Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 138 – Adjustments To Consider For Your Hotel Advertising Right Now

These are unprecedented times and they call for us to rethink our advertising approach. In this episode, we discuss some simple considerations that you should be thinking about when updating your hotel advertising.

Click Here For A Crisis Management Resources For Hotels Master List

You can also download How Hotels Can Navigate Troubled Times

SHOW NOTES:
Here’s the original blog post on this topic: https://www.travelboommarketing.com/blog/how-to-adjust-your-advertising-strategy-right-now/

1. Update Your Negative Keyword Lists Immediately

• Be sure you’re NOT spending your advertising dollars on unqualified searches by adding negative keywords like ‘cancellation’, ‘cancel’, ‘covid’, ‘coronavirus’, & ‘corona’
• Eliminates people who are looking to cancel or just looking for any information on the virus in your area or at your property, specifically.
• Be sure to add these negatives as phrase match to cover any unexpected queries.

2. Be Mindful of All Messaging and Audit Scheduled Posts

• Review all scheduled posts
• Your brand’s messaging during this critical time can make or break your advertising efforts.
• You could be opening the door to disaster if your team isn’t reviewing and rewriting email copy, ad copy and social media posts.
• Ensure that your team is crafting empathetic, helpful messages to potential guests for a lasting impact.
• Sending the wrong message could be conveyed as self-serving or insensitive, and potentially turn people off.
• Remember, you could be crossing a line that might not have existed a week prior. 

3. Be Mindful Of The Promotion

• While providing value may be what people traditionally want, promoting a sale won’t show your true appreciation for the life blood of your business – the guest
• Ensure you’re promoting a stay in the future and that your messaging reflects that.
• Use psychology to promote the fantasy of travel – specifically, a visit to your destination and property.
• You want to be top of mind when they’re ready.
• Others are encouraging stay at home messaging. When done correctly, this type of messaging can provide infinite value.  Visit Estonia even used the hashtag #staythefuckhome

4. Market To Drive Markets

• Ensure that your brand is refining geo-targeting on all platforms so that you are actively reaching your drive market.
• You should also look at historical data to determine your highest converting demographics within your drive market to maximize ad performance.
• Be sure to offer your best rooms available. Extend this as a free upgrade to guests that may still be booking.

Promote Ways You Can Help Comply With Social Distancing

• If your hotel offers ways for people to maintain social distancing while traveling, be sure to communicate that message.
• A mobile app that offers check-in offers limited to no interaction
• digital room key allowing guests to arrive and enter their room with limited to no interaction
• Promote individual, outdoor activities around your property
• Room Service and/or Grab N Go meals
• In-room kitchens to avoid groups in restaurants

6. If you have an on-site restaurant providing take-out, make it known!

• If your on-site restaurant is still offering take-out, that could be your only source of revenue right now.
• Make sure that your website and local listings are clearly displaying your menu and your online and phone ordering options.

COMING SOON:

• Marketing During Recovery
• Hotel Messaging & Promoting During A Crisis
• Local Listing Updates
• Analytics Considerations During A Crisis

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In The Newsaroos:     

• COVID-19

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Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to @_travelboom or info@travelboommarketing.com.
 
IN ADDITION TO THE PODCAST WE HAVE A BUNCH OF WHITEPAPERS AND STUDIES YOU CAN DOWNLOAD HERE