that tell a compelling story. Your pictures must catch the attention and, of course, make your potential customers want to travel!

Start by asking yourself who you want to reach with your ads: are you targeting business travelers, young couples on their honeymoon, families, or retirees? Choose your photos and/or videos according to the people you want to attract to your establishment. Show people who look like your target audience enjoying your amenities, rather than just photographs of the architecture, so that they can envision themselves in your hotel. For instance, if you want to attract business travelers, show people sitting comfortably in rooms with a desk or using their laptop in co-working spaces. If you want to appeal to honeymooners, photograph a couple enjoying a romantic moment in a quiet, idyllic space. If you want to address families, show parents and their children having fun in a kid-friendly space. Finally, to reach a retired clientele, show older, happy people taking advantage of the relaxation areas or chatting in a peaceful setting.

Your photographs and videos need to inspire a sense of anticipation and excitement for the trip, while still appearing realistic. Realism and honesty are very important to customers. This is why user generated content (UGC) can be very useful: quality photos and videos posted by your customers are seen as a form of realistic testimonial. Feel free to repost the best results on your platforms with the creators’ approval to get impactful and inexpensive visuals that will make those who see them want to discover you.

Choose your platforms and follow the right trends

Unlike what some might think, your hotel’s advertising campaigns don’t have to be everywhere. To be truly effective, it’s best to choose certain platforms and social networks to focus your efforts. Choose the channels you’ll use carefully: each one caters to different audiences and follows different trends. Try to follow trends on your chosen channels; if something goes “viral”, it might be worth being aware of it. Of course, it’s still important to stay true to your brand image before participating in a trend; check the source of the viral content, and make sure you only associate yourself with trends that are in line with your hotel’s brand values.

It’s very important to stay up-to-date with the different trends, not only on social media, but also in the travel and tourism industry. So, when preparing your hotel’s digital marketing strategy, it’s imperative to be aware of what’s in vogue: is it “solo traveling” or group/multigenerational travel? Business trips to certain cities, or multi-destination leisure travel adventures? RV journeys, or bike tourism? Being aware of the latest trends will help you determine what to advertise, target the right people and get great results.

We hope that our three tips will prove useful when preparing your hotel ads. Feel free to reach out to our team for more support on your online marketing initiatives. Our expert team is always ready to assist you and help you achieve your goals!