Building a strong brand is vital in distinguishing and defining your hotel: Whether you’re a small motel or a luxury resort, it’s important to cater your brand to the right audience.

By creating an engaging and authentic experience, you build a positive reputation. On the other hand, if you neglect to market your hotel, you can end with poor reviews and a tarnished legacy.

You may be the best location to book with, but unless you break through the clutter, you cannot evolve. There some things you should keep in mind to ensure successful branding.

Tell Your Story
Developing a narrative is key to branding your hotel. What makes you stand out? Is it the history of the hotel, the location or a specific service? Find what attracts customers to your hotel and build off that.

While this may sound obvious, it’s easy to undervalue your market and try to appeal to a generalized group. Putting yourself in the shoes of the consumer can give you a better grasp of what resonates with people. Creativity is key! Pay attention to consumer insights and explore ways to get them engaged.

Are there any ideas that you can execute to drive brand engagement? If your hotel has historic value, consider offering complimentary tours. If you’re located in a scenic area, consider offering bike rentals. If you are a dog-friendly hotel, consider offering treats as an amenity. The possibilities are endless! It’s better to mean something to a few, than nothing to everybody.

Your Guests Reflect Your Image
Storytelling is useless if you’re targeting the wrong audience. Consumers are smart — they can quickly spot forced engagement and over-pitched statements. On top of that, each consumer travels and spends differently. Research what your target guest segment needs and ensure that you’re putting in your end of the deal. In the age of social media, if you’re not accommodating your customers, they will quickly let you know through negative reviews.

Happy customers will become spokespeople for your brand. Over time you will be able to build trust with your customers. Audiences value transparency. If your story truly reflects reality, you will receive positive reviews.

Focus and Be Consistent
Once you have developed your narrative and audience, you want to ensure that you’re focused on an idea. If your hotel is architecturally avant-garde, your Instagram shouldn’t be typical bedside photographs. Your marketing collateral should create a seamless experience. Luckily, users can help by posting images that create organic branding. Incorporating a hashtag for your hotel will help separate it from other locations.

Smaller properties will have an easier time distinguishing themselves as they’re not tied back to a corporate style guide. Your brand identity should carry from your social media accounts to your logo, advertisements, tagline and brochures. Visuals should reflect your hotel and its unique story. Remember that your story is your brand. If you have a niche audience, it pays to be selective about where the content is going. Although for large chains, reaching a broad audience is valuable, boutique hotels will reach higher conversions by targeting the right group.

Be Human
How you interact with consumers is the catalyst for fostering a brand. This means that your social media presence shouldn’t come off contrived. You should respond to negative reviews and personalize each response to the individual. Studies have shown that 42% of consumers expect a response within 60 minutes. Responding as soon as possible is imperative to negating any not-so-pleasant experiences and allows you to rectify your relationship.

When you’re responding to costumers, make sure you are coming off as a human and not a robotic company. Some organizations interpret this as developing a snarky social media presence. It’s okay to do this if you’re targeting the right group. If they’re not responding well, take it as a sign you’ve missed the mark and recalibrate your social media strategy.

You don’t need to have a crazy budget to have a solid brand. While larger chains will have large advertising budgets, smaller hotels can attract niche travelers and gain sustainable profitability. Find what works for your audience and don’t be afraid to stand out.

First appeared at www.jdisearch.com