One of the most challenging things you face as a someone with a business in the hospitality or travel industry is getting noticed before your competitors so that prospective travelers book their travel plans with you.
By Joel Lee
Most people who book travel plans do so on their mobile device, 51 percent actually, and that percentage is only expected to grow as it already has. Therefore, your focus must be on mobile marketing to garner the most attention. Here are a few things you can do to revolutionize mobile marketing in the travel/hospitality business.
1. Take Advantage of Text Messaging Marketing
It is a known fact that 90 percent of SMS text messages are read within three minutes of the time they are received. By 2020, more than 47 million consumers will opt in for texts from their favorite businesses. You could implement a simple texting program, allow website visitors to sign up for texts, and create messages to:
Remind consumers when you have special deal dates
Reach out to customers who have already booked with you to thank them
Offer helpful advice like directions or news about area events
2. Reformat Emails Into Shortened Versions
When you pull up an email on your mobile phone, screen space availability means you don’t see quite as much as you would on a regular computer screen. MarketingSherpa says that you get a mere 15-20 seconds to get the message across, and that comes out to be something like 50 words. It should be your goal with marketing emails to keep your copy to as close as possible to that number.
3. Generate a Buzz with Shareworthy Posts On Social Media
About 80 percent of the time on social media happens on a mobile device, and the average visitor does look for travel information. So if you can generate a buzz with a good shareworthy post, that post has the potential to reach millions of people. You can do this by:
Creating a post associating your business with a major area attraction that gets attention
Posting about a giveaway or promotion
Sharing fascinating pictures of something in your area
4. Gear Ads Toward Traveler Experience
When someone comes across an ad on their phone for your hotel, travel destination, or otherwise, you don’t want them to feel like you are trying to sell them something. Whether you post an ad on social media, send out an ad in an email, or post ads on popular sites, your goal should be to portray ideas that will improve travelers’ experiences. Things like tips on how to save, things to see while in the area, how to stay safe while visiting are all examples of things customers want to know. When you create ads centered around these things, you are building your reputation as a reputable place who cares about the people who use your services.
5. Welcome Customer Reviews On Social Media
When someone is making plans for travel, one of the first things they rely on is what other people say. Social media sites make it easy for prospective travelers to see what others are saying, but as the owner of a business page, make sure you are highlighting customer reviews and experiences on that page. Welcome reviews, make posts to request insight from prior customers, and really work toward welcoming and generating feedback that will be used to market your brand and service.
Your end goal in the travel hospitality business is to keep prospects coming your way, and further developing your mobile marketing plans and processes will do just that. Just by making use of these five simple tips, you will drastically increase how many customers pay attention to you when they pick up their mobile device.
From Hotel Speak
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