April 2023 - ThisRapt || Hospitality Marketing

Using Influencer Marketing to Reach New Audiences in the Hospitality Industry

In today’s digital age, influencer marketing has become a powerful tool for businesses to reach new audiences and increase brand awareness. The hospitality industry, in particular, can benefit greatly from influencer marketing as it allows hotels, resorts, and restaurants to showcase their unique offerings to a wider audience. In this blog, we’ll explore how influencer marketing can help your hospitality business grow and some tips for creating a successful influencer marketing campaign.

What is influencer marketing?

Influencer marketing in hospitality involves partnering with individuals who have a significant social media following to promote your brand. These influencers can be bloggers, Instagrammers, YouTubers, or any other social media personalities with a significant following. By partnering with influencers, businesses can reach a broader audience and tap into their followers’ trust and loyalty.

Why does influencer marketing work for the hospitality industry?

The hospitality industry is all about experiences, and influencers can help businesses showcase their unique offerings to potential guests. By partnering with influencers who have a relevant audience, hotels, resorts, and restaurants can showcase their unique amenities, location, and services to a highly targeted audience. Additionally, influencers can share their experience with their followers, creating a sense of trust and authenticity that traditional advertising can’t match.

Tips for creating a successful influencer marketing campaign in hospitality:

 

  1. Define your target audience: Before starting an influencer marketing campaign, it’s essential to identify your target audience. By understanding your ideal customer, you can partner with influencers who have a relevant following.
  2. Choose the right influencers: Not all influencers are created equal. It’s essential to choose influencers who align with your brand’s values and have a highly engaged audience. Look for influencers who have a strong social media presence, high engagement rates, and a loyal following.
  3. Create a compelling offer: Influencers are typically compensated for their services, either with monetary compensation or free amenities. It’s important to create a compelling offer that incentivizes influencers to promote your brand.
  4. Set clear expectations: To ensure a successful campaign, it’s essential to set clear expectations with your influencers. Provide them with clear guidelines on what you want them to promote and how they should promote it.
  5. Track your results: It’s important to track the success of your influencer marketing campaign to understand what’s working and what’s not. Monitor metrics such as engagement rates, website traffic, and bookings to determine the ROI of your campaign.

 

In conclusion, influencer marketing in hospitality is a powerful tool for hospitality businesses looking to reach new audiences and increase brand awareness. By partnering with relevant influencers and creating compelling offers, businesses can showcase their unique offerings to a highly targeted audience. By following these tips, you can create a successful influencer marketing campaign and take your hospitality business to the next level.

Looking to take your hospitality business to the next level? Partner with us, ThisRapt, to create a successful influencer marketing campaign that will help you reach new audiences and increase brand awareness. Our team of experts has the knowledge and experience to create a customized influencer marketing strategy that aligns with your business goals and objectives.

Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you leverage the power of influencer marketing to grow your hospitality business. Let’s work together to create an unforgettable experience for your guests and take your business to new heights.

The Role of Social Media in Hospitality Marketing

Social media marketing has become an essential tool for hospitality businesses to connect with potential customers and build brand awareness. With over 4.2 billion active social media users worldwide, hotels and other hospitality businesses have a unique opportunity to connect with a vast audience and increase their visibility.

Here are some of the different social media platforms that hotels and other hospitality businesses can use to connect with potential customers and build brand awareness:

 

  1. Facebook: Facebook is the largest social media platform, with over 2.8 billion monthly active users. It is a great platform for hospitality businesses to share news, events, promotions, and other information with their followers. Facebook also provides a platform for hotels to create a community by engaging with their customers through comments, likes, and shares.
  2. Instagram: Instagram is a photo-sharing platform with over 1.2 billion monthly active users. It is an ideal platform for hospitality businesses to showcase their properties and services through high-quality images and videos. Hotels can use Instagram to create a visually appealing feed and use Instagram Stories to showcase their daily activities and behind-the-scenes moments.
  3. Twitter: Twitter is a micro-blogging platform with over 330 million monthly active users. It is an excellent platform for hospitality businesses to share quick updates, news, and promotions with their followers. Hotels can also use Twitter to engage with their customers by responding to their tweets and creating a sense of community.
  4. LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a professional networking platform with over 740 million members. It is an ideal platform for hotels to connect with other businesses in the hospitality industry, share job postings, and showcase their expertise in the industry.

 

Strategies for creating engaging content and fostering a sense of community among followers:

 

  1. Use high-quality images and videos: To showcase your property and services, use high-quality images and videos that are visually appealing and showcase your unique offerings.
  2. Create a consistent brand voice: Develop a consistent brand voice across all your social media platforms that reflects your hotel’s personality and values.
  3. Run promotions and contests: Promotions and contests are a great way to engage with your followers and create excitement around your hotel.
  4. Respond to customer feedback: Respond to customer feedback on social media platforms promptly, whether it is positive or negative, to show that you value their input and are committed to providing excellent customer service.
  5. Create a sense of community: Use social media platforms to create a sense of community among your followers by sharing content that is relevant to their interests and engaging with them through comments, likes, and shares.

 

In conclusion, social media is a powerful tool for hospitality businesses to connect with potential customers, increase brand awareness, and create a sense of community among followers. By using a combination of social media platforms and implementing effective strategies for creating engaging content, hospitality businesses can leverage social media to grow their business and stand out in a competitive market.

If you’re a hospitality business looking to connect with potential customers and build your brand, social media is an essential tool that you cannot afford to ignore. With the strategies outlined in this article, you can create engaging content, foster a sense of community among your followers, and make the most of different social media platforms.

So, don’t wait any longer, book a call now– start using social media marketing to grow your hospitality business today! Whether you’re new to social media or have been using it for a while, there’s always something new to learn and new ways to engage with your followers. So, take the time to implement these strategies, experiment with different platforms, and keep refining your approach until you achieve the results you’re looking for. Good luck!

The Importance of Customer Segmentation in Hospitality Marketing

Customer segmentation is a crucial aspect of hospitality marketing that allows hotels and other hospitality businesses to target specific customer groups with tailored marketing efforts. By dividing their customer base into smaller, more manageable groups based on demographics, behaviour, and psychographics, hospitality businesses can create more effective marketing campaigns that resonate with their target audience. In this blog, we will discuss the importance of customer segmentation in hospitality marketing and explore various ways in which hotels and other businesses can segment their customers.

Demographic Customer Segmentation

Demographic segmentation is one of the most common and straightforward methods of customer segmentation. It involves dividing customers based on demographic factors such as age, gender, income, education, and marital status. For example, a luxury hotel may target high-income travellers, while a budget hotel may target budget-conscious travellers.

Demographic segmentation helps hospitality businesses understand the specific needs and preferences of different customer groups. By tailoring marketing efforts to these groups, businesses can create messaging that resonates with their target audience and increase the chances of converting them into loyal customers.

Behavioural Customer Segmentation

Behavioural segmentation is based on how customers interact with a hospitality business, such as their purchasing behaviour, frequency of visits, and brand loyalty. This type of segmentation helps businesses understand how their customers behave and what motivates them to make a purchase.

For example, a hotel may segment its customers based on their booking behaviour, such as those who book far in advance versus those who book last minute. This information can help the hotel create targeted marketing campaigns that incentivize customers to book earlier or to book a specific package or room type.

Psychographic Customer Segmentation

Psychographic segmentation involves dividing customers based on their personality traits, lifestyle, values, and attitudes. This type of segmentation helps businesses understand the emotional needs of their customers and how they relate to their brand.

For example, a hotel may segment its customers based on their travel motivations, such as adventure-seeking travelers, relaxation-seekers, or business travelers. This information can help the hotel create targeted marketing campaigns that highlight specific amenities or services that cater to those travel motivations.

Benefits of Customer Segmentation

By segmenting their customers, hospitality businesses can create targeted marketing campaigns that resonate with their target audience. This approach can help businesses to:

  • Increase customer loyalty: By tailoring marketing efforts to specific customer groups, hospitality businesses can create a more personalized and memorable experience for their customers, increasing the likelihood of repeat business.
  • Maximize marketing ROI: Targeted marketing campaigns can be more cost-effective than generic campaigns, as they are more likely to convert leads into customers.
  • Differentiate from competitors: By creating messaging that resonates with specific customer groups, hospitality businesses can differentiate themselves from competitors who offer a more generic approach.

Conclusion

Customer segmentation is a crucial aspect of hospitality marketing that allows hotels and other businesses to target specific customer groups with tailored marketing efforts. By dividing their customer base based on demographics, behaviour, and psychographics, hospitality businesses can create more effective marketing campaigns that resonate with their target audience. This approach can help businesses increase customer loyalty, maximize marketing ROI, and differentiate from competitors, ultimately leading to increased revenue and profitability.

Are you a hospitality business looking to increase your revenue and profitability through targeted marketing campaigns? If so, customer segmentation is a crucial aspect of your marketing strategy. By dividing your customer base based on demographics, behaviour, and psychographics, you can create tailored marketing campaigns that resonate with your target audience and increase customer loyalty.

So, if you want to differentiate from your competitors, maximize your marketing ROI, and create a personalized and memorable experience for your customers, it’s time to start implementing customer segmentation in your hospitality marketing strategy. Take the first step towards success by analyzing your customer data and identifying the key customer segments that are most important to your business. Start creating targeted marketing campaigns that speak directly to your customers’ needs and preferences, and watch your revenue and profitability growth. Book a Call Now

How a Hotel Growth Agency Helped a Hotel Villa Baviera Increase Occupancy Rates by 25%

When it comes to running a successful hotel, one of the key metrics to measure is occupancy rate – the percentage of available rooms that are actually filled with guests. A high occupancy rate means more revenue and a healthier bottom line. But what if your hotel is struggling to attract guests and your occupancy rate is lower than you’d like it to be? That’s where a ThisRapt hotel growth agency can come in handy.

Take the case of the Hotel Villa Baviera. Located in a popular tourist destination, the hotel had a lot going for it – a prime location, great amenities, and friendly staff. However, despite all of this, the hotel’s occupancy rate was hovering around 50%. The hotel’s management team knew they needed help to turn things around, so they turned to a ThisRapt hotel growth agency for assistance.

ThisRapt started by conducting a thorough analysis of the hotel’s current marketing efforts. They looked at everything from the hotel’s website to its social media presence to its advertising campaigns. What they found was that the hotel’s marketing efforts were fragmented and lacked a cohesive strategy. There was no clear message or branding, and potential guests were getting lost in the noise.

To address this issue, the hotel growth agency developed a comprehensive marketing plan for the hotel. This included creating a new website that was optimized for search engines and mobile devices, establishing a strong social media presence on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, and launching targeted advertising campaigns aimed at specific demographics. Also, creating guest personas for families and business travellers.

One of the key tactics ThisRapt as a Hotel Marketing Company employed was influencer marketing. We reached out to popular travel bloggers and social media influencers who had a large following in the hotel’s target market and invited them to stay at the hotel for free in exchange for sharing their experiences on their social media channels. This helped to generate buzz and attract attention from potential guests who may not have otherwise heard of the hotel.

ThisRapt also worked closely with the hotel’s staff to ensure that the guest experience was top-notch. They provided training on everything from customer service to housekeeping to make sure that every guest had a memorable and enjoyable stay.

The results were impressive. Within six months of partnering with the hotel growth agency, the Hotel’s occupancy rate had increased by 25%. The hotel was now consistently booked up, and revenue was up significantly as a result.

Overall, the success of the Hotel Villa Baviera is a testament to the power of a comprehensive hotel growth strategy. By working with a hotel growth agency to develop a cohesive marketing plan and improve the guest experience, the hotel was able to achieve impressive results and set itself up for long-term success.

Creating a content marketing plan for your hotel business

Hotel owners or marketing teams are well aware that drawing guests to their property is a continuously evolving challenge. With so many hotels to choose from, you need to find ways to stand out from the competition and connect with potential guests. One of the most effective ways to do this is through content marketing. Generating and distributing useful content is a great way to gain the trust of your customers and make your hotel a preferred option for travelers.

But where do you start? Here are some steps for creating a content marketing plan for your hotel business:

1) Define your audience:

Before you can create content that resonates with your audience, you need to know who they are. Consider the demographics of your typical guest (age, gender, location, interests) and think about what types of content would appeal to them.

Here are some of the personas :

  1. Solo Leisure Traveller
  2. Couples
  3. Young Families
  4. Friend Groups
  5. The Mature Traveller
  6. Small Family Event
  7. The Solo Business Traveller
  8. The Digital Nomad
  9. The Workcationer
  10. The Travel Seller
  11. Business Group

 

2) Set goals:

What do you want to achieve with your content marketing efforts? Do you want to increase website traffic, generate more bookings, or build brand awareness? Set specific, measurable goals that align with your business objectives.

3) Develop a content strategy:

Based on your audience and goals, develop a plan for the types of content you will create and how you will distribute it. This might include blog posts, social media updates, videos, or email newsletters. Focus on more visual experiences that people desire.

In today’s digital landscape, a visual experience is what people desire. It is therefore essential for a Hospitality SEO Agency to come up with creative strategies that will make an impact on the consumer and create maximum engagement. Images, videos, and other visual elements are incredibly effective at conveying your brand message in an appealing and persuasive way. Companies should focus on creating personalized visuals that reflect the brand’s identity, engage customers emotionally, and inspire them to take action. As people become increasingly more connected to Instagram or Tiktok, visual experiences have become even more powerful tools for connecting with them effectively.

 

4) Create a content calendar:

To stay organized and consistent with your content, create a calendar that outlines when and where each piece of content will be published. Be sure to include important dates (holidays, events, etc.) that can inspire timely content.

Decide on the frequency of your posts, the channels you’ll use, and the metrics you’ll track. A simple spreadsheet with columns for the date, title, format, channel, target audience, and goal can be a good starting point. You can use third-party tools to create a content calendar like StoryChief or Buffer.

5) Produce quality content:

Once you have a plan in place, it’s time to start creating content. Make sure your content is high-quality, informative, and engaging. Use visuals (photos, videos, infographics) to make your content more appealing and shareable.

6) Promote your content:

Simply publishing content on your website or social media channels won’t guarantee that people will see it. Use paid advertising, email marketing, and social media promotion to get your content in front of a wider audience.

7) Measure and adjust:

Regularly review your content marketing metrics (such as website traffic, social media engagement, and bookings generated) to see what’s working and what’s not. Use this data to adjust your strategy and improve your results.

By following these steps, you can create a content marketing plan that helps your hotel business stand out and attract more guests. Remember that content marketing is a long-term investment, so be patient and persistent in your efforts. With time and effort, you can build a loyal audience of travellers who turn to your hotel again and again.

Whenever you’re ready to take your hotel marketing efforts to the next level, you can always count on us at ThisRapt hospitality marketing agency. From expert consultation to top-of-the-line tools, we provide the right resources and guidance that can help you reach and exceed performance goals of any size or shape. A demo session will help you gain firsthand insight into what these ThisRapt experienced hotel marketing agency is capable of and how that could benefit your business in terms of increasing direct bookings, growth, and customer retention. Booking a demo with an expert ThisRapt hotel content marketing team is the best way to tap into the industry’s dynamic potential!