Operating a hotel is very different from any other type of business. Yet, there are many factors that remain the same if the hotel is to be successful. One of these factors is the need to create an effective hotel marketing plan and implement it. This can be done using television and radio advertising, printed ads in assorted publications, and the internet.
Unless one operates a chain of hotels that stretches across the country, television and radio ads are not likely to be a first line of marketing. Printed ads in different publications, including state sponsored tourism guides can be much more effective at letting people know about your hotel.
In today’s world of computers, the internet is probably going to be the mainstay of any hotel marketing plan. This can be done by having a website that tells about the accommodations being offered and some of the amenities that are available and the local area. In addition, ecommerce capability so that travelers can make reservations and pay for them right on the site is a feature that many business travelers are looking for when looking for a hotel on the internet.
Of course having a website is not the be all and end all of internet marketing. It is important to get visitors to the site. This can be accomplished through the use of some marketing strategies. One of the best is the publication and distribution of articles about the hotel business or tourism. These articles should focus on keywords that are relevant to the hotel and contain a link to the hotel’s website in the resource box at the bottom of the article.
Press releases about events that take place in the hotel are another good marketing strategy. These are actually news articles circulated to all the media, so publication is free as long as the text meets the guidelines of the publication site.
Email can be useful as long as it is limited to people who have agreed to be on a mailing list for the hotel. Sending to anyone else can be considered spamming and get one into a lot of legal trouble.
One of the most useful methods of marketing for any business today is the use of social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. These sites provide a forum where businesses can make announcements and post advertising messages as long as they abide by the site’s rules concerning content.
Just as with any other business, a hotel must have a marketing plan in place and use it if the business is to survive. A good hotel marketing plan can include television and radio advertising, printed ads in various travel publications, and internet marketing methods. Of all of these, the printed ads and the internet are probably going to be far more effective at getting the word out about the hotel and what it offers guests. The internet also offers a wide range of marketing strategies that can be used to get traffic to the hotel’s website.