7 Hospitality Marketing Ideas You Haven't Tried Yet
The vast number of options for tourism makes the hospitality industry incredibly competitive. There are thousands of sights, museums, and attractions across the country for travelers to enjoy. From quiet beaches to roaring theme parks and dense forests to living deserts, there is always something new to explore.
Every restaurant, hotel, resort, and attraction competes to attract travelers looking for something new, special, or relaxing -- and those who succeed at hospitality marketing will win.
Let’s explore a handful of strategies for hospitality marketing that differentiate your business and attract travelers from near and far.
What Is Hospitality Marketing?
Hospitality marketing applies to the promotional efforts of small business and large corporations in the hospitality field.
For the most part, there are four core elements of the hospitality industry:
- Food and beverage services
- Travel and tourism
- Lodging
- Recreation
Hospitality segments frequently sell lifestyles just as much as they sell actual products.
For example, a smoothie stand sells the idea of getting fit and treating yourself in a healthy way. A hotel sells the idea of exotic locales and luxury accommodations. This makes hospitality marketing incredibly emotional and evocative.
Hospitality marketing is also closely tied to social media and sharing experiences.
People want to take photos of the places they visit and share the hotels, meals, and activities they enjoyed. They want to keep the memories for when they leave, but also want to let their friends and family to see what they discovered. Tourists and travelers want to leave reviews for others and share advice on travel blogs in ways you don’t see in other industries. This provides ample opportunities for companies who know how to promote their brands.
It’s important to remember that hospitality marketing doesn’t just apply to grand trips across the country. Hospitality promotions can appeal to people living down the street who want something fun to do for a weekend or are curious about a new restaurant in the area. The goal is to get people excited about what you have to offer to bring them inside.
7 Hospitality Marketing Ideas to Apply to Your Business
Once you understand the goals and value of hospitality marketing, you can take steps to adjust your advertising strategy to appeal to travelers. Social media is a powerful tool in the tourism industry, but it’s just the first part of the process. Check out these eight other hospitality marketing options for your tool belt.
1.) Remarketing
Most people don’t book trips or make tourism decisions lightly. More than 75% of travelers check review sites before they make a travel decision. This relates to tours, hotels, or restaurants they might visit. People might visit your website, look around for a bit, and then walk away from the research process until they are ready to book.
Remarketing is the process to marketing to people who have been to your website before. You can keep your name fresh in the heads of customers and bring them back to your page through remarketed banner ads and social media promotions.
Learn More: Remarketing 101: How to Bring Existing Customers Back Into Your Business
2.) Partnering with Media Platforms
Tap into the research process that comes with travel and tourism by partnering with local media platforms. Work with MyArea Network, Google, Yelp, and other business directory profiles and review sites to boost your brand exposure. The more people see your brand, the likelier they are to remember, trust, and buy from you!
3.) Event Marketing
Event marketing is a strategy that hospitality marketing professionals can use for both distant and local customers. Local hospitality brands can use events to bring customers back several times throughout the year. You see this when breweries have live music or trivia and when restaurants have special theme nights.
Event marketing can be used to attract people from far-off locations as well. Events help your brand stand out in a sea of restaurants, hotels, and activities. An event gives people a reason to remember your space above others.
Learn More: Using Branded Events to Get Your Business More Visibility and Leads
4.) Photo Promotions
Hospitality marketers can tap into the fear of missing out (FOMO) when advertising to their customers. Roughly 69% of millennials have experienced FOMO, and 60% say they have made a reactionary purchase because of it. If your friends ever bragged about going to a concert and you wished you could get a ticket, you experienced FOMO.
Photo promotions are one of the best ways to use FOMO for advertising. Photos of event attendees and exciting happenings can trigger FOMO in potential customers. Plus, social efforts encouraging customers to share photos can make it seem like your business is the top place everyone wants to go.
5.) Local Influencer Marketing
Another way to use photo promotions and FOMO to drive business is through local influencer marketing. Influencer marketing is the process of working with local bloggers, celebrities, and people with a large following to promote your brand. If one influencer can get your name in front of thousands of people, then you can reach new audiences you otherwise wouldn’t have access to.
Start by identifying a few key demographics and identify influencers related to them. Your influencers might be closer than you think.
Learn More: What Business Owners Need to Know About Influencer Marketing
6.) Text Marketing
Hospitality marketers trying to reach younger audiences can try text marketing. You can text out secret menu items, coupon codes, and special updates to bring back loyal customers.
Text marketing can also help with your event marketing efforts. You can send out texts about events and encourage people to attend, buy tickets early, and enjoy exclusive offers. The more people you have talking about your event, the greater the FOMO for people who missed out.
Learn More: You're Using Email Marketing -- But Why Not Text Marketing?
7.) Geofencing
Most of these strategies focus on marketing your business, but what about going after your competitors? You can geofence certain areas and promote your brand to encourage people to check out your business instead of theirs.
That being said, geofencing doesn’t always need to be aggressive. You can market complementary businesses - like encouraging customers at a burger joint to stop by your ice cream stand for dessert after.
Put These Hospitality Marketing Ideas to Work
If you want to tap into hospitality marketing for your hotel, restaurant, or attraction, consider the strategies mentioned above. Or, call us to get expert options about your specific business.
MyArea Network specializes in helping hospitality businesses create smart marketing campaigns that capture the attention of local and national customers. Call us today for a free consultation to brainstorm some hospitality marketing ideas for your business.
