As we say hello to 2018, January marks a time of resolutions and new beginnings. During this month, it’s important for hoteliers to reflect on their past strategies and analyze results in order to set the framework for a successful year. Mapping out goals and determining your top digital marketing priorities are the first steps in executing a strong plan that achieves greater results than the year before.
With the trend of increasing levels of supply and steadying levels of demand continuing in 2018, hoteliers need to reach potential guests at meaningful micro-moments throughout the entire travel planning journey. But the even greater mission that should be at the center of every hotelier’s strategy is closing the loop on the customer lifecycle. To achieve this, hoteliers need to focus on reaching potential guests at meaningful micro-moments, preparing for Google’s Mobile-First Index, fostering customer loyalty, creating fresh content, and more.
To make sure your 2018 digital strategy is off to the best start, we asked some of our clients to share their top digital marketing resolutions, and put together our own top ten resolutions based on our 2017 client portfolio insights and trends for the upcoming year.
- Stay competitive with the OTAs: Ensure that potential guests are being reached at every touchpoint of their travel planning journey in order to stay competitive with the OTAs.
One way to combat OTAs with a larger share of voice is to increase brand recognition. Not all hotel brands have the funds to run every initiative, but hoteliers can ensure that their digital strategies cover multiple channels, especially the channels where consumers are researching and price shopping. Hoteliers should reintroduce MetaSearch into their marketing mix through MetaSearch platforms such as TripAdvisor Meta and Google HPA, where hoteliers can stack up against the OTAs with their brand logo. Being present throughout the consumer’s path to purchase is important, especially in the research phase so consumers know that they have the option to book direct.
