Marketing efforts are usually front of mind when it comes to boosting bookings, but what’s behind a good marketing strategy?
NB: This is an article from WebRezPro
In more ways than one, your property management system (PMS) is at the heart of driving reservations—not just managing them. We’re not only talking about decreasing rates when occupancy is low; the secret to generating more bookings year-round lies in the data contained in your PMS.
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In addition to providing the numbers you need to review operational and financial performance, your PMS tells you a lot about your guests, like how many times they’ve stayed, when they tend to visit, and what services they enjoy (and spend their money on). Analyzing this data empowers you to shape your marketing strategy and guest service effectively.
Who Are Your Guests and Why Do They Choose You?
The most important question your data can answer is: who are your guests, and why do they choose you?
Your guests each have different preferences, needs, and spending habits, so there will be more than one answer to that question. Analyzing your data, however, will enable you to discover your most profitable customer segments and selling propositions, allowing you to focus on those that offer the most return.
Your PMS can offer valuable insights like:
- What type of travelers you attract most (business, leisure, groups…)
- Who your most profitable guests are
- How far in advance guests book
- Where guests come from (geographical regions)
- Most profitable booking sources / channels
- Most popular room and rate types
- Typical length of stay
- Most popular amenities and services (and who is consuming them)
With this information, you can improve your marketing strategies and guest service to drive more revenue. Here’s how:
Targeted Marketing Campaigns
Identifying your most profitable customer segments, when they book, where they come from, and the amenities and services they consume is key to creating highly targeted and effective marketing content delivered to the right guests, through the right channels, at the right time to improve conversions.
Integrated with a CRM or guest engagement platform, your PMS data powers automated campaigns that hit the mark every time.
Tailored Packages and Services
Knowing who your guests are and what they love about your property also helps you design value-added packages and services tailored to your customers’ preferences and needs. For example, a spa package would probably be well received by business guests, while a romantic package offered to a repeat guest in time for their anniversary is a proactive way to inspire a booking.
Use guest and sales data to identify popular upsells so you can focus on delivering the right add-ons and services to generate more revenue.
Sell packages and add-ons through your online booking engine to make it easy for guests to customize their stay. Special offers can be targeted at relevant customers by attaching them to specific rate and/or unit types.
