Although it may be difficult to see right now, at some point, the crisis surrounding COVID-19 will pass. That’s the day you need to start planning for right now. At best, most hotels are spending at a limited frequency during this crisis, which means they’re no longer top of mind for their target audience.Although we do recommend against disappearing during this crisis, the reality is that Americans have more to worry about than their next vacation and hotels have more on their plates than just marketing. As a result, hotels will need to reintroduce themselves once guests are ready to reconsider travel. After all, when people around the world are focused on staying healthy, there’s only so much attention to go around. So how do we stand out after all this is done?
Read up on our messaging strategies, then read on to learn about how to deploy that message in places that other hotels might miss.
We get it, new channels can be scary. But where other marketers might be afraid to dip their toe into foreign waters, we’ve seen strong performance on Reddit for properties who run it. Reddit ads typically result in more impressions, more clicks, and a lower CPC than Facebook ads with a similar budget–partially because there’s lower competition.That’s why it’s an ideal platform for post-COVID-19 brand awareness due to its niche targeting options (interest-based and community-specific) that aid in audience discovery. We can also retarget users who click on Reddit ads and serve them ads on Facebook and Instagram.
Pinterest is one of the best digital channels for hospitality brands when it comes to brand awareness. Travelers are increasingly using the platform to plan their next vacation. Consider Pinterest as the first step in your customer’s journey, especially when you leverage a design that highlights strong imagery and their robust keyword-based search engine.
Screen Pilot’s Top Tips:
- Use keywords to your advantage when creating content for Pinterest -- if you want your hotel to come up when people search for “Romantic fall getaways”, make sure to use a photo or video that is relevant to the terms you want to appear for.
- With the outbreak of COVID-19, Pinterest has seen a 30% increase in “staycation” related searches and a 40% increase in searches for “road trip ideas” -- so how can your hotel use that to your advantage?
According to a 2019 Pinterest travel study:
- “Almost half of US travel Pinners turn to Pinterest to begin planning their next trip.”
- “These globetrotters are typically booking within two months of the start of their research.”
- "76% of travelers searching on Pinterest making a purchase after seeing travel content from brands on Pinterest."
Pinterest shared in their 2020 trends update that:
- Pinners in 2020 are looking for content surrounding “responsible travel.”
- Consider what your brand can contribute.
- For example: “travel stories” has seen a 125% increase in searches YoY. An idea would be to repurpose guest testimonials into Pinterest ads.
- “Eco-friendly travel” has seen a 73% lift YoY -- if your hotel has green elements (LEED-certified building? Composting program? Bee haven?), consider how you can turn that into an informative pin. For example: Top 10 Eco-friendly travel hacks, Sustainable Packing List, etc.
Internet Radio
Music streaming has seen a decline (down 8% in the first week of social distancing) thanks in part to shelter-in-place ordinances being enacted around the country and the removal of a daily commute from Americans’ lives.Once social distancing and shelter-in-place restrictions are lifted, we can expect those streaming numbers to rebound and as a hotel or resort, we can get back into the ears of potential travelers.
Hulu / Ad-Supported Streaming
Depending on how much of a lead time you have between social distancing and recovery, Hulu or other streaming platforms are a great opportunity to get in front of potential guests in the final weeks of isolation as they begin dreaming of life outside of their home.
Did you enjoy the read?
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Although it may be difficult to see right now, at some point, the crisis surrounding COVID-19 will pass. That’s the day you need to start planning for right now. At best, most hotels are spending at a limited frequency during this crisis, which means they’re no longer top of mind for their target audience.Although we do recommend against disappearing during this crisis, the reality is that Americans have more to worry about than their next vacation and hotels have more on their plates than just marketing. As a result, hotels will need to reintroduce themselves once guests are ready to reconsider travel. After all, when people around the world are focused on staying healthy, there’s only so much attention to go around. So how do we stand out after all this is done?
Read up on our messaging strategies, then read on to learn about how to deploy that message in places that other hotels might miss.
We get it, new channels can be scary. But where other marketers might be afraid to dip their toe into foreign waters, we’ve seen strong performance on Reddit for properties who run it. Reddit ads typically result in more impressions, more clicks, and a lower CPC than Facebook ads with a similar budget–partially because there’s lower competition.That’s why it’s an ideal platform for post-COVID-19 brand awareness due to its niche targeting options (interest-based and community-specific) that aid in audience discovery. We can also retarget users who click on Reddit ads and serve them ads on Facebook and Instagram.
Pinterest is one of the best digital channels for hospitality brands when it comes to brand awareness. Travelers are increasingly using the platform to plan their next vacation. Consider Pinterest as the first step in your customer’s journey, especially when you leverage a design that highlights strong imagery and their robust keyword-based search engine.
Screen Pilot’s Top Tips:
- Use keywords to your advantage when creating content for Pinterest -- if you want your hotel to come up when people search for “Romantic fall getaways”, make sure to use a photo or video that is relevant to the terms you want to appear for.
- With the outbreak of COVID-19, Pinterest has seen a 30% increase in “staycation” related searches and a 40% increase in searches for “road trip ideas” -- so how can your hotel use that to your advantage?
According to a 2019 Pinterest travel study:
- “Almost half of US travel Pinners turn to Pinterest to begin planning their next trip.”
- “These globetrotters are typically booking within two months of the start of their research.”
- "76% of travelers searching on Pinterest making a purchase after seeing travel content from brands on Pinterest."
Pinterest shared in their 2020 trends update that:
- Pinners in 2020 are looking for content surrounding “responsible travel.”
- Consider what your brand can contribute.
- For example: “travel stories” has seen a 125% increase in searches YoY. An idea would be to repurpose guest testimonials into Pinterest ads.
- “Eco-friendly travel” has seen a 73% lift YoY -- if your hotel has green elements (LEED-certified building? Composting program? Bee haven?), consider how you can turn that into an informative pin. For example: Top 10 Eco-friendly travel hacks, Sustainable Packing List, etc.
Internet Radio
Music streaming has seen a decline (down 8% in the first week of social distancing) thanks in part to shelter-in-place ordinances being enacted around the country and the removal of a daily commute from Americans’ lives.Once social distancing and shelter-in-place restrictions are lifted, we can expect those streaming numbers to rebound and as a hotel or resort, we can get back into the ears of potential travelers.
Hulu / Ad-Supported Streaming
Depending on how much of a lead time you have between social distancing and recovery, Hulu or other streaming platforms are a great opportunity to get in front of potential guests in the final weeks of isolation as they begin dreaming of life outside of their home.
Did you enjoy the read?
Get original hospitality industry insights delivered to your inbox. Sign up to receive Screen Pilot’s #TrendingNow Newsletter.
