Vegetables.We understand they’re good for us, but for those who are leery of green things, it can be a chore to eat them.Most hotel marketing teams understand that maintaining an active blog is a key element of modern digital marketing, but some struggle to get the ball rolling.We’ve written at length on the importance of having a strategic content marketing strategy and the role a hotel blog plays in its success. Blogs boost organic SEO, influence travelers during the planning phase, drive direct website traffic, build inbound links, and offer an opportunity to stand out from the competition.Yet for all the advantages, you still have to eat your vegetables on a regular basis to reap the rewards.While properties that don’t have a blog are at a competitive disadvantage, the good news is that starting a blog is a very achievable goal.Here are a five tips to help guide hotel teams just starting a blog.
Act Like You’ve Been There
The great football coach Vince Lombardi, upon seeing one of his players dance in celebration after a touchdown, advised him next time to instead “act like you've been there before.” The same advice applies to your brand’s blog.Opening with a post that literally exclaims "We have a blog!" is so very 1990s, and only broadcasts that you’re new to the digital experience and unprepared to offer readers any real value.Write or commission half a dozen or more relevant, thoughtful articles and slowly post them over the course of several weeks before you publicize your blog in earnest. Travelers often scan multiple blog articles in a single visit to gain a broad feel for the type of experience a hotel offers.
Select a Few Distinct Categories, Series
Blog organization and appeal matter. Most hotel properties cater to a diverse range of travelers, and blog content should likewise include a variety of styles and topics, but simply posting them in a random order maximize the clicks and conversions.The best way to prepare your blog for great content and a smooth lead experience is to define a few categories that suit your marketing personas. Be sure to define each category in a side link so readers can easily find the topics that are most relevant to them. Possible categories might include;
- Local Travel Guides
- with hotel at the center
- Engaging FAQ Details
- about rooms, policies, and amenities
- Travel Tips
- for all types of travelers
- Niche Articles
Mix Up the Authorship
When managing a blog becomes the responsibility of a single person, there’s some risk of that person's name and face appearing over and over as the author of posts.Whether you are writing the blogs yourself, working with an agency or using a ghostwriting service, one author for the entire blog appears repetitive, like the rest of the hotel isn't involved.Blogs help to humanize a brand, so invite more humans to participate. Mix up the authorship. Purposefully partner with other members of your marketing team, and invite guest posts from others – bloggers, influencers, community members, even guests – to keep content fresh and show your readers that the storytelling is a team effort.
Use More Than One Image per Blog
Blog formatting is something that every brand does differently, but there are some general standards. It comes off as sloppy to snag a free, open source image, slap it atop an article and call it done. It's often evident to the reader when generic art is used, and can appear lazy. Your brand deserves more than that.Use two or three images per article when possible, and embed them for a more dynamic reading experience. Find images that complement the content of the post and consider commissioning a local photographer to grow your library of original shots (property, staff, guests, locale) that readers won't find in other stock-photo-fueled blogs.
Open the Comments Section
Consider your posts a conversation, not a broadcast.Some management teams fear feedback, worried about the potential for negative comments. In the modern digital era, however, travelers are already commenting on your property across the internet, from Facebook to TripAdvisor, to Twitter and beyond. Keeping your blog comments “on” helps you monitor the conversation and manage any questionable content.Allow readers to comment on posts. For the most part, they probably won't, but offering this option suggests transparency, and is incredibly welcoming for those who do love an article or want to ask a question. Make sure a designated person on your team receives alerts when new comments are posted so they can respond and further engage.Consider asking open-ended questions at the end of every article to encourage comments and, if you're lucky, a commenting community will form naturally in your blog environment. Those discussions will add authenticity to your content and give you a chance to show that your hotel is a responsive, considerate brand that engages with travelers, both on site and online.While the thought of starting your first hotel blog can be daunting, with a modest collection of organized, categorized blog articles from day one, even your first readers will find a satisfying reading experience, and each lead is that much more likely to convert.You don't necessarily have to go it alone either. Working with a trusted digital marketing partner can ease the stress of a startup, and offer guidance, creative direction and strategy that works in harmony with your goals.So eat your vegetables … and start that blog.
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Vegetables.We understand they’re good for us, but for those who are leery of green things, it can be a chore to eat them.Most hotel marketing teams understand that maintaining an active blog is a key element of modern digital marketing, but some struggle to get the ball rolling.We’ve written at length on the importance of having a strategic content marketing strategy and the role a hotel blog plays in its success. Blogs boost organic SEO, influence travelers during the planning phase, drive direct website traffic, build inbound links, and offer an opportunity to stand out from the competition.Yet for all the advantages, you still have to eat your vegetables on a regular basis to reap the rewards.While properties that don’t have a blog are at a competitive disadvantage, the good news is that starting a blog is a very achievable goal.Here are a five tips to help guide hotel teams just starting a blog.
Act Like You’ve Been There
The great football coach Vince Lombardi, upon seeing one of his players dance in celebration after a touchdown, advised him next time to instead “act like you've been there before.” The same advice applies to your brand’s blog.Opening with a post that literally exclaims "We have a blog!" is so very 1990s, and only broadcasts that you’re new to the digital experience and unprepared to offer readers any real value.Write or commission half a dozen or more relevant, thoughtful articles and slowly post them over the course of several weeks before you publicize your blog in earnest. Travelers often scan multiple blog articles in a single visit to gain a broad feel for the type of experience a hotel offers.
Select a Few Distinct Categories, Series
Blog organization and appeal matter. Most hotel properties cater to a diverse range of travelers, and blog content should likewise include a variety of styles and topics, but simply posting them in a random order maximize the clicks and conversions.The best way to prepare your blog for great content and a smooth lead experience is to define a few categories that suit your marketing personas. Be sure to define each category in a side link so readers can easily find the topics that are most relevant to them. Possible categories might include;
- Local Travel Guides
- with hotel at the center
- Engaging FAQ Details
- about rooms, policies, and amenities
- Travel Tips
- for all types of travelers
- Niche Articles
Mix Up the Authorship
When managing a blog becomes the responsibility of a single person, there’s some risk of that person's name and face appearing over and over as the author of posts.Whether you are writing the blogs yourself, working with an agency or using a ghostwriting service, one author for the entire blog appears repetitive, like the rest of the hotel isn't involved.Blogs help to humanize a brand, so invite more humans to participate. Mix up the authorship. Purposefully partner with other members of your marketing team, and invite guest posts from others – bloggers, influencers, community members, even guests – to keep content fresh and show your readers that the storytelling is a team effort.
Use More Than One Image per Blog
Blog formatting is something that every brand does differently, but there are some general standards. It comes off as sloppy to snag a free, open source image, slap it atop an article and call it done. It's often evident to the reader when generic art is used, and can appear lazy. Your brand deserves more than that.Use two or three images per article when possible, and embed them for a more dynamic reading experience. Find images that complement the content of the post and consider commissioning a local photographer to grow your library of original shots (property, staff, guests, locale) that readers won't find in other stock-photo-fueled blogs.
Open the Comments Section
Consider your posts a conversation, not a broadcast.Some management teams fear feedback, worried about the potential for negative comments. In the modern digital era, however, travelers are already commenting on your property across the internet, from Facebook to TripAdvisor, to Twitter and beyond. Keeping your blog comments “on” helps you monitor the conversation and manage any questionable content.Allow readers to comment on posts. For the most part, they probably won't, but offering this option suggests transparency, and is incredibly welcoming for those who do love an article or want to ask a question. Make sure a designated person on your team receives alerts when new comments are posted so they can respond and further engage.Consider asking open-ended questions at the end of every article to encourage comments and, if you're lucky, a commenting community will form naturally in your blog environment. Those discussions will add authenticity to your content and give you a chance to show that your hotel is a responsive, considerate brand that engages with travelers, both on site and online.While the thought of starting your first hotel blog can be daunting, with a modest collection of organized, categorized blog articles from day one, even your first readers will find a satisfying reading experience, and each lead is that much more likely to convert.You don't necessarily have to go it alone either. Working with a trusted digital marketing partner can ease the stress of a startup, and offer guidance, creative direction and strategy that works in harmony with your goals.So eat your vegetables … and start that blog.
Did you enjoy the read?
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