If a customer asked what your hotel’s story was, would your response include things such as a number of accolades, the year the hotel was built, or a number of high-profile guests?
NB: This is an article from gcommerce
Or, does your hotel’s story incorporate the customers that visit you every day, how they find you, and how you make their vacation unforgettable?
For years, our company’s stories have involved details about our history, who makes the decisions, and the thread count of our sheets.
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As community marketing changes to become more and more integral to a brand’s success, redefining our stories and the way we present them transforms alongside it.
First, we’ll start with redefining the focus of your story. Instead of placing your hotel at the center of the story, we’ll start with the customer. When we start with the customer, we begin to redefine the way we write facebook posts, talk to guests, and talk internally about the experiences we provide customers. By putting the customer at the center of your story, customers begin to see that your property cares about them and their experience first, over your own long standing history. Who is your customer? Why do they really visit your hotel?
Next, any good story involves a journey, or a problem to fix. In the “Bee Movie”, that problem was the theft of honey by humans. For your hotel, the challenge might be to find a secluded place that doesn’t feel all that different from home, even when your guest is all the way across the country from family. When defining your customer’s journey, think about the stories you’ve heard from customers, the things that have pleasantly surprised them, and the things that most often get talked about in reviews. These things are often insights into the true reason a customer visited you, and what problem you solved for them.
Finally, your main character needs a way to solve their problem. That’s where you and your brand come in – as the guide that shows them the way to where they need to go. As a guide, it’s your job to prove that you have the skills and experience to take the customer to the place they want to end up. Proving this reputability comes in the form of all the things we touched on in the first place – things like years of service, your fundamental advantages (LTSCAs), and accolades.
Through your expertise, you can now provide your customers with the roadmap to get to where they want to go, via booking a room at your hotel, calling to speak with reservation staff, or begin to browse room types and amenities. Providing this pathway gives your customers a clear direction to solve the problems they came to your hotel to fix in the first place – but now they feel as if they’re the center of your story and have a guide to take them to where they want to be.
How does this actually look in practice? It can be as simple as a rearranging of the words and concepts you use. Consider this example:
“Built in 1903 and a winner of multiple awards, our hotel is uniquely situated to provide a historic, yet luxurious getaway where you will feel your needs are not just met, but exceeded.”
“On your journey to find a hotel where your needs are not just met, but exceeded, our hotel’s 100-year history and reputation for service make us your only option for the getaway you truly deserve.”
Not only does this change of mind give a new lens to write material externally, but it also gives us an opportunity to redefine the way we talk about our customers and story internally as well. When customer-facing staff understand more about your brand’s story through the lens of the customer and your role in helping them arrive at their destination, it can help change the way our employees see their role.
By putting the customer first, we prioritize our connection with them and build long-lasting relationships that form the foundation of our community and drive our growth.
