Every day, millions of people across the world depend on and partake in the hospitality industry: these include hotel guests and restaurant staff and travel agents.
They keep the industry on its feet, especially when teams embrace creative ideas like digital marketing.
Marketing in the past may have relied on concepts like TV commercials and pamphlets, but not anymore. Now, almost everyone has a smartphone or access to the internet. Digital content reaches a broader audience faster and more cost-effectively than other forms of marketing.
Read about how the following four segments of the hospitality industry use digital marketing to their advantage. Brands and businesses should include the online world in their marketing strategies for more effective outreach and better results.
Food and Beverage Businesses Embrace Phones
Some may argue that customers know what they want when they interact with the food and beverage industry. While some elements should remain a standard of customer service, there are new ways to reach people that make life easier for both the customer and the business. Although some non-digital strategies can force an increase in the marketing budget, the digital world prevents that from being the only option.
An easy way to spot this is by looking at how many restaurants jumped onto the food delivery app craze. Anyone can download the app of their choice and indulge in more of the food they love, without ever leaving their home. Brands increase their profits while participating in minimal-effort partnerships with delivery services that are already popular in their location.
The wine industry has also become closer to the world of smartphones. Some companies recently began to use augmented reality labels to encourage new customers to bring home a bottle. These fun, interactive and new approaches are so simple that they almost don't feel like marketing.
Casino Hotels Strategize With Apps
Standard hotels have many ways to market their property and services, but hotels with casinos offer guests a visit with more entertainment. They may use the same marketing methods as other hotels, but they can also use apps to widen their customer base.
People who download casino apps want to check their winning numbers and play games that are also offered in-person at specific properties. Casino hotel managers and marketing teams now strategize with casino-related ads in apps because they reach already-interested customers. It's a direct line to people more likely to become long-term guests, instead of advertising to whoever happens to see the ad on an internet search.
Travel Companies Employ Influencers
Millennials have quickly become a massive concern for the tourism and travel industry. Because of many outside factors, millennials prefer to skip vacations to save what money they have. When they do get the itch to travel, millennials want to know they'll get the great experience they're paying for. That's why they're more likely to get travel advice from an influencer they trust compared to a commercial or brochure.
Travel companies have recognized the value of paying social media influencers because they've already established trust with their audience. These followers see an ad posted by their favorite traveler and will likely invest their savings in those recommendations instead of another product or place.
Recreation Branches Send Newsletters
Recreation is a matter of personal choice and interest. No one will go to a park they don't like or join a program they don't enjoy. Personal connection makes the most significant difference in the success of recreation businesses, which is why email newsletters have become crucial digital marketing tools.
When a marketing team creates and sends a newsletter, they're reaching their audience right away. The information involves activities and news related to the reader's geographic location, instead of a national newsletter with general content. It reminds an audience that they can always come back for more great experiences in the form of a personal invite.
Encourage Innovative Ideas
The digital world presents an endless stream of opportunities for the hospitality industry. When a team meets to discuss future digital marketing opportunities, encourage innovative ideas in all forms. Anything from partnering with influencers to advertising on strategic apps will improve marketing efforts and reach the preferred target audience.
Kacey Bradley is the blogger behind The Drifter Collective, an eclectic lifestyle blog that expresses various forms of style through the influence of culture and the world around us. Kacey graduated with a degree in Communications while working for a lifestyle magazine. She has been able to fully embrace herself with the knowledge of nature, the power of exploring other locations and cultures, all while portraying her love for the world around her through her visually pleasing, culturally embracing and inspiring posts. Along with writing for her blog, she has written for sites like U.S. News, SUCCESS, Ruffled, and more!
www.driftercollective.com
