With social media being a necessity in mainstream and pop culture, marketing yourself is in the palm of your hands. All you need is a phone and a creative idea. But with the power of numerous social media apps, comes great responsibility to learn the fundamentals. Marketing is an investment, and we are going to show you how to make the most of marketing your boutique hotel.
Boutique hotels are small, yet luxurious, privately owned businesses, many of which compete with local, large brand-name hotel and resort chains. Sure, it may seem futile to compete with national hotel chains, but in reality, guests are more open to the idea of a small, personal experience that is received in the boutique hotels. All you need is a good marketing plan to generate interest, and here’s how.
1. SEO
If someone is looking for hotels in your general area, they’re probably going to use Google, Bing, or Yahoo to research rates, attractions, and amenities. If your hotel is brand new, it’s possible that your business listing won’t show up in the immediate search results. SEO, or search engine optimization, is a form of internet marketing that integrates specific keywords with content, allowing your website to climb the Google search ranks. By using SEO strategies, your hotel website will become more visible to the general public, which, in the end, will help you draw in guests.
2. Social Media
All businesses, especially hotels, have to keep up-to-date with social media trends. Don’t just create accounts to make it seem that your business is following trends. Take action, upload, and post fresh, engaging content to attract followers, likes, and extend your hotel’s reach to new consumer bases. One of the best social media accounts you can have is an Instagram account. Instagram will give your hotel the exposure it needs to attract a young and hip crowd to your business. You can use it to post images of your rooms, videos of nearby attractions, and show off how beautiful your hotel is.
3. Discounts
It always helps to offer your guests discounts that are within your hotel’s means; make sure you’re still making money even though you’re slashing prices. One way to both promote your hotel discounts and generate exposure for your boutique hotel is to use websites like Groupon to promote the discounts for you. You can even use social media stories or IGTV to show your followers that there is a discount happening. This will drive guests to your hotel and, in return, there is a chance they will recommend your hotel to their friends and colleagues.