It’s one of those thoughts you have when you’re writing communications plans: how can you simplify your ideas and your approach?
We probably spend too much time navel gazing and contemplating brilliant, dynamic campaigns and very little time simplifying and identifying the best approach to generate business and build relationships. We’ve made it easier to get those plans shipshape when deciding how and what to communicate with your target audience, by identifying just three target audiences and sharing our top tips for communicating with them.
Please don’t be offended by the egg sucking lecture, it’s always good to be reminded of the ‘back to basics’ approaches that work, especially after the hustle and bustle of the festive season.
Split your audience into three: 1, the one that is in your hotel right now, 2, the one that has been but perhaps has not been back lately and 3, the one that is yet to discover your brand.
Customer No.1: On-site Guests (those in your hotel tight now)
It’s easy to focus on getting the next customer through the door but there are some simple forms of on-site communication that may be missing but which can be used to communicate with the customers already in your hotel.
- Inspire
Tell customers what’s coming up at your hotel. Now they’ve enjoyed their stay you need to give them reasons to return. Create dinners, events and activities to inspire them. Promote these throughout the hotel on table talkers, menus, in public rooms and in bedrooms.
- Don’t assume
Never assume your guests know about all the facilities and options at your hotel. If you don’t spell it out they may never realise you have a jacuzzi on the ninth floor or free bike hire. Make a list of absolutely everything available and make sure these are publicised effectively around the hotel and in all the bedrooms. It’s even better if the check-in team are briefed, ready to inform guests about the facilities and show guests around.
- Encourage guests to subscribe
Whilst your guest is on-site, it’s the perfect opportunity to invite them to interact online and share their experience with their friends and family. Ensure your Twitter handle, Facebook details and newsletter sign-up form are easy to find at the hotel and online. Include TripAdvisor details too. Guests are going to use it so make sure you promote it and be seen to care about what guests think.
- Find out more about your guests
Don’t ask guests to fill in endless forms for data capture; you just need the basics. You can do this through subtle conversation: Why are they here? What are they interested in doing during their stay? Is it a special occasion such as a birthday or anniversary? Special occasions need to be noted on the database, so use data capture cards to collect this information so you can be savvy when communicating with customers. Adding a more personal touch can do wonders when building relationships.
Customer No.2: Previous guests (but they’ve not been back for a while)
Loyalty is under scrutiny and the reasoning behind repeat business is skewed by promotions and incentives. However, you do ultimately want someone to return, so aside from the above tips to inspire them to visit again, you need to address the guests who have not yet returned.
- Evaluate your database and communication methods
If you are collecting data but not segmenting it, you might want to be a little more specific. Ensure you include the date people stay, birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions, reason for staying and who they travelled with. You can of course buy sophisticated CRM systems and we’d certainly recommend investigating a solution that will keep track of this data and any special requests, as well as linking to your communication system.
- Make your communication timely and relevant
The last thing you want to do is create a reason for someone to unsubscribe. Make sure you segment your mailings to avoid email fatigue and ensure your news is relevant to the audience you are sending it to. Do this by categorising your guests according to the preferences, interests and personal details you have collected in your database.
- Give a reason to return. Remind previous guests about the activities in the area, the facilities you have to offer and incentivise them to make the most of their stay with a ‘modest’ offer. Don’t go for broke with big discounts. Demonstrate that recipients of emails will always get the best deal available.
Customer No.3: Potential Guests (the one who’s yet to discover your brand)
- Do people know you exist?
Always ask people how they heard about you and check your web trends using your analytics tools to identify how traffic is reaching your website. This will provide you with enough feedback to examine your marketing budget for the year ahead and plan appropriately.
- Are you conveying the right message?
People can be turned off very quickly by many things, so make sure there are no barriers to bookings such as broken hyperlinks and missing information. Photography should be slick, accurate and in tune with the changing seasons. Content should be fresh, interesting, rich with your hotel’s personality and ultimately inspire visitors to make a booking.
- Encourage people to spread the word
Get people who have already stayed at the hotel to share their experience about their stay on TripAdvisor, Twitter, Facebook and other online platforms. Conversation about your hotel is your greatest marketing tool with peer-to-peer recommendations becoming more and more credible.
By Petra Clayton, managing director of Custard Communications – @CleverCustard
