As 2017 winds down, it is important to reflect on all the digital marketing changes that have occurred this past year in the hospitality space. From the increase in mobile utilization to the rollout of artificial intelligence devices, 2017 brought us many changes in how we approach our marketing efforts. Going into 2018, we anticipate even more changes with newer technologies and methodologies that will be introduced. As such, we believe there are five digital marketing trends that stick out the most for hotels in 2018.
SEO Emphasis on User Experience
Website user experience (UX) is not only a vital contributor to a hotel’s success when it comes to generating bookings, but it also has a big impact on SEO. Google has established that quality user experiences on websites will heavily influence search rankings throughout 2018. As such, good or poor user experiences on your site will have the power to sway where your site falls on the search results page, as well as how much organic traffic will be funneled to your site.There’s no time like the present to speak with your digital agency partners about enhancing the UX on your website, especially if your website is a few years old or contains any potential UX roadblocks. Your SEO’s will likely already be aware of these hangups and can provide you with valuable insight on how to improve. We know our team will be initiating this conversation with our hotel partners.
Content Is Still King
As we move into 2018, content creation will continue to dominate the digital marketing conversation surrounding hotels. We’ve witnessed the rise of content over the past few years, and 2018 will be no different. Next year will bring even more diversification in content creation, as marketers generate not only new content types but also new approaches to content distribution.
Gone are the days when “content” was synonymous with “blog” (though we’re still a big fan of long-form content for SEO). The growth of social media platforms has allowed marketers to utilize media like user-generated content (UGC), video, email marketing creative, gifs, animations, infographics, and more--and they’ll only continue to innovate in the creative space throughout 2018. Creating great content that will then be promoted across multiple platforms is our new normal, and we anticipate this will only enhance overall UX and organic search rankings.
Increased Personalization of Ads
Marketers have never been able to directly connect with consumers the way they can today, and in the coming year, they’ll continue to raise the bar for personalization. From banner ads to social media ads, marketers can reach their audience at every step of the digital journey using language and imagery that speaks to that audience’s specific needs and wants. And consumers love it!The 2016 Jivox Benchmark Report found that personalized ads can generate up to three times the user engagement compared to standard ads. The personalization of your ads can also help synchronize your strategies across pay-per-click, social media, display, and more to bring a unified, unique message to your target consumer. Personalization is here to stay, so be sure your digital partners are utilizing that approach to ramp up customer engagement.
Mobile Still Changing the Digital Game
Mobile devices will continue to be a disruptor in the digital landscape. Google’s emphasis on mobile first indexing has changed the way digital marketers and developers approach optimization on websites--but consumers are the ones who first initiated that shift. More and more websites and ads are geared toward mobile devices because marketers know that’s where their audiences spend time. This trend will only accelerate in 2018.
According to an eMarketer report, the average time spent per day on a mobile device “non-voice” --that is, the time consumers spend on their mobile devices apart from actually making a phone call -- continues to grow by an average of 5 percent year-over-year since 2011. As such, hotels should prioritize mobile-only marketing, and evaluate their budgets and marketing efforts accordingly. Landing pages and website experiences will also need to be mobile friendly, so be sure all your SEO ducks are in a row as you move towards mobile.
Voice Searches on the Rise
Voice search made waves amongst digital marketers in 2017 and will continue to be a big topic in 2018 as AI capabilities and devices continue to evolve. VoiceLabs predicts 24.5 million voice-first devices will be shipped in 2017--we even have two in our own office. To keep up, hotels should focus on a number of search optimization techniques suited to voice search.These include maximizing the information available within your Google My Business Listing, creating more conversational keywords on your website, and ensuring there is a frequently asked questions (FAQ) page on your site. These techniques will help you stay a step ahead as voice searches continue to grow.In the coming year, we will continue to see user experience and personalization as the central focus of digital marketing efforts. Though we've identified here what we consider to be top trends on the horizon, both the hospitality industry and digital marketing itself are constantly changing. Lean on your digital agency to bring new ideas to the table and inject adaptations of the latest trends into your strategy where possible.
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As 2017 winds down, it is important to reflect on all the digital marketing changes that have occurred this past year in the hospitality space. From the increase in mobile utilization to the rollout of artificial intelligence devices, 2017 brought us many changes in how we approach our marketing efforts. Going into 2018, we anticipate even more changes with newer technologies and methodologies that will be introduced. As such, we believe there are five digital marketing trends that stick out the most for hotels in 2018.
SEO Emphasis on User Experience
Website user experience (UX) is not only a vital contributor to a hotel’s success when it comes to generating bookings, but it also has a big impact on SEO. Google has established that quality user experiences on websites will heavily influence search rankings throughout 2018. As such, good or poor user experiences on your site will have the power to sway where your site falls on the search results page, as well as how much organic traffic will be funneled to your site.There’s no time like the present to speak with your digital agency partners about enhancing the UX on your website, especially if your website is a few years old or contains any potential UX roadblocks. Your SEO’s will likely already be aware of these hangups and can provide you with valuable insight on how to improve. We know our team will be initiating this conversation with our hotel partners.
Content Is Still King
As we move into 2018, content creation will continue to dominate the digital marketing conversation surrounding hotels. We’ve witnessed the rise of content over the past few years, and 2018 will be no different. Next year will bring even more diversification in content creation, as marketers generate not only new content types but also new approaches to content distribution.
Gone are the days when “content” was synonymous with “blog” (though we’re still a big fan of long-form content for SEO). The growth of social media platforms has allowed marketers to utilize media like user-generated content (UGC), video, email marketing creative, gifs, animations, infographics, and more--and they’ll only continue to innovate in the creative space throughout 2018. Creating great content that will then be promoted across multiple platforms is our new normal, and we anticipate this will only enhance overall UX and organic search rankings.
Increased Personalization of Ads
Marketers have never been able to directly connect with consumers the way they can today, and in the coming year, they’ll continue to raise the bar for personalization. From banner ads to social media ads, marketers can reach their audience at every step of the digital journey using language and imagery that speaks to that audience’s specific needs and wants. And consumers love it!The 2016 Jivox Benchmark Report found that personalized ads can generate up to three times the user engagement compared to standard ads. The personalization of your ads can also help synchronize your strategies across pay-per-click, social media, display, and more to bring a unified, unique message to your target consumer. Personalization is here to stay, so be sure your digital partners are utilizing that approach to ramp up customer engagement.
Mobile Still Changing the Digital Game
Mobile devices will continue to be a disruptor in the digital landscape. Google’s emphasis on mobile first indexing has changed the way digital marketers and developers approach optimization on websites--but consumers are the ones who first initiated that shift. More and more websites and ads are geared toward mobile devices because marketers know that’s where their audiences spend time. This trend will only accelerate in 2018.
According to an eMarketer report, the average time spent per day on a mobile device “non-voice” --that is, the time consumers spend on their mobile devices apart from actually making a phone call -- continues to grow by an average of 5 percent year-over-year since 2011. As such, hotels should prioritize mobile-only marketing, and evaluate their budgets and marketing efforts accordingly. Landing pages and website experiences will also need to be mobile friendly, so be sure all your SEO ducks are in a row as you move towards mobile.
Voice Searches on the Rise
Voice search made waves amongst digital marketers in 2017 and will continue to be a big topic in 2018 as AI capabilities and devices continue to evolve. VoiceLabs predicts 24.5 million voice-first devices will be shipped in 2017--we even have two in our own office. To keep up, hotels should focus on a number of search optimization techniques suited to voice search.These include maximizing the information available within your Google My Business Listing, creating more conversational keywords on your website, and ensuring there is a frequently asked questions (FAQ) page on your site. These techniques will help you stay a step ahead as voice searches continue to grow.In the coming year, we will continue to see user experience and personalization as the central focus of digital marketing efforts. Though we've identified here what we consider to be top trends on the horizon, both the hospitality industry and digital marketing itself are constantly changing. Lean on your digital agency to bring new ideas to the table and inject adaptations of the latest trends into your strategy where possible.
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