Written by Dara Busch, Co-CEO, 5WPR
With countries around the world being faced with the challenge of the pandemic, the hospitality industry is slowly reopening. There are new hurdles to cross, and hotels need PR strategies to promote them during the crisis. After the lengthy period of lockdown, the industry is also increasingly competitive. Public relations efforts must be in full swing so that hotels can achieve measurable success. Given below are PR strategies that can be used to make a hotel stand out from competition during challenging times.
Loews Miami Beach Hotel
Understand guests’ behavior
Consumers are now cautious about traveling. Hotels will have to adapt to new rules and standards which will continue to influence social behavior. Consumers now give utmost importance to hygiene and health. To gain the trust of customers, hotels must be reliable and transparent. Customers might place emphasis on fresh food, regular medical check-ups, and in- house sports. Social media campaigns around new safety policies adopted by hotels can help to gain the confidence of customers.
Use social media
Different social media platforms can be used to post photos to show how safety measures are being adopted keeping customer priorities in mind. There can also be photos of special cuisines that have been prepared keeping safety measures in mind.
Expand digital presence
To ensure their digital presence, hotels should review their online strategies. Customers are now more used to buying goods and services online and hotels should also diversify their online offers through different channels. The website of hotels should optimize the booking experience. Hotels should also work on SEO as it could lead to a larger customer base. Data can be used in PR efforts. Social media ads can be created using demographics of website viewers.
Engage with influencers
Implementing new PR strategies can be productive. Engaging influencers will be a step in the right direction. Influencers can be anybody from parent bloggers to young millennials depending on the types of guests the hotels are targeting. Influencers can focus on specific amenities and mention offers and discounts. Influencers can not only create brand awareness, but they can also generate more traffic. For instance, Marriott uses influencers for their YouTube videos.
Create relevant content
Most hotel bookings start with a web search. This continues to be a trend and that is why it is important to create relevant content to reach a larger base of potential customers. Quality content also affects how a hotel ranks in the SERPs. For instance, blog posts can have ideas on how local residents can re-discover cuisines in the restaurant of a hotel. Travelers are always on the lookout for authentic recommendations. The concierge of hotels can also give recommendations. There can also be information on seasonal events, such as concerts or summer festivals held in hotels. Content creators should think about what motivates people to visit a hotel and what makes a hotel desirable to certain types of travelers. The hotel can also be publicized as an ideal getaway for a special weekend.
