In the age of the smartphone, there may not be a more important aspect of any business than its online presence. This is a far-encompassing phrase that covers everything from your website to the user experience to social media. Not long ago, these were issues best left to “whatever corporate did,” but that is no longer the case. With competition so fierce and the reality of more and more consumers using their smartphones and OTA sites to book rooms, it needs to be a concern of every sales and marketing professional in the hospitality industry.
Why Are Users Leaving Your Website?
The most frustrating aspect of using any business website is the speed in which it operates when a guest is interacting with it. You know from your own experience that when a site you are using is too slow, you more than likely click off it and use a different site. If this is happening when guests are booking a room, you are more than likely losing commission to OTA sites or losing the sale altogether. The solution is having a professional audit your website for performance issues and to get them fixed ASAP. To check the speed of your website, run a test on Pingdom.
Is Your Website Mobile-Friendly?
There is a major difference in someone being able to see your website on their mobile devices versus having the site optimized for mobile use. Today, most website traffic is via a tablet or mobile phone, with less than 25 percent using an actual desktop. This means if your site is not mobile-friendly, roughly 75 percent of your site visitors are not having a good experience. To see how mobile-friendly your website, you can use the free tool provided by Google.
Fill Out Your Profiles and Listings
This is an issue we have addressed before, but it is absolutely worth mentioning again. Go check out every profile available for your hotel. This means manually going to sites like Orbitz, Travelocity, Hotels.com, etc. to make sure the profile is filled out completely. This also means checking your profile pages on all your social media accounts as well as your Google Business page.
Be Active on Social Media
One of the most powerful tools in your online marketing tool kit right now is going to be social media. Simply put… get involved. However, don’t use social media solely as a way to ram your property down the throats of potential guests. Instead, use it to interact with them. Get involved in conversations other than the ones that are on your own page. Start seeking out product influencers to engage them in the hopes they endorse your property on their own. If not, you can also use paid influencers to help build the brand.
Is the online presence of your hotel or hospitality organization lacking? Could you benefit from a marketing manager with more experience in building the online presence of hotels? If the local talent pool cannot fill the bill, it is time for you to call Joseph David International. We don’t just find managers; we find the ideal manager to suit your specific needs. For more information about our hotel recruiting services, please click here.