Spring Cleaning: Inbound Marketing for Hotels

I don’t know about everyone else, but spring has been on my mind for months, probably since the first day the temperatures dropped below 60 degrees. Unfortunately, the weather can’t seem to decide if it wants to fully commit to warmer days quite yet, but I for one am rejoicing that spring will officially be here on March 20th. That’s less than a week away! For hotels, spring can be a hectic and busy time with spring breakers and eager vacationers retiring their coats and hats and taking advantage of the warmer temperatures. To celebrate the upcoming season, why not take part in a little inbound marketing spring cleaning? Don’t procrastinate this year; grab your mop and bucket and ramp up your inbound marketing for hotels!

Dust off your SEO

Travel giants such as Travelocity have grown as popular as they are because of their advertising and SEO strategies. Over 80% of online transactions begin with keyword searches. Inbound marketing for hotels relies on optimizing your site to keep it appearing on the first page of search results. Any further and you might as well be invisible. Conduct ongoing keyword research to make sure your company is targeting your ideal audience by using the most profitable long-tail keywords. Analyze your competition and see what’s working for them. Utilize free keyword grading tools and analyze keyword traffic. SEO can be hard work but in the long term it will pay off and bring hoards of traffic to your site.

Give your content a fresh coat of paint

I’ve been over this time and time again, but I cannot stress this enough: To keep visitors coming to your website, you need to supply them with fresh and engaging content. Inbound for marketing for hotels is unique in that you’ve got a great reason to write new content. Ideas for your blog should be easy—you are writing for people who know very little about the area! Talk about local events that are happening near your hotel’s location, post about some of the best restaurants and bars, highlight some of the greatest activities in your area. You can provide them with a unique local standpoint, and that, for vacationers, is incredibly valuable. Hotels should never run out of fun content!

Tend to your Social Media

People want to be constantly connected via their social networks. People are heading over to sites like Twitter and Facebook to check out deals or do research on where to stay during their vacation. If your social media sites are dull and boring, chances are vacationers will not choose your hotel. Social media can be a fun and rewarding aspect of inbound marketing for hotels. Networking sites allow companies to engage directly with their customers, and your guests will certainly appreciate this! Try holding a contest or starting a conversation with people who are planning a vacation to the area.

Weed out bad reviews

There are so many search engines that allow customers to post reviews and rate different establishments. Even if you have not set up an account for your hotel, chances are if you’ve had a particularly unsatisfied customer (hey, it happens) they have posted a review about your hotel already. While you cannot necessarily “remove” these bad reviews, on most sites you can reply to any negative feedback or thank a customer for a positive review. Make sure your responses are professional and friendly, and for any negative comments, assure any future customers that you have done everything in your power to fix the issue.

Try to conduct these little spring cleaning practices often, especially right before your busiest seasons. Don’t focus on just one of these tips; concentrate your time and effort across the board. Inbound marketing for hotels should be a comprehensive project that encapsulates SEO, social media, and content. Take advantage of the slower business hours of the wintertime and spruce up your inbound marketing strategies for hotels. Contact your inbound marketing professionals for more tips and tricks of the trade.