When I started my hotel digital marketing career in 2009, we were doing things differently. The industry lacked tools, knowledge and marketers relied on basic metrics to prepare for making digital marketing decisions. By the mid-2010s, most hotels had digital marketing strategies that included OTA optimization, some paid advertising, website optimization, and social media activity. Everything was done manually. This is what I call the stone age of digital marketing.
Today, there are tons of tools and resources available to manage digital marketing more effectively. From business intelligence tools to market research and solutions to streamline workflow, there’s a tool for every challenge. Too bad most hotels are still stuck in the 2010s and don’t make use of it. In this article I will introduce five must-have tools for an up-to-date modern digital marketing setup.
OTA Insight
In most markets around the world, the majority of online bookings are generated by OTAs. While hotel marketing teams prefer direct bookings, having a steady stream of OTA bookings can’t hurt business. OTA Insight is a brilliant tool that provides excellent metrics and insights into how your property is performing on OTAs compared to the market. It is an essential tool for finding opportunities and spotting critical issues. The company has just launched the first predictive market intelligence solution that captures hotel booking intent in real time to uncover new revenue opportunities.
Using OTA information or similar OTA intelligence tools for business and marketing decision-making is a big step ahead of relying on basic OTA statistics and guesswork typical of hotel managers.
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When it comes to social media management, around 60% of independent hotels are still stuck in the 2010s and doing everything manually. That’s sad. Meanwhile, smart marketing teams use social media tools to unlock a wealth of information and reduce the daunting workflow required to keep all social channels up to date.
Iconosquare is used by marketing agencies, making data-driven decisions for Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. The platform offers peace of mind in content scheduling, time-saving reports and in-depth analysis for both brands and agencies.
Other alternatives are Sprout Social, HootSuite and Brand24.
HubSpot
Many hotels use CRM systems for good reasons. Managing loyalty programs, tracking guest profiles, building integrated funnels and automating communication is impossible without a CRM today. Several booking engines offer simplified CRM systems, but they fall far short of the effectiveness of a dedicated CRM.
HubSpot is an industry-standard CRM solution that serves millions of businesses across multiple industries, offering tons of funnel management and customer relationship automation features.
Many hotel companies use Revinate as their CRM. Even for them, I would highly recommend them to check out HubSpot as it is better.
Pricing is right for small businesses, and the company even has a free basic CRM for those who can’t spare a dime. If you don’t think your hotel needs a CRM, then good luck sending those birthday emails and manually tracking leads.
Market Sampler
Market Sampler is our own market research solution that gives you the superpower to see inside the minds of your audience. Using microsurveys, you can target research campaigns to anyone online based on demographics, interests, income level, and more.
In most cases, hotels use Market Sampler to measure brand awareness in key markets, test brand acceptance, and understand guest expectations of hotels like theirs. You can also use Market Sampler to gauge what people think of your hotel’s website or advertisements.
It’s a smart and flexible tool that lets you launch research campaigns from as little as $50 and get data in days.
SemRush
Search engine optimization and content marketing are still very relevant to internet marketing, not only for hotels but for most industries. Too bad over 70% of independent hotels only produce content for social media. Having well-written blog posts on a hotel website is the #1 factor in search engine rankings and the way to go to attract free, high-intent web traffic.
SemRush offers fantastic tools for professional-level search engine ranking and content marketing management. It allows you to spy on your competitors, identify the most lucrative and best converting search terms and use this information to improve your hotel brand’s search engine presence.
We’re not arguing that SEO is a hell of a job that requires constant research, writing, and patience, but in the long run, a strong search engine presence will generate more revenue than paid ads can buy.
How much do these tools cost? Is it worth the investment?
Using the above or similar tools will cost a little over $1,000 per month. By doing so, you’ll unlock mission-critical business and market insights and reduce the time required to perform otherwise time-consuming tasks, and your team will be able to do better work overall.
You’ll be able to automate email marketing campaigns, find ideal market segments to advertise to, better manage your social networks and improve your hotel’s search engine traffic. In case you already measure the income and effectiveness of these activities, you can do the math if it’s worth it.
If you’re not tracking revenue from the above activities, it’s a clear sign that your hotel is stuck in the digital stone age and it’s time to plan for better digital marketing management.
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