Video is the new normal for marketing, especially in the digital age when streaming services are so widely used.
NB: This is an article from innQuest
If the year has taught us anything, it’s that hotels need to be flexible and quick to adapt. With an online presence becoming more important than ever, with hotels needing to attract guests in a digital fashion, video is the ultimate marketing tool. Videos do take quite a bit of time and effort, but the end result is worth it if you and your marketing team hit on the right notes.
With that in mind, here are a few ideas to help you raise the profile of your independent hotel with the power of video.
Highlight the local landscape
If your hotel is in a picturesque part of the country, guests will probably be eager to visit because of the surroundings – as much as for the quality of the service you offer.
Try creating a marketing video which showcases the beauty of the local area to capitalise on this. You could factor in things like popular hiking trails, renowned sights and nearby activities to try, with your hotel shown to be the perfect base of operations for adventurous visitors.
Create a narrative
It’s tempting to take the easy route with a video to market your hotel; think grinning guests at the reception desk, smirking chefs preparing food and smiling staff going about their duties.
This is all well and good in theory, but in practice your ad will get overlooked online unless it does something different.
You can stand out by telling a story with your video, whether it focuses on the history of the hotel and the local area, or on some other narrative arc that you’ve conjured up on your own. Whatever it is, make sure it’s original and compelling.
Start a competition
You can get guests involved in your video marketing campaigns by encouraging them to submit their own clips captured at your hotel or recorded during their stay.
Offering an incentive will help drum up submissions. You could provide a prize for the best customer-made video, such as a free room for a night for the winner and a discount for everyone else who gets involved.
Focus on fundraising
Creating video content which is purely designed to market your hotel is a great idea, but there’s only so much promotional material you can pump out. So why not get involved with a good cause, raise some cash for charity and post clips that highlight your admirable efforts?
This is a great way of killing two birds with one stone; diversifying your video output and making your hotel look socially conscious.
Consider social media
Not every video you produce needs to have movie-quality production values and an Oscar-worthy story. In fact in the age of Instagram and Snapchat, audiences are more familiar with bite-sized promos than longer clips.
Stay on top of the latest viral trends and piggyback on popular memes in the social media world if you want to make videos that engage with younger customers. All you need is a smartphone and a knack for knowing what’s sharable (speak to some of your younger staff – they’ll have a great idea).
Embrace VR
OK, this one isn’t going to be suitable for everyone, but stick with us!
Virtual reality (VR) is taking the online video world by storm at the moment, and some large hotel chains are already hooked up to this bandwagon.
VR videos let you give guests 360 degree views of your hotel before their visit. The cost of creating this type of content is always falling, so don’t be put off if it sounds too high-tech at this stage.
Wrapping up
Whatever you decide to do with your hotel marketing video project, make sure you choose something exciting and fresh, avoiding traditional approaches that people will just ignore.
