Content marketing for hotels is one of the most powerful ways to find and attract loyal customers. The term content marketing was coined to describe particular strategies companies were using online. But, the idea of gathering useful information and distributing it to potential customers has a long history. Marketing through content may mean using a mix of online and offline tactics to reach your hotel target market.
Great Examples of Content Marketing from History
Benjamin Franklin created his Poor Richard’s Almanac as a form of content marketing. Jell-O door-to-door salesman used to give away a free cookbook in the early 1900s. Johnson & Johnson created several publications with tips for doctors to market their bandages. Even modern soap operas have their origin as a form of content marketing. During the Great Depression Proctor & Gamble brand Oxydol, a type of soap powder, sponsored a radio serial drama. The term “soap opera” was coined to describe the program.
Understand Where Your Hotel Target Market Spends Time
If you want to reach the right prospects you need to know where your hotel target market spends their time, both online and offline. Does your target market like to golf? Does your property include a golf course or is it near a golf course? You can create content around golf, and this could include online articles and videos or small print publications.
If your hotel target market is business travelers, you will want to make sure your content is easy to find on LinkedIn. Content marketing is like real estate—location is everything.
Create Consistent Value
Once you know where to find your hotel target market, you need to create content that they will love so much that they would happily pay for it if you would let them. However, you have to deliver value to your target market to earn their trust and loyalty.
