Due to the lock downs, travel restrictions and safety concerns people had stopped travelling. However, since the last quarter of the 2021 we have witnessed that the restrictions are easing up, vaccinated people can travel easily and the same could be expected for the 2022 as well. The ease in the travelling rules and many other indicators are showing a very positive trend all around the world. If we talk about the Dubai and other emirates of UAE we have also witnessed a rapid growth in the tourist and visitors coming to UAE. The Dubai Expo 2020 have attracted millions of guests, the popular airlines have reported to operate at their full pre-pandemic levels, the Dubai airport reports to have been witnessing a rapid surge and is currently operating at its full capacity. These all indicators are very promising for the hospitality sector. The hospitality businesses whether small or large needs to stand out of the crowed to increase their sales and conversions.
For the hospitality sector the market trends have been changed drastically since past few years. Now a days people tend to search online to find a suitable hotel or restaurant. Which compels the hospitality business to look into the digital marketing and online possibilities to reach out to the prospects and customers. In fact these days for any successful business the online communication is must to have. For hospitality businesses the digital marketing is very important as it is very cost-effective, it allow better targeted audience and it also help business to spread their brand message to masses. With the rise of smartphones and easy access to the internet the online and digital trends have impacted each and every industry but for hospitality businesses the impact is more profound. If a hospitality business have a good digital strategy it could easily beat its competition as people tend to look up online before making decision, and online indicators could greatly influence their decision.
In this blog we will discuss how hospitality businesses can utilize the digital marketing in 2022 to attract more guests and customers:
Improve Web Design and Functionalities
One of the most basic part of the digital marketing strategy is the website. It doesn’t matter which industry you operate in, these days a website have huge impact on your online branding and overall brand identity. For hospitality businesses having a modern website with great online services is essential. Every property is different, every hospitality business has its own unique brand identity and culture, which has to be spoken out loud through the web design and its content. It is crucial to have a great looking website which can portray an excellent brand image and the visitors can find all the information they need along with your value proposition to convince them to convert. A web design plays an important role in the online conversions and sales. In today’s world a business website acts like a reception or even more like a storefront, it welcome your visitors, let them explore what you are offering and also help them getting the right product, which means it can directly impact your online sales, in case of hospitality businesses it would be online bookings.
By simply improving your web design and the content of the website you can boost your online bookings. Whenever a new person will arrive at a storefront they immediately start building an impression of the brand, it could be positive or negative, it depends on how you greet them, how easy or difficult it is to find the products and how your purchasing process works. Similarly for the websites if the design and aesthetics are great the web design will immediately imprints a positive impression, then the content plays its role. If the user can find all the required information easily they are more likely to convert. So by simply improving your website’s web design, content and navigational structure you can double or even quadruple your online bookings. For a website it is also crucial to offer good functionalities and features which can enhance its usability and increase convenience of the users. For example, make the sign-up process simple, shorten the customer journey for online bookings, and make the online payment process easier. The user interface the chat bots, the contact page and everything else has to be perfect. These all factors contributes in user satisfaction which affects your overall sales and online bookings.
Prospecting through Paid and Organic (Unpaid) Tactics
Prospecting is a very popular marketing technique, it means identifying the potential future customers or prospects and making your business visible to them before your competitors to convert them into customers. It is a proactive marketing strategy and rather prospects look up for a business the business itself look up for the prospects to create opportunities. Thanks to the modern lifestyle and in-depth integration of the internet in our societies, most of the prospects can easily be found at the various online channels. It is important to understand who your audience is and how you can reach to them. The digital marketing in 2022 is not as that simple as it may sound, it is easier to execute digital marketing campaigns with the help of automated tools, user-friendly dashboards and analytical tools, however it is a bit complex to choose among a large variety of online communication channels.
All the digital marketing strategies can be categorized in two main classes, free or organic and paid digital strategies. The free and organic digital marketing strategy mainly involves search engine optimization or SEO, social media profiles and pages, content marketing, email marketing and directory listings. However paid digital marketing channels are social media advertisements, display ads, PPC/CPC, search ads, and affiliate programs. There are only the most famous digital marketing channels there are several others too. When it comes to the digital marketing, we first set a budget and then expected outcome, after that we select appropriate channels whether organic or paid to meet our goals. That is how the digital marketing works.
Read More: How to Boost Your Online Sales during the Expo 2020?
Paid Digital Marketing for Hospitality Businesses
Hospitality business can utilize various different paid digital marketing channels to boost their online bookings and sales. The search ads are one of the best tactics to generate quick and quality leads. Google is the world’s leading search engine and is also dominating the UAE search market by having almost 96% of the market share. The Google Ads also have the highest conversion rate than any other digital platform. Which doesn’t mean that you should only do Google Ads, as there are other platforms which are much better than the Google for certain categories and this conversion rate is for all types of ads. Anyway, apart from Google Ads, YouTube and Display Ads are also a great option to get online conversions and leads for a hospitality business. People these days spend hours on their social media on daily bases. Which makes it one of the most cost effective digital marketing and communication channel as well. There are different social media such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Tiktok, WhatsApp, etc. All have different advertisement programs with different conversion rates.
It is crucial to identify your targeted audience and regions before selecting any paid digital marketing channel. The hospitality businesses should also consider the influence marketing tactics. These days, social media influencers are becoming great tool for quick promotion and brand image building strategy, because people follow them and whatever they say their fans believe in it and do the same. So, it is better to reach out to the local social media influencers and celebrities and ask them for promotional content and endorsements. The affiliate marketing is also a good option, moreover there are several popular blogs and websites who offer advertisements. Adverts on such relevant websites and blogs can bring huge traffic to the website.
Organic or Free Digital Marketing for Hospitality Business
It is very important for hospitality businesses or in fact any other business to be active on social media and digital communication channel which their customers use. For hospitality businesses having social media profiles and pages is not enough. If you want to establish a good brand identity in the online then you must have to be proactive on social media. These days, people use social media a lot, everyone wants to engage with their brand on social media, whether it is a comment on the Facebook page post or a Twitter DM the customers and audience want their brand to be available on these channels. Whenever someone land on a social media page or profile the first thing everyone notice is their followers or likes. This gives them a sense of credibility and trust for the brand. The hospitality businesses can also run promotional campaigns on the respective social media platforms to increase their followers and likes. Sharing good quality content and proactively managing the social media accounts can also help increasing followers. The hashtags are the most effective way to promote content and posts on social media and it appropriate hashtags can also bring relevant traffic which further help improving social media profiles and the overall social media brandings.
Content Marketing Strategy for Hospitality Businesses
Everyone is consuming a lot of content on daily bases either from the internet, social media, TV, radio or what not, the content is everywhere in this modern era of information technology. This makes content marketing one of the most effective digital marketing strategy. For hospitality businesses they can generate tons of content for their website, social media profiles and pages, news and press releases and for a lot many others communication channels. It is extremely important to keep remind your customers and audience about your existence. Use intensive branding on visual content, create photos and graphics, publish videos and articles, use only relevant channels and avoid wasting time on low yielding platforms. Once you start publishing regularly your audience will start noticing you and at some point they would be intrigued enough to check out your profile, page or website. Hospitality businesses or any other business can only engage with its customers or prospects by publishing interesting content. Make sure you are highlighting the strong sale points and your brand message. It is important to tell them what you can offer which others can’t. This will take time but it will last longer.
Email Marketing Strategy for Hospitality Businesses
The email marketing is one of the most economical digital marketing channel with excellent return rate. The hospitality businesses can utilize the email marketing strategy to increase their customer engagements and to nurture their future prospects. Usually a regular email newsletter is sent on weekly bases or monthly bases. If the emails are too frequent the recipient will simply start ignoring them. So, it is important that the email newsletter you are sending are not too frequent. The hospitality businesses must collect the emails of their customers and guests. Use them to promote new products/services, promotional offers, etc. The emails content is also very important. The hospitality businesses should prepare the content with great care, it should also offer some value or benefit to the recipients which will increase their interest in your emails. You can also share what is happening around your city and what could attract tourist’s attentions. Such emails are very effective and can also generate traffic for your hospitality business website.
Conclusion
The hospitality sector is witnessing sudden growth since the last quarter of the year 2021 and the same trend will go on in the year 2022. As the Dubai Expo 2020 event is attracting millions of visitors from all over the world the hospitality sector in Dubai and all around the UAE is booming. In such times it is crucial to have a great marketing strategy in place to distinguish yourself from the rest. People these days tend to rely heavily on their smartphones and internet. Especially for the hospitality businesses it is a common practice to look it up in the internet, go to its website, check review sites and read other’s comments and feedback. In addition to that there the market is also very competitive. A great digital marketing campaign in 2022 could ensure the success. RSI Concepts is a leading digital marketing company in Dubai, UAE if you need any help with your digital marketing needs or if you want to learn more about the subject, feel free to contact us through our Contact Us page or leave a comment in the comment box below and we will get in touch with you soon.
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