1. Who are our guests?When you are working on your hotel marketing plan, this is the first question you should ask. It seems like it should be a no-brainer, but you would be surprised how many brands are lying to themselves about their audience. Maybe it is ego, maybe it is ignorance, but while we all might want wealthy, affluent, and influential consumers to flock to our products, that simply isn’t the case. If you don’t know who your customer is, then simply look back over your records. You have records right? Otherwise, your hotel marketing plan is the least of our worries! Now that you’ve got those in front of you, look at the ages, family dynamic, and hometowns of your guests. Where are they traveling from? Are they flying solo or bringing their families? What kinds of things are they purchasing when they are on property? How much are they spending? Once you start you familiarizing yourself with these factors, certain traveler personas should start showing up again and again. That is your audience.2. What is our why?“Well,” you might say, “isn’t it obvious? Somebody has to bring home the bacon.” And yes, I won’t disagree with you. If money was no object, we would all just be lounging on our private islands holding a frozen drink with a tiny umbrella. However, I’m not talking about making money. I am talking about what makes you get out of bed every day. What motivates your spirit rather than your pocketbook? Need a deeper explanation? Check out this Simon Sinek video that discusses what makes a company truly successful.3. What makes someone come to our hotel?Again, this is something that requires a small amount of brainpower on your part, but I know you can handle it. I want you to view your hotel from the perspective of prospective guests. What are the activities that draw someone to choose your hotel versus someone else’s? Do you have a fantastic beach or a professionally designed golf course? A world-renowned spa? Are you located next to a tourist attraction that might attract visitors? All of these things are important to take into account when developing your marketing plan. The list that you come up with is not only just a good reference, but also an opportunity to start developing keywords for your website.4. Who are our competitors?Now that you know who your audience is and what brings people to your hotel, take a look at other resorts in your area who are attracting the same types of people and offering similar amenities. How are they engaging with their audience? Are they doing something that seems to garner a lot of attention online? Are they popping up in PPC ads for hotel in your area or even for your own branded hotel name? The best way to beat your competition is to understand them.5. What do we specialize in? What makes us stand out?Think about what guests are saying about you online. Are you standing out because of superior service? Does your kitchen whip up world-class cuisine that is being featured in Food & Wine magazine? On the other hand, if you are standing out for all of the wrong reasons, a hotel marketing plan, no matter how far-reaching, will sound like a lie. Making sure that your online presence reinforces guest experience on property. Don’t share misleading photos or make claims that don’t live up to reality. Your guests will feel like you pulled the wool over their eyes, and nothing is worse than a guest scorned who has access to TripAdvisor.6. What are our products and services? Which are considered successful?Hopefully you were taking notes when you were first figuring out who your audience is. Let’s look at that data again, and this time pay attention to where guests were spending their money. If you offer valet, are people actually using it? What about concierge services? Does your room service get rave reviews or are people more likely to go to the on-site restaurant? Just looking at this information should give you a glimpse into the minds of your guests. If something isn’t successful, it might just be the way your are selling it, or it might just be a waste of your resources.7. What are our weaknesses and challenges?Much in the same way that understanding your competition is the only way to beat them, understanding your weaknesses are the only way to overcome them. If you can’t handle your entire marketing strategy in-house, then it might be time to ask for help from an agency. Even if you don’t need an agency, asking for help from a consultant or hiring a social media specialist to advise you on your content strategy could end up being a make or break decision for sales.8. Where are our guests interacting with our brand?Because travel is such a visual thing, you can use social media in a way that will bring unmatched revenue. As long as you are investing in quality over quantity, your property’s images can easily become candy for Instagram, Pinterest or Facebook. Another thing to consider is how the traveler journey is changing. Travelers are beginning their initial searches for destinations on social media and large meta search sites like TripAdvisor to save themselves the time of visiting 10 or 15 branded hotel sites. Does your hotel marketing plan include meta search marketing? Maybe it should.Sometimes going to work at the same place every day causes us to lose the ability to find fresh perspective. By continually re-evaluating your business, your customers, and your marketing plan, your brand will learn to be responsive rather than reactive. The more that you can understand the “why” of your hotel marketing plan, the more effective your investments will be on bookings, revenue, and overall guest satisfaction.If you need direction on your marketing plan, please, let us know. We are passionate about watching you succeed. If you aren’t ready for an agency or don’t have room in your budget, then just subscribe to our newsletter and continue learning. We believe in empowering people to make their best decisions for themselves and their brand.
1. Who are our guests?When you are working on your hotel marketing plan, this is the first question you should ask. It seems like it should be a no-brainer, but you would be surprised how many brands are lying to themselves about their audience. Maybe it is ego, maybe it is ignorance, but while we all might want wealthy, affluent, and influential consumers to flock to our products, that simply isn’t the case. If you don’t know who your customer is, then simply look back over your records. You have records right? Otherwise, your hotel marketing plan is the least of our worries! Now that you’ve got those in front of you, look at the ages, family dynamic, and hometowns of your guests. Where are they traveling from? Are they flying solo or bringing their families? What kinds of things are they purchasing when they are on property? How much are they spending? Once you start you familiarizing yourself with these factors, certain traveler personas should start showing up again and again. That is your audience.2. What is our why?“Well,” you might say, “isn’t it obvious? Somebody has to bring home the bacon.” And yes, I won’t disagree with you. If money was no object, we would all just be lounging on our private islands holding a frozen drink with a tiny umbrella. However, I’m not talking about making money. I am talking about what makes you get out of bed every day. What motivates your spirit rather than your pocketbook? Need a deeper explanation? Check out this Simon Sinek video that discusses what makes a company truly successful.3. What makes someone come to our hotel?Again, this is something that requires a small amount of brainpower on your part, but I know you can handle it. I want you to view your hotel from the perspective of prospective guests. What are the activities that draw someone to choose your hotel versus someone else’s? Do you have a fantastic beach or a professionally designed golf course? A world-renowned spa? Are you located next to a tourist attraction that might attract visitors? All of these things are important to take into account when developing your marketing plan. The list that you come up with is not only just a good reference, but also an opportunity to start developing keywords for your website.4. Who are our competitors?Now that you know who your audience is and what brings people to your hotel, take a look at other resorts in your area who are attracting the same types of people and offering similar amenities. How are they engaging with their audience? Are they doing something that seems to garner a lot of attention online? Are they popping up in PPC ads for hotel in your area or even for your own branded hotel name? The best way to beat your competition is to understand them.5. What do we specialize in? What makes us stand out?Think about what guests are saying about you online. Are you standing out because of superior service? Does your kitchen whip up world-class cuisine that is being featured in Food & Wine magazine? On the other hand, if you are standing out for all of the wrong reasons, a hotel marketing plan, no matter how far-reaching, will sound like a lie. Making sure that your online presence reinforces guest experience on property. Don’t share misleading photos or make claims that don’t live up to reality. Your guests will feel like you pulled the wool over their eyes, and nothing is worse than a guest scorned who has access to TripAdvisor.6. What are our products and services? Which are considered successful?Hopefully you were taking notes when you were first figuring out who your audience is. Let’s look at that data again, and this time pay attention to where guests were spending their money. If you offer valet, are people actually using it? What about concierge services? Does your room service get rave reviews or are people more likely to go to the on-site restaurant? Just looking at this information should give you a glimpse into the minds of your guests. If something isn’t successful, it might just be the way your are selling it, or it might just be a waste of your resources.7. What are our weaknesses and challenges?Much in the same way that understanding your competition is the only way to beat them, understanding your weaknesses are the only way to overcome them. If you can’t handle your entire marketing strategy in-house, then it might be time to ask for help from an agency. Even if you don’t need an agency, asking for help from a consultant or hiring a social media specialist to advise you on your content strategy could end up being a make or break decision for sales.8. Where are our guests interacting with our brand?Because travel is such a visual thing, you can use social media in a way that will bring unmatched revenue. As long as you are investing in quality over quantity, your property’s images can easily become candy for Instagram, Pinterest or Facebook. Another thing to consider is how the traveler journey is changing. Travelers are beginning their initial searches for destinations on social media and large meta search sites like TripAdvisor to save themselves the time of visiting 10 or 15 branded hotel sites. Does your hotel marketing plan include meta search marketing? Maybe it should.Sometimes going to work at the same place every day causes us to lose the ability to find fresh perspective. By continually re-evaluating your business, your customers, and your marketing plan, your brand will learn to be responsive rather than reactive. The more that you can understand the “why” of your hotel marketing plan, the more effective your investments will be on bookings, revenue, and overall guest satisfaction.If you need direction on your marketing plan, please, let us know. We are passionate about watching you succeed. If you aren’t ready for an agency or don’t have room in your budget, then just subscribe to our newsletter and continue learning. We believe in empowering people to make their best decisions for themselves and their brand.
