posted by: We’ve been out there speaking at industry and customer events quite a bit this month, on a variety of topics from creating a smart website to designing a great hotel mobile marketing strategy to creating holistic hotel marketing campaigns. In this series of posts we will be highlighting a few of the messages you may have missed.
Last week Paolo Torchio spoke at the London Travel Distribution Summit on the Billboard Effect:
It’s no secret that the revenue gained from bookings made directly to the hotel property of chain website are the ones that usually generate the most revenue. But in between maximizing this channel from all sides, Paolo urged the audience at the Eye for Travel summit this May to consider the importance of the “Billboard Effect” and what this can do to drive revenue and promote your brand.
Consider this: Today’s traveller tends to spend an average of 20 to 29 DAYS researching their trip before finally booking! The Billboard Effect has shown that your hotel’s brand presence on all of the various channels where your potential guest does their research can actually help drive those same travel researchers to actually book with your brand directly at your property’s site when they have decided on their plans. Your brand presence on all of the Online Travel Agencies (OTAs), Global Distribution Systems (GDSs), review websites, and social media sites should not only be part of your overall distribution strategy, but should be carefully considered in your strategy to drive revenue to your hotel’s own distribution channels.
Paolo offers a few best practices that should be included in your marketing strategy across all channels:
- Consistent Brand Promise – Promising what will be experienced when delivered
- Trackable Call to Actions – Including clear directives for your consumer across all the channels you use for promoting your business
- Rate/Promotion Parity – Including promotion/offer parity across all channels, with the difference being the way the message is delivered in each medium
The inter-connectivity between different channels can be enhanced by implementing “share” and “like” buttons where ever possible, including in your email messages or newsletters to drive traffic back and forth between your booking channels and reviews. Using these functions will help engage both your potential customers and your returning customers.
All of these best practices should contribute to the process of converting travel consumers into travel bookers. But one additional best practice to be aware of: you do not need to be absolutely everywhere. Evaluate each channel’s value to your business and your brand before you invest.
