Mobile is here to stay. It’s quick, convenient, and travelers want to use it to research, book, and share their trips. As of 2021, almost 50 percent of online travel sales happened via mobile, but it isn’t only the booking that occurs there.
NB: This is an article from WebRezPro
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Many travelers research destinations and lodgings on their phone before opening their computer to book. Your marketing presence has to be not only mobile friendly, it has to be mobile savvy to attract guests and stay on top of the competition. Here’s how:
Mobile-optimized Website
Your website should be as easy to use on a mobile device as it is on a desktop. Mobile friendliness affects your SEO as well as your user experience. Employ a responsive design that adapts to the viewer’s device and consider developing the site for mobile first, then adding the bells and whistles that work best for desktop. When you preview new content and updates, make sure to do so on both devices.
Know what information your audience is looking for across all stages of the guest journey and have that information available within one click on mobile. Guests shouldn’t have to go on a scavenger hunt for your pricing. If you’re unsure, have a friend or relative try out your site and ask them for honest feedback.
Ease-of-use extends to your booking engine. How many steps does it take to make a booking? The quicker the better. Text should be clearly readable, and fields should be tap-friendly. Hint: Link to your booking engine from your Facebook page, so it’s ready to catch potential customers scrolling their feed!
SMS Marketing
As of 2019, text messages achieved a 98 percent open rate, with emails lagging behind at 20 percent. It’s worth it to collect the mobile phone numbers needed to market this way (your online booking engine should be able to help with this!).
Messages should be short, timely, and relevant…otherwise they risk being marked as spam. You need an answer for the same question as always: What’s in it for the guest? If there’s nothing in it for them, they won’t be interested. Include a call to action. What should guests do after reading your text?
Even though texts are short, they should still reflect your brand voice.
Don’t try to send messages manually. You don’t have that much time! Instead, choose a system that enables you to automate routine communications, sending the right message to the right person at the right moment. And, yes, you do need a way for guests to opt out if they decide not to participate in your mobile list.
None of this means you should forget about email marketing entirely though. Optimize your emails for mobile devices and use responsive design there too!
