MillsMash

The following article was written by me and published in Hotelier Middle East, August 2009 Issue. Unfortunately they have not placed it online so i took the liberty…

The 21st century will be remembered as the time when the digital marketplace came of age and people turned in their millions to spend their billions online. Leading the way in this massive expanse of spending has been the travel and leisure consumers who are utilising this new open source of information to research their chosen destinations and facilities, drawing from a wealth of information provided by friends, families and strangers.

Many hoteliers have already realised the benefits that an online brand presence can bring them and either created their own sites or forged partnerships with online travel agents to capture sales. Unfortunately just as many have hoteliers have become comfortable with the online market place its focus has shifted and customers are basing their decision making on a much wider range of criteria.Increasingly people are turning to social networking and online advice to guide them in their decision on where to go and where to stay.

In this current climate it is vital to capitalise on all lead generation opportunities using the available online channels and reduce customer disaffection. One key strategy to this is increasing your brands awareness online. To achieve this we have put together the following 10 key points to help hoteliers maximise their online brand presence and increase the traffic on their websites ultimately leading to increase bookings.

1. Content is king. Ensure you site has all the very latest, relevant and accurate information on hotels and their surrounding area’s. Accuracy is key to ensure customers are not misled otherwise their brand experience will be affected and that negative experience shared with others. Content will ensure your customers needn’t look elsewhere for information and may even turn your site into a central reference point.
2. United you stand, divided you fall. Look to make partnerships with content providers to bolster your site’s information and stop customers from seeking information elsewhere. The longer they stay on the site the greater the chance they will book. Working with well know companies like What’s On When can bolster your brand value proposition and provide new valuable content for your site.
3. If you can’t beat them, join them. Social networking is not the enemy and if used effectively can drive traffic to your site and improve brand awareness. People are more likely to trust other people’s recommendations then an advert or corporate communications. TripAdvisor recently capitalised on Social Networking by creating a Facebook gadget “Cities I’ve visited” allowing people to enter cities around the world they have been too and add photos, feedback and advice which is then shared. By embracing the power of social networking you can increase your brand awareness and drive traffic to your website.
4. People want an easy life. Make sure that finding information and booking at your hotels is fast and easy. Web analytics provides an easy way to evaluate your sites performance allowing you to optimise customer journey. Even small improvements to the conversion rate add up. Conversely a slow and frustrating experience will have a negative impact on your brand and act as a barrier to any future interactions.
5. Don’t rest on your laurels. The most successful sites are constantly looking at how they can improve their customer’s online experience. Use web analytics to help you identify area’s of improvement.
6. Make yourself visible. The first place most people will go to find a brand’s website or destination information are search engines. It is vital that brands dominate the top results for specific terms, especially when searching on brand names. Although more people are searching using brand names they are not always ending up at the brand sites. Employ paid for adverts (PPC) on search engines to capture people’s attention.
7. Spread your wings. Look to increase awareness and accessibility of your site by increasing the number of other sites that talk about your hotels, brand and link to your website. Ensure any literature, advert, review, news article and press release both off and online include a link to your website. Not only will this increase awareness of your site and enable people to easily access it but it will also improve your listing in search engines.
8. Stop: Don’t rush in where fools fear to tread. Just because there is a new online trend does not mean it’s suitable for you and your brand or that you are ready for it. Evaluate the service first and plan how you will use it in the short and long term. Importantly make sure you have the resource and the content to make best use of the medium into the future.
9. Look: Look at how your customers are using the internet and how they are finding your site and interacting with your brand online; don’t be afraid to engage them on their own ground.
10. Listen. Customers are using social networks to have their say and can provide you with a free source of consumer information and feedback. Are you listening and more importantly are you prepared to react to what they have to say? You may find customers are twittering or blogging about their stay while they are with you. By monitoring this real time you can address their problems immediately and first hand you turning a possible PR disaster into a positive brand experience.

Ultimately people will only choose your hotel if it is represented well, be that online or offline. Protect your brands, monitor their reputation and ensure their being represented in the best possible light. In the digital world this is easier to track and monitor however you must ensure your reaction is planned and measured to capitalise on the opportunities.