Why Hotels need a Community-based Digital Marketing Strategy
Digital marketing is marketing that makes use of electronic devices (computers) such as personal computers, smartphones, cellphones, tablets and game consoles to engage with stakeholders. Digital marketing applies technologies or platforms such as websites, e-mail, apps (classic and mobile) and social networks. Social Media Marketing is a component of digital marketing. Many organizations use a combination of traditional and digital marketing channels.
The Digital Customer Experience
When you start to develop a Digital Marketing Strategy for your Hotel focus on how to add new values to the Customer Experience.
Most of the Digital Marketing Strategies today will focus on paid and organic media resources. These are both valuable components that need to be addressed. You can also reach influencers through paid marketing through Social Media Channels such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
But I will focus on Earned Media. This component of Digital Marketing is what we define as Influencer Marketing.
Understand your Social Media Ecosystem
Customers today are using several different Social Networks for different purposes. For Travel and Hotel research they often will cross-reference information from different channels. Information about your Hotel is accessible through all these Social Media Channels. But the content that matters to Customer is often user-generated.
What does this mean?
Content about your Hotels is shared in various trusted Communities where the Customer participate or hang out. These communities can be on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Google+.
Today Customers value that they belong to a community where they feel their opinions and voice matters. Many of the largest Social Media Marketing channels today has grown out of valuable community support.
Why is this important to your Hotel?
We already know that paid and organic content today is very easy to measure with tools that are available for everyone. Bing Webmaster Tools provide your Hotel with all the data you need.
With earned media Hotels has to ask: What is the Value of Social Media?
The reason this is an important question today is that in the Digital Marketing Landscape all earned media today comes primarily from Social Media Channels.
But Hotels need to understand that just gathering attention and achieve a given amount of Likes or Followers is just a starting point. Likes and Follower have little value beyond the point that high numbers give your Hotel some recognition. But if your Hotel has 100,000 Likes or Followers, and it doesn’t make an impact on Occupancy or Revenue there is little or nothing attached to the endorsement Likes or Followers represent.
Social Media is new, but the concept of Community referrals is nothing new. The difference with Social Media is that size of the Communities.
How a Community Works
Understanding how Community works are important for your Hotels Digital Marketing Strategy.
a. It all starts with giving and sharing the values of the community with your Network
b. Make yourself receivable for rewards from the Community when Community Members start to share your products and service with their Network
c. Developing relationships with your Communities most Loyal Fans
At some point, it adds value to take the Digital Marketing Strategy offline, and show your most Loyal Fans how your Hotels values work in real life. Of course, this one is on you.
Innovation is the key driver
Content is the driver for Influence Marketing. Brands have in 2014 invested largely in Content and Mobile. Personalized information is what will make the Customer Experience stand out. Hotels need to start thinking outside the box.
Innovation, spurred by the leveraging of social media for richer consumer insights that fuel product and service development. Besides improving the product itself, these insights can enhance the customer’s experience with the product.
Are your Hotel prepared for a Community Based Digital Marketing Strategy?
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About the author
Are Morch is the founder and owner of Are Morch – Hotel Marketing Coach. Get more from Are on Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Pinterest | Instagram| Podcast
