Here Are 13 Hotel Marketing Mistakes to Avoid at All Costs

Irrespective of size and domain, how a business markets its product and services determines its success.

And just like every other business, the hotel industry has also started to bet big on marketing. Hotels around the world have understood the importance of marketing to attract former and new guests.

However, marketing in this particular industry is quite different from others. The scope and opportunities in this domain are massive and so does hospitality marketing mistakes.

In this blog, we are going to look at all common hotel marketing mistakes made by hotels. 

But before we get started, let us understand what exactly hotel marketing is.

What is Hotel Marketing?

Hotel marketing focuses on building a brand, attracting new customers, and maintaining loyalty. Further, they don’t just attract new people but also retarget former guests to bring in a sizable portion of revenue.

However, the strategies and techniques that hotels use are a little different, because they are marketing services rather than goods. Meaning, they must create the right feeling in their existing/potential guests.

How Has Hotel Marketing Transformed Over The Years?

Marketing is one of the most critical functions of a hospitality business. And through the years, it  has evolved tremendously because of the changing dynamics of the hotel industry.

There was a time when hotel marketing was all about billboards and brochures. But, something was amiss — hotels were sort of finding it hard to appeal to different strata of consumers.

And the desire to attract new types of customers drew marketing professionals to  experiment with new ways. This is where the internet came into the picture.

The introduction of the internet literally ushered marketing practices in hotels. Marketers turned heavily brand-oriented and are dialling into the preferences of guests. They are collaborating with individuals and businesses, working closely with other departments of the hotel, and are crafting compelling messages to engage audiences in every way possible.

What are the Common Hotel Marketing Mistakes?

The hotel industry is one of the competitive ones and it is definitely a challenge for hotels to contend. One way to stand out from rivals is making the best out of marketing.

But many hotels often make blunders here. And, if you’re one of them and want to ace this game, you have to fix these common hotel marketing mistakes.

#1 Not knowing your target market

When you’re marketing your hotel, you need to spend a lot of time analyzing and understanding your target market.

If you don’t know what a target market is, it is basically a group of people who are more likely to avail your services or book a stay with you.

A majority of  hotels always ignore the importance of defining their target market. They feel everyone falls under their domain; however, that’s not correct. Every traveller/guest has different preferences. And you as a hotel marketer must know the specific traits, characteristics of your ideal guests.

So, when you know and understand your ideal buyer, your marketing efforts become more effective.

#2 Avoiding empathy-based marketing

“Great marketers have immense empathy for their audience. They can put themselves in their shoes, live their lives, feel what they feel, go where they go, and respond how they’d respond. That empathy comes out in content that resonates with your audience.”

– Rand Fishkin

There was a time when people were inclined towards prices. Now, they are more into stories and experiences.

Today, a guest would book with your hotel only when they connect with you, believe that you understand their needs and wants.

Every time you execute a campaign, try to keep yourself in your guests’ shoes and ask:

“Would you interact with someone who is only focused on making a profit without caring about you?”

No. Right?

So, make sure you do add that empathy quotient. GENUINELY!

#3 You are hard to find

If you want to get more business, you need to have a presence on EVERY relevant online platform. Period.

People are constantly looking for hotels to book and if your hotel is not showing up, then you’re definitely missing out on a lot of business.

• Get listed on multiple OTAs
• Have a website
• Be active on social media
• Get a Google My Business listing 

However, there are many hotels that have got all the above, and yet, they fail to show up in search results. What could be the reason? They are not optimized!

The value of an optimized online presence is something you can never ignore.

And when I say optimized online presence, I mean:

• SEO-driven website
• Fabulous hotel photos
• Listing of amenities
• Updated policies and guidelines
• Proper descriptions
• Effective CTAs
• Quality and value-added content and more…

Now, your hotel’s social media presence could also be a factor in this scenario. Many hotel marketers tend to make a lot of mistakes while establishing a presence on social media. So, if you think, you’re social media game is a little broke, do red our blog on social media mistakes that most hotels make.

Get a proper insight from it and see if you are making any similar mistake.

#4 Overlooking content marketing

“Content marketing is really like a first date. If all you do is talk about yourself, there won’t be a second date.”

– David Beebe

Content has immense value and overlooking content marketing is one of the biggest hotel marketing mistakes you can make. 

Here are some of the benefits of incorporating content marketing:

• Based on educating rather than selling: Content marketing helps you build a deeper and long-term relationship with your guests or potential guests. You basically give your readers a reason to come back for more.
• Gives you a competitive edge: Quality and SEO-optimized content helps you rank higher on search results, making your hotel visible to the world and increases your chances of driving more bookings.
• It is budget-friendly: You can drive more business at a lower cost than traditional marketing with a high budget.

Word To The Wise: When you consider content marketing, do not always talk about yourself, your product or services. Make sure your content is delivering knowledge and value to your reader. This is also where you have to inculcate the idea of empathy.

#5 Not betting on storytelling

Storytelling is one of the most underrated strategies in hotel marketing.

Many hotels don’t regard the old trait of telling a story and therefore, miss out on the opportunities storytelling presents.

Whether big, small or medium, hotels live on stories. And storytelling in a written format is an  effective way for a hotel to grow and drive business.

If you haven’t tapped into this aspect yet, it’s time you give it a shot.

Word To The Wise: While telling a story, do not stick to only one narrative. Rather, look around and see what's happening. Even your chefs cooking that steak could be a magical moment.

#6 Not responding to guest reviews

Guest reviews have a large impact on a hotel’s business. People get influenced by what others say about your hotel and if there are a significant amount of ‘not so good’ reviews, you are likely to miss out on a lot of business.

However, you can use reviews, both good and bad, to your advantage by monitoring and responding to them. As a marketer, you have to take it on yourself and pay sincere attention to what people are saying.

Look at all the reviews and respond to them accordingly. If someone is complaining about the food, you must address that and assure the guests that his/her complaint will be taken seriously. 

If required, offer them complimentary services or gifts on their next stay. It shows that your hotel is dedicated to serving its guests in whichever way possible.

#7 Spamming email databases

Please, DO NOT spam!

Dropping lines into someone’s inbox frequently for marketing isn’t a good practice.

Also, not everyone in your database would be interested in the content you produce. And emailing them often would eventually erode your relationship with them.

Here’s what you can do to up your email marketing game:

• Nurture your database
• Analyse every single email marketing campaign
• See who is interacting with you
• Try to understand whether they are interested in your content
• If yes, find which or what type of content are they interested in 
• Once you do that, then use targeted messaging

Email marketing is a tricky task, but if done right, it can produce high results.

#8 Relying only on organic reach

Investing time and energy in organic marketing is definitely one of the most popular and worthwhile tactics. However, do not solely rely on it.

Paid advertisements such as Google Ads, Facebook Ads and even Amazon advertising are some of the great platforms.

No doubt, these ads solutions are expensive. But they do what they say — amplify your ability to be seen and work faster than SEO.

So, do consider investing in these platforms.

#9 Relying only on a few avenues of gaining bookings

Unlike earlier times, booking a hotel room is not a tough task anymore. Today, hotels can accept bookings from various channels.

But are hotels really making the most out of them? Every hotelier must answer this to keep their business going.

Here are some of the overlooked ways to drive booking:

• Brick and mortar travel agent: Brick and mortar travel agents are still in the game and partnering with them is beneficial. 
• Website: With the rise of OTAs, many do away with the idea of direct bookings. Your hotel website is as important as OTAs. Hotels must focus on it as well. (We have talked about this aspect in the next point.)
• Facebook: People are constantly consuming content on Facebook. And if you’re not using Facebook marketing, then you must.
• Direct phone calls and emails: Emails and phone calls also contribute to your hotel bookings. So, must make sure your contact information is updated on every platform.

#10 Not emphasizing on hotel website

Developing a website, filling it with content and pushing it online is not enough. You have to take a look at a lot of other things and ensure they are working fine.

Here are some of the things you have to consider:

• Loading time: SEO is definitely important for ranking, but website load time also plays a role in the same. And it’s not just that, a website that loads fast is more likely to increase visitors’ satisfaction and drive better conversion.
• Call to action: CTAs are an essential part of a hotel website — whether it’s about filling out a contact form or booking a room with you. So do consider assessing your CTA buttons and their placement on the website.
• Mobile optimization: People are constantly on their phones performing tasks that could once be done only on computers. And it has pushed businesses to adapt to the current trend and transform their website to be more mobile-optimized. 
  
  That’s not all. Even search giant Google has begun considering a website’s mobile SEO. It’s not just about making it user-friendly anymore, it’s also about your visibility on the web.
  
  So, if you haven’t optimized your hotel website for mobile devices yet, then it’s time you invest some money, time, and efforts into it.

• Bad Design: The design of your website impacts how your audience perceives your brand. When you have a website with a catchy UI, the chances of visitors exploring and learning about your hotel business increases.
• Ignoring A/B Testing:  A/B testing plays a major role in your hotel marketing efforts. It helps you try and test several versions of your website and its elements and let you find the best one to improve user experience.

#11 Not experimenting with new ideas

In marketing, it is imperative to know if a certain component is worth the effort. And the right way to do that is by trying out new ideas. It could be a new logo design, a video ad campaign or just a new piece of content.

Experimentation in hotel marketing is all about putting together an idea or a campaign, and see how it performs. It gives you a projection on how and what your audience/potential guests like before you put it out into the open.

Here are some things to consider when trying out new ideas:

• Create a hypothesis
• Do all the research
• Form a plan of execution
• Decide on all the measuring metrics
• Execute the idea
• Analyse the results
• And decide whether it’s a success or should you try on another idea

#12 Overlooking regular performance analysis

If you’re a hotel marketer and want to demonstrate how your efforts generate revenue and contribute to the company’s business goals, you must invest time and efforts in performance metrics or the numeric data.

• Taking the time to analyze the work produced by your campaigns
• Find areas that need attention
• Analyze the problems and find solutions
• Make modification or improvement if necessary

#13 Not using data to your advantage

Data plays an integral role in marketing. It provides marketers with solid insights on how well their efforts are working.

Here are some of the advantages of using Data in marketing

• Audience Segmentation: There are different stages of the guest’s journey and each needs specific marketing messages. And data-driven marketing helps you segment them so that your marketing is tailored.
• Know where your customers are: With data, you can actually figure out where your target audience is. Once you know that, you can carry out targeted marketing.
• Reach out to the right people: You cannot promote or sell your product/services to anyone and everyone. This is where data helps you. You can find your audience who are more likely to convert and book with your hotel.
• Deliver Personalized Campaign: Once you figure out the above three points, you can deliver personalized marketing campaigns to your potential guests or audience.
• Retargeting: This is another prime advantage of data. It helps you deliver relevant ads and campaigns to your former guests.