Four ways to improve the awareness of your hotel’s brand

Nowadays, thankfully, there are several techniques that can help us leave a greater impact on our clients and generate a greater awareness of the hotel brand, especially by employing the right technology and implementing an appropriate direct sales strategy. So, what are the techniques?

1. Advertising through Google Ads.

The reliance on OTAs (Online Travel Agencies) and other commissioned channels is a reality for many hotels when trying to achieve high occupancy rates. However, obtaining bookings through its direct channel proves to be more beneficial, as this entails a smaller investment on required commissions. This also has other advantages, such as potentially improving the brand’s image, which in turn will help it to retain its guests.

It is for this reason that, in general, the hotels that advertise through Google Ads – or via other channels, such as Facebook – design their online advertising campaigns with a view to obtaining more direct bookings. This also allows hotels to reach more specific cohorts of their target audience.

When users start planning their holidays online, using search engines such as Google, they are much more susceptible. As such, online adverts allow you to create brand awareness directly, improving the image of the hotel through its official channel rather than through the commissioned channel, where other competing hotels are also present.

In a study conducted by Google and Ipsos MediaCT, 800 consumers were asked to search for specific key words and check their results. When asked which brand came to mind first, the brand always appeared in a Google Ads advertisement when searching for said key word. The study therefore proved how the presence of a brand in a paid advertisement can increase its brand awareness by up to 80 %, regardless of whether or not the clients even click on the ad. Clients will consider each hotel brand that appears as a potential option for booking their holidays.

Users, when searching on Google, are much more mentally receptive.

2. Influencer marketing.

We are all aware of the power of recommendations. Maintaining real contact with people, whether in the holding of an event or a conference, allows you to introduce your brand to different figures, which may pave the way to them recommending your company to their followers.

The public figures who will significantly increase your hotel’s brand awareness are known as influencers. This phenomenon — even though, for many, they are nothing more than people with lots of social media followers — offers intriguing opportunities in which you could profit from the influence of these people over their audience.

In fact, the reach of influencers will allow you to attract new audience cohorts who, until now, may not have been considered by the hotel. This will bring together your target market and its own audience, thereby increasing your brand’s reach.

Influencers have developed a strong relationship with their followers, which can give a real boost to your hotel’s branding. Followers place their trust in recommendations made by influencers, and could even provide an opportunity to your service. Even if their followers do not end up making a reservation at your hotel, influencers will get people talking about your brand, which improves your positioning.

However, whether holding events or seeking collaboration agreements with influencers, this shall entail a special investment as part of your hotel’s marketing strategy.

3. Email marketing.

One of the most efficient practices for generating brand awareness amongst your guests is to send them personalised emails. Your clients constantly receive emails that are of zero value to them, deleting them straight away or marking them as ‘spam’.

Make sure they don’t do this with emails from your hotel by personalising the content. To do this, you’ll need to segment your data base. By sending personalised correspondence to your clients after their stay with content that they deem to be valuable and interesting, the brand will leave a more positive impact on them.

But, how do you personalise these emails? To do so, you need to know the interests and consumption type of your guests. For example, how much time they have spent in your hotel, which destinations they tend to visit, whether they prefer travelling solo or with company, etc. By doing this, each cohort will correspond to a specific interest, allowing you to send the same personalised email to a defined segment on of your audience. This yields benefits for both parties: you provide your clients with an offer or promotion that is of interest to them, and your brand is perceived to be of greater importance by your audience.

Of course, the compilation of this information requires you to maintain a large database containing information (Hotel Data) that is of huge value for your brand. For this, you will need to use technology that has been specifically designed for the hotel industry. By doing this, you will be able to create a data base of key information that helps you to perform suitable direct marketing campaigns.

Thanks to Hotel Data, you will be able to personalise your emails and increase brand awareness amongst your guests.

4. Social media marketing.

It is vital for hotels to maintain a strong social media presence. This is where guests share their anecdotes and memories, occasionally talking about their experience at the hotels during their stay. However, guests rarely reveal the hotel brand. In general, this is because they did not feel a special connection with the brand.

You are already well aware of the importance of showing how special your clients are to you. Prove it by taking special care when drafting your correspondence with them. Avoid practices such as sending similar responses to all of your guests, thus ensuring the brand’s reputation on these platforms. You could also create promotional campaigns (for example, using Facebook Ads) based on the tastes and habits of your clients that are evident in your Hotel Data.

What are the other ways in which you could increase brand awareness on social media? Include your brand in your guests’ social media posts. Thanks to latest hotel technology, you can encourage your guests to share a post about their experience on social media.

The social media login (your hotel’s Wi-Fi connection) automatically allows the guest to share a post during their stay which includes the name and brand of your hotel. By doing this, the guest will naturally share his/her experience with their contacts, thus helping to raise brand awareness.