One of the most important things when it comes to marketing your hotel online is to create great content. Content is all the information you put on your website, your social media sites, your blogs, articles and so on.
Great content, however, is content that customers are able to understand without having to look twice. Furthermore, great content can make people curious, excited and interested in the topics you publish. Not sure how to create great content? Not to worry. We’ve pulled together some of the most important guidelines for producing content for your hotel’s online platforms to help you.
Know who you are
This is the basic element, which sets the foundations for your content.
Have you ever watched the Idols television series? Or Popstars? Or X-Factor, maybe? Before thinking of an answer, you might be sitting and wondering what X-Factor has to do with this topic. Well, a lot more than you think, actually. If you have followed any of these shows, you may have noticed that the contestants who succeed always seem to have one particular feature in common: They know who they are, and it’s this strong identity that makes the audience remember them.
If you want YOUR hotel to go all the way to the final, it is crucial that you know exactly what your hotel can provide, what its core strengths are and what separates it from its competitors (I’m sure every hotel wants to give good value for money – that is not a unique feature). Be realistic and clear. And remember: It is about creating an identity which will set you apart from your competitors and make you stand out. Try to set a mission and a vision statement for your hotel. Decide what your core values are, and always have those in mind. You may not even have to publish this information, but it will help you to be more consistent and focused in your future content.
Know the people you are reaching out to
‘Knowing your target audience’ is a well-known marketing cliché. It is, nonetheless, one of the most important tasks. If you don’t know your target audience, it will be almost impossible to create catchy content that is focused and consistent.
Look at your hotel from every angle and ask yourself: to whom does this hotel particularly speak to? Who would I bring if I were a guest; my girlfriend, my five single guy friends, my whole family? Or would I rather go here when I’m 60?
Try not to say: ‘we are for everybody’. Nothing is for everybody. When determining your target group, it is a good idea to look at elements such as the price of your hotel, the architecture, the surroundings, the location (there’s a pretty big difference between your hotel being located in Ibiza or on a remote hill in Norwich). Then try to figure where these people are, what they do and what they know, think and feel. Young people might want to read content in a fresh, youthful tone that focuses on the fun stuff they can experience at your hotel, whereas older people might prefer a hotel that provides information in a more formal voice.
Be clear and focused
This was mentioned earlier and now we’re repeating it again. Your content needs to be simple, clear and easy to read. Get to the point as quickly as possible and do not use too long or complicated sentences. Most of your prospective customers basically want to see whether your hotel fits their needs or not. Nobody likes to spend too much time reading through complex sentences before they get to what they are looking for.
Therefore, keep key messages of your content in mind throughout the content writing process so you won’t get lost. Start with a catchy headline that awakes curiosity and go from there. And don’t forget to re-read your work and see if any unnecessary words or sentences can be excluded – or at least split your text into sections. In other words (and to end this paragraph showing that we practice what we preach): Get to the point and get to it fast!
Lower people’s expectations
Making your hotel sound like a five star hotel on your website will definitely attract customers. However, you might give them the biggest disappointment of their lives once they arrive and find out that your hotel is a family owned bed and breakfast. Moreover, you can be pretty sure that these guests – who will likely feel as if they have been cheated or lied to – won’t go out and spread any positive messages after that.
Therefore, be honest with your content and don’t try to make your hotel appear like something it is not. People will find out anyway once they arrive. Instead, if you lower people’s expectations by putting up realistic descriptions and photos of your property, your customers will most likely be positively surprised at discovering what an amazing family owned bed and breakfast hotel you can provide – and that will for sure make them go out and tell their friends and family about their great stay.
Tell a story
Let’s return to the talent show topic again. As we outlined previously, winners tend to know who they are. But very often they also have an interesting story to tell. Whether it is the story about the shy girl who desperately wanted to become a popstar, or the rock ’n’ roll alcoholic who decided to quit and go into rehab, the more you know about that person the more you feel connected to him or her.
Do you want people to feel connected with your hotel? Go tell a story. All hotels provide the same basic functions: a place to sleep. So this is where you need to be creative. Think about who founded your hotel in the first place, the unique location of it, how your restaurant values simple, Nordic inspired gastronomy or how your staff are always cheerful and up for a small chat with the guests. Your story must be intriguing and interesting for people to read and make them curious to come and experience it for themselves.
Use photos
This is your extra chance to make your hotel stand out. First of all, good photos will contribute to your customers’ first hand impressions and make them interested in looking further into your content. Secondly, photos are a good way to appear more reliable and studies have shown that people tend to have a better recall of images. Visually, it also sets the tone for what your hotel offers and why people should go there.
Select photos that are true to your hotel’s identity and always have your target audience in mind when selecting them.
Have fun
Creating content should not be a ‘drag’. Ever. If you don’t have fun while creating your content, people will for sure not have fun while reading it. Simple as that.