A reader recently wrote me with this common dilemma:

We are a 15-room boutique hotel, that is a bit off of the main travel area – especially during the winter months. A 103-room resort recently opened close by, which has been extremely hard on us, not to say the least about the economy problems. 

Now, we are on a no-budget marketing expense lockdown, heading into the off season, and trying to attract business. Any advice?

How can you run a marketing campaign with no budget?

I covered a little bit of this in my free hotel marketing article, and you need to be very creative and resourceful.

Zero Budget Marketing Strategy

• If you're going to promote successfully with no budget, you're going to need to use word of mouth: people talking about you.
• Get a strategy together for guest review sites like TripAdvisor. Reviews by your past guests gives you extra online exposure, and can encourage people to stay at your hotel. Read the marketing guidelines from TripAdvisor (and Qype) before getting started.
• Build a referral system that lets your guests spread the word for you.
• Partner with other businesses to refer guests. Look for ‘piggyback' marketing opportunities.
• Get involved with your community through volunteering. (Here's how David McConnell does it)
• Avoid mass promotion. Instead, focus on a very small market and practice mass personalization. "The smaller the target, the bigger the bulls eye."

Zero Budget Marketing Tactics

• Start blogging (Seriously, this works) Have your own employees write the blog – readers find that much more credible.
• Repurpose your existing content in ways that help you attract new guests
• Social media may be the answer. (And it may not be.) Understand that it often takes a lot of time to promote effectively on these ‘free' websites. Track results and see if it's worth your while.
• Plan an email marketing system for travel agents and corporate travel planners – people who could send you lots of business
• Look into pay-for-performance tools such as MeetingsBooker

I'll bet you have more ideas – how do you create something with nothing?

Original article: www.hotelmarketingstrategies.com/zero-budget-marketing

About the author
This blog is written by Josiah Mackenzie, who enjoys exploring the relationship between emerging technology and the hospitality industry. 

www.hotelmarketingstrategies.com