Building a Bulletproof Content Marketing Strategy for Independent Hoteliers’, Innkeepers, and Resort Owners

To succeed in today’s hospitality industry, a bulletproof hotel content marketing strategy is paramount for independent hoteliers, innkeepers, and resort owners. With the presence of online travel agencies (OTAs) and the rapid increase of new booking platforms, you need to be creative, strategic, and agile to stand out from the competition.

In this blog post, we will explore the essential elements of a successful plan and how to execute content marketing for hotels to drive direct bookings, engage customers, and improve your online reputation.

1. Building the Strategy

Your hotel content marketing strategy can only be successful if you have a deep understanding of your goals and objectives, you understand the type of guests you want and currently have, and you utilize a content calendar that aligns with your business goals and customer needs.

Unique amenities, your property’s “personality”, upcoming events, appealing cancellation policies, and historical traits from your property are all things that will attract your desired guests.

By clearly understanding your visitors, you can develop a content marketing plan that includes a mix of different content formats, such as blog posts, social media posts, email newsletters, videos, and infographics just to list a few.

2. Executing the Plan

Now that the strategy has been set, it's time to execute a flawless plan. To do this let’s walk through how your SEO + website, social channels, email, and blogging blend to help find and nurture guests to book a room at your property.

Tying together Website Experience and SEO

To ensure a seamless user experience and search engine visibility, the optimization of your hotel’s website is crucial to ensure your property appears when people are searching for places to stay. When designing and building your website, prioritize elements such as easy navigation, comprehensive amenities pages, and an engaging 'events' section to establish your hotel as a vibrant community hub. And if you plan on catering to ALL types of guests make sure you treat ADA Accessibility with care!

To optimize your website for SEO you need to:

• Conduct keyword research to identify relevant search terms.
• Incorporate these keywords strategically in meta tags, page titles, and content.
• Don't overlook technical aspects like mobile responsiveness, site speed, and URL structure.
• Regularly monitor and update your SEO efforts to stay competitive and increase visibility to potential guests.

By combining a well-designed website with effective SEO strategies, you will enhance the overall user experience and attract more of the right visitors to your property.

Social Media Marketing

Social media is a powerful way to engage with your audience and strengthen your brand awareness. Strategically choose social media platforms that align with your guests’ preferences and create a consistent brand voice across all channels.

The best social media accounts and brands use a social media calendar to plan and schedule their content ahead of time. This saves time, keeps you organized, and provides more opportunities to engage with your guests.

Sample of a content calendar showing the monthly plan for posts

Email Marketing

Strong guest relationships can be achieved through an impactful email marketing campaign. Start by building a targeted email list using past guests, newsletter subscribers, or potential interested travelers you got from them signing up for offers on your website. Then, if possible, segment your list based on preferences and interests and then personalize your email content accordingly. Utilize email marketing to promote exclusive offers, loyalty programs, and other incentives to drive direct bookings. And don’t forget to keep an eye on the key email metrics that let you know how effective your email efforts are.

Email marketing platforms like rezCampaigns can help manage and measure the impact of your efforts. With features like A/B testing and Subscriber Snapshot, you can fine-tune your marketing strategy to ensure your messages resonate with your audience.

Blogging

Establishing your hotel as a thought leader in the industry can seem daunting, but if you keep it simple and remain consistent you can engage with your audience with ease. For instance, if your hotel is located near a famous national park, you can become a trusted resource for outdoor adventure by sharing guides, tips, and stories about exploring the park. Partner with a local business and share their resources and education. These focused blog topics help you carve out a niche and attract a dedicated audience interested in those specific topics.

Don't forget to enhance the impact of your blog posts by incorporating visually appealing images and videos that capture readers' attention and make your content more shareable. If you can get content from your guests, even better!

3. Harvesting Repeat Guests

Your strategy is intact, your plan has fallen in place, and now’s the time to ensure you have a way to turn potential guests into repeat guests and have them book direct every time!

Engage Customers

Building loyalty and driving repeat business requires engagement and a standard of always being able to exceed guest expectations. Have a clear and easy-to-use process for guests to share comments and respond promptly to customer inquiries and feedback. Use social media to solicit customer reviews and testimonials and share experiences from pasts guests’ visits.

Offer loyalty programs, special promotions, and incentives to inspire customers to return to your hotel. Host events (that can be promoted through e-mail campaigns and social media) that appeal to your guests to create a memorable experience that keeps them coming back.

Your online reputation is crucial for attracting new customers and retaining existing ones. Monitor online review platforms like TripAdvisor, Google, and Yelp to address any negative reviews promptly. Responding to negative reviews shows that you value your customers' feedback and are committed to addressing any concerns they may have. Encourage satisfied travelers to leave positive reviews and testimonials to improve your hotel's online reputation.

Trip Advisor, Google, and Yelp are examples of travel review sites

Drive Direct Bookings

OTA bookings cost you a lot of money – frequently 20% or more of the total reservation value. Accordingly, you should always include ways to entice guests to book through your brand website by providing exclusive deals, packages, and loyalty points. Make sure you have a “Book Direct benefits” page on your website and make it as visible as possible. Additionally, utilize retargeting ads on Google and in your social media channels to keep your brand top of mind. And for those who haven’t even booked yet, used advanced booking abandonment emails and offer unique incentives to finalize their reservations directly on your website.

Want to get ahead with your content marketing strategy?

At rezStream, we understand the challenges that independent hoteliers face in a highly competitive market. By executing a content marketing plan that considers website design, social media marketing, SEO, blogging, and email marketing, you can engage customers, improve your online reputation, and drive direct bookings. Our comprehensive suite of marketing solutions is designed to help hoteliers do exactly that and we’d be happy to show you how.

Build your bulletproof content marketing strategy with rezStream and contact our team today!

If you liked this article, you may enjoy these additional topics:

11 Conversion-Boosting Call-to-Action Tips for Hotels
Top 10 Reasons Why Your Book Direct Strategy is Broken
9 Ways to Improve Your Social Media Content