Easter – a time of crisp, bright weather (hopefully), long (…and sometimes tiring…) family gatherings, and, most importantly, chocolate. Glorious chocolate.
NB: This is an article from NetAffinity
Along with devouring piles and piles of said chocolate, our other upcoming ambition is to try and help secure your hotel or property as many last minute Easter bookings as possible. Naturally, it’s families you’ll be targeting generally with Easter offers – the kids are all off school, mam and dad are looking for a break, some well deserved peace, and a bit of fun for the little ones. But the right deal is what everyone’s after – especially a last minute shopper.
We’ll keep this short and sweet (sweeter than that first bite of an Easter egg). Here are a few things to consider whilst trying to secure that last batch of bookings before the holiday.
A rate plan that says it all
When your potential customers are frantically browsing their last minute getaway options, each and every feature they see makes a difference – so don’t leave any out on your rate plan! Keep it short and sweet – you want them to get a handle on everything included as soon as possible without insisting they scan through unnecessary fluff to get there. Try and highlight the key features of the offer immediately. The sooner they see the benefits of booking with you, the more likely they are to book. Here are some examples of what they’ll want to see:
- Free cancellations
- No booking deposit
- Free kids club/pool access/meals
Promote your offer properly
A fabulous offer is great, but will fall flat without proper promotion. It’s important to develop a solid channel strategy – will you be pushing this through hotel ads, Facebook, Youtube? Depending on budgets and a deep-dive into the platforms you’re most likely to reach your potential customers on, these are things that will help to guide you on how to get the best value for money 0ut of your campaign.
On to the offer itself – from your website homepage to the offer’s landing page, every element that helps communicate it must work together, be clear, easy to see and access, be in the right place and, (all together now), it must be optimised to convert! If you want to make a mouthwatering easter roast lamb that’ll have people flocking for seconds, you need all the right ingredients. Even one missing ingredient has the power to throw the whole dish off. It’s the same when you’re cooking up a offer you’re hoping to convert with! Here are some ingredients you shouldn’t leave out:
An action bar on your website homepage directing customers to a landing page
Integrating an action bar on your website homepage means anyone doing their research and landing on various hotel websites won’t even need to go searching for your offer’s landing page – they’ll be prompted with what they’re looking for faster than you can say ‘easter bunny’. See this one from The Salthill Hotel. It’s bright and eye-catching, the messaging is short, sweet and clear, and there’s one simple call to action. No confusion.
Just make sure your page speed is up to scratch… ‘cos people don’t stick around!
A landing page
“Why should I use landing pages? The short answer is because they help increase conversion rates.”
– Oli Gardner, co-founder of unbounce and master of landing pages worldwide.
The holy grail – we’re always harping on about the importance of a landing page where conversions are concerned! The primary elements you need on a landing page are: brief, clear offer messaging and one clear call to action. To support these, bright colours and visuals will help. Which, with a hop, skip and a jump brings us nicely on to…
The visuals. Cute bunnies (and kids) sell!
Pictures (like Easter eggs) are often more emotionally powerful than words. Your images are powerful tools of communication to be used in tandem with your words, and keep in mind they play an even greater role when you’re trying to keep words to a minimum. Put time into them. It’s too easy to use a generic stock photo that feels bland, fake or contrived. There are plenty of free stock image sites that offer a range of beautiful photos for every occasion.
Every little counts – add extra thought and value where you can!
If you’re finding it difficult selling your Easter packages this year, consider your offer carefully: what else can you add on to bulk up the package and catch the eye of potential customers? You might think small flourishes are a waste of time in this case – they’re not. They can be the difference between a guest who chooses to stay in your hotel just the once, never to return, and a guest who develops a fondness and loyalty based on satisfaction and appreciation. How does that happen? They recognise your commitment to going above and beyond! For this particular occasion, how about including hot chocolate and cookies for families on arrival? Could you hold an Easter egg hunt over the weekend? Or what about a free Easter egg for every child? Try and highlight these special touches somehow so they stand out.
Creep on your competitors
Have a look around and see what your competitors are doing with their Easter offers. You don’t want to replicate of course, but it’s important to have a good grasp on what the surrounding market is putting out there! Can you offer something better? Or maybe you need to reduce your rates? Being aware of what others are promoting can help to shape your campaign.