How Digital Marketing Can Grow Your Hospitality Business

We are currently immersed in an era that is driven by technology. According to recent findings (120 Senior Executives from the likes of Whitbread and Jamie Oliver Restaurants were surveyed about their priorities and primary concerns by business intelligence specialist Peach Report) 66% of those industry leaders surveyed said technology is likely to add greatest value to marketing and promotional activity.

If you’re looking into new ways to drive leads and/or start your own hospitality business this article may be of interest.

Customer experience and interaction with your hospitality brand goes further and beyond the exterior of your establishment, or the exceptional food and service you offer. How about your customer’s digital experience with your brand? You need to be offering your customers a communication service that incorporates digital marketing, as dictated by the way customers expect to be able to interact with brands in this day and age.

Web Design - Ever travelled somewhere new and wondered where you could get a good bite to eat? Or wanted to try something different for dinner in your home town? If so, you're not alone. Equipped with smartphones, tablets, netbooks and laptops, millions of people are surfing the Internet looking for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

You may not be aware that consumer research on local searches showed that restaurants and cafes are the most common local search? That means that search engines are the most effective tools in driving targeted traffic to your website. If you haven't considered digital marketing, you are missing an opportunity to market your brand to a large amount of people who already have an interest in your services.

Social Media - For the majority of businesses it's almost a certainty that a good proportion of your current and potential customers will be active on one or more Social Media (Over 31 million Facebook Users in the UK) platform (and if not now certainly in the near future, will you be ready for them?). Establishing an online voice and a social media presence which invites engagement is becoming an increasingly important component of many companies.

Email Marketing - a powerful outreach tool that can be used to build relationships with customers and clients by reminding them about your products or services after their first contact. You may be thinking that this is a little outdated, however, email marketing is still hugely effective – so long as you’re not blitzing customers with them daily. Email marketing campaigns are a fantastic way to remind customers of your existence, especially during low-season. Here you can highlight special offers, special events or awards that you’ve won.

Reviews - It’s easy to lose sight of the importance of reviews to your business. But, if you understand word-of-mouth, you can understand reviews – it’s word-of-mouth on an much broader level. Where a dissatisfied customer once would have told a friend or two about a bad experience, they can now post it online and reach literally millions.

Read and respond to reviews. Address what issues you can that are pointed out in negative reviews. Thank writers of positive reviews. Remember also to keep your website up-to-date. Potential customers frequently turn to reviews to get information they were unable to find on your site.