Hotel marketing success requires daily discipline.
Can we all agree that the cumulative effects of small daily habits—both good and bad—add up to meaningful results over time?
NB: This is an article from Tambourine
Brush your teeth every day and you’ll avoid cavities. Eat chocolate pie every day, you’ll probably gain weight…
If you were to ask pro athletes and successful business tycoons what made them successful, most would tell you it required many years of hard work and practice.
The same goes for every profession, including hotel marketing; there are no silver bullets or shortcuts to the front of the line.
Just take the example of British cycling coach Sir David Brailsford, whose aggregation of marginal gains philosophy first led his Sky Team to a Tour de France victory in 2012—just three years after its implementation—then fueled subsequent wins in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017. The core idea, for Brailsford, was to push his riders to work toward a 1% improvement in everything they do, for a cumulative gain that is much more impactful over time.
“So often we convince ourselves that change is only meaningful if there is some large, visible outcome associated with it,” says writer James Clear. “Whether it is losing weight, building a business, traveling the world or any other goal, we often put pressure on ourselves to make some earth-shattering improvement that everyone will talk about. Meanwhile, improving by just 1 percent isn’t notable (and sometimes it isn’t even noticeable). But it can be just as meaningful, especially in the long run.”
At Tambourine, we live by the same philosophy and urge our clients to embrace Brailsford’s daily method for meeting their own goals for success. Based on our 35 years in hotel marketing, here are the 10 daily habits we see that separate the best hotel marketers from the mediocre:
1. They check the numbers
Measurement and tracking of key performance indicators (KPIs) are an ongoing commitment because the best hotel marketers know they’re only as good as their metrics. Savvy marketers are constantly evaluating their efforts, budgets, and staff in relation to their business mix targets.
2. They plan for times of need
Filling those sporadic gaps in demand requires forethought and careful planning. That’s why successful hotel marketers always make a point to check-in with their revenue management team, far in advance, to identify upcoming, cyclical and ongoing periods of weakness.
3. They exude positivity
The best hotel marketers know that energy and enthusiasm are contagious. They make sure that everyone on their team, outside agencies, related departments (e.g., revenue management) and upper management are aware and excited about the marketing activities for the hotel. These marketers then celebrate meaningful success (always using metrics, when possible) when that success occurs.
4. They face the music
While it’s natural to stress the positives, highly effective hotel marketers instead focus primarily on problems and weaknesses (staff, results, product, etc.) that need improvement. They think of ways to streamline processes and campaign execution.
5. They stay informed
Each day, hotel marketing all-stars are monitoring the industry and comp-set news, to have a fully informed perspective on both local market conditions and the hospitality industry as a whole. They also read their hotel’s latest guest reviews and feedback scores, to keep abreast of guest sentiment.
6. They maintain a healthy work-life balance
All-star performers know that to truly function at the top of their game, they need to do more than simply work around the clock. These professionals make sure to also earmark time for exercise, family, vacations and getting a good night’s sleep.
7. They unplug
There’s more to life than staring at a computer screen.
Skilled marketers also spend time talking to guests, walking the property, listening and learning, and interacting with reservation center/call center agents and the front desk. Sometimes there’s just no replacement for human, face-to-face contact.
8. They say ‘no’…a lot
The highest-achieving professionals understand that time is money and there is an opportunity cost associated with every endeavor one adds to their plate. Oftentimes, staying productive means saying “no” to distractions like irrelevant opportunities, shiny new utopian technologies and time-sucking projects.
9. They know what’s important
Highly effective hotel marketers prioritize objectives for both themselves and their key employees. They correlate their activities and budgets to the business mix projection they provided to upper management.
Also, they understand that achieving a greater goal requires a series of smaller steps all taken in a logical order, and they can communicate that methodology to coworkers. Random busy-ness and the constant putting out of fires is not the path to long-term marketing success.
10. They demand consistent messaging and execution
Hotel marketing rock stars are vigilant about ensuring that their property’s story and unique value proposition (UVP) is infused in every marketing touchpoint and the operational service experience at the hotel. Communicating that story and UVP to guests is a daily obsession, essential to all sales activity, as well as maintaining a place of distinction in one’s respective marketplace.
