In an industry where positive experiences translate to loyal customers and brand advocates, omnichannel marketing offers a powerful tool for hoteliers to attract, engage, and help retain guests. By leveraging the strengths of different channels and delivering personalised experiences, businesses can create lasting relationships with their guests and help to drive growth and retention.
What is Omnichannel Marketing? A Deeper Dive…
In the hospitality industry, omnichannel marketing is a guest-centric strategy that creates a seamless and integrated experience across all touchpoints.
It goes beyond simply offering multiple channels for communication and interaction; it ensures that these channels work together harmoniously, providing guests with a consistent and personalised journey from the moment they start thinking about booking a trip to well after they check out.
While multichannel marketing involves using different channels to reach guests, omnichannel marketing takes it a step further by connecting these channels and enabling information and context to flow between them.
This level of integration enhances the guest experience and makes it easier for them to engage with the brand.
Omnichannel touchpoints in the hospitality industry are numerous and varied. They include:
- Website: The hotel’s website is often the first point of contact for potential guests. A well-designed website with easy navigation, informative content, and a user-friendly booking process is crucial.Mobile Apps: A mobile app allows guests to access information, make bookings, manage their stay, and interact with the hotel at any time.
- Social media: Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter/X provide opportunities for hotels to connect with guests, share news and promotions, and build a community.
- In-Person Interactions: The moment guests step into the lobby to their final, in-person interactions with staff. This moment is vital for creating a positive and memorable experience with staff being the public facing ambassadors for the property.
- Email: Email marketing can be used to send personalised offers, pre-stay information, post-stay surveys, and other relevant communications.
- SMS: Text messages can be used for sending booking confirmations, reminders, alerts, and other time-sensitive information.
By strategically integrating these touchpoints, hotels can create a seamless and engaging guest journey that fosters loyalty and drives revenue.
Why Omnichannel Matters in Hospitality
Omnichannel marketing creates a consistent and personalised experience throughout the guest journey, which allows you to have a presence at every stage of the customer journey.
An omnichannel marketing strategy is essential for hotels aiming to create a consistent and personalised experience throughout the guest journey. This approach ensures a presence at every stage, from initial research to post-stay engagement.
For example, a guest might discover your hotel while browsing an online travel agency (OTA), reading reviews, and exploring amenities. They may then visit your website for a deeper look. Later, a targeted social media ad with a “Book Direct” offer could entice them to make a reservation.
Once booked, guests receive strategic communications, including potential upsells, check-in/check-out reminders, and links to your hotel app for managing their booking. The app itself becomes a hub for personalised recommendations, such as add-ons, upgrades, or reservations at your on-site restaurant. Upon arrival, the app facilitates a seamless experience with reservation reminders and contactless check-in.
Post-stay, guests receive targeted communications through push notifications, newsletters, and social media ads, encouraging repeat visits with personalised offers. This ongoing engagement fosters long-term relationships and cultivates loyalty.
An effective omnichannel strategy goes beyond acquisition. By maintaining communication throughout the guest journey, hotels gather valuable insights into guest preferences and behaviours. This data-driven approach enables highly tailored future interactions, including personalised recommendations and exclusive deals. This level of individualised attention not only encourages repeat visits but also transforms satisfied guests into brand advocates, generating positive word-of-mouth and organic growth.
Crucially, an omnichannel approach seamlessly integrates various channels, ensuring consistent messaging and a smooth guest experience. This involves the website, social media platforms, OTAs, email marketing, the hotel app, and even on-site interactions. Each channel works in harmony, reinforcing the brand message and providing multiple touchpoints for engagement.
Furthermore, guest feedback is actively sought at various stages of the journey, allowing for continuous refinement and optimisation of the strategy. By measuring the effectiveness of each channel and interaction, hotels can identify areas for improvement, ensuring that the omnichannel strategy remains dynamic and responsive to guest needs.
By building an interconnected strategy for comms through various channels and data-driven insights, hotels can create a guest experience that truly stands out, leaving a lasting impression and solidifying their position in the market.
Building Your Omnichannel Strategy
The modern traveller’s journey is rarely linear. They might discover your hotel on social media, browse your website on their phone, and book via a third-party platform. To truly connect with guests, hotels need an omnichannel strategy – a unified approach to marketing and communication that spans multiple platforms. We’ve explained what an omnichannel strategy looks like, but how do you go about building one and putting it into practice?
The cornerstone of any effective strategy is a deep understanding of your guest personas. Who are they? What are their interests and expectations? Consider creating detailed profiles that go beyond basic demographics, considering things like travel style, purpose of visit, and technology preferences.
To create truly tailored experiences, you’ll need data. Gather information from every touchpoint – website interactions, booking history, survey responses, even social media engagement. Use this data wisely (and always within GDPR guidelines) to personalise everything from email offers to in-room amenities.
Guests should experience a consistent brand voice and service quality, regardless of the channel. Your website, social media, email campaigns, and even on-property interactions should feel connected. This can be achieved through integrated technology platforms and a shared understanding of brand values across your entire team.
Investing in the right tools can be a game-changer. Customer relationship management (CRM) systems can help track guest data, while marketing automation tools can streamline communication across multiple platforms. Remember, technology isn’t about replacing human touch, but enhancing it!
Challenges and Solutions
Embracing omnichannel marketing is not without its hurdles. Hotels often grapple with data silos, where customer information is scattered across different departments and systems, hindering a unified view of the guest. Additionally, the initial investment in technology and staff training can be daunting for smaller establishments. Resistance to change from staff accustomed to traditional marketing methods may also pose a challenge.
However, these obstacles are not insurmountable. By investing in a centralised customer relationship management (CRM) system, hotels can break down data silos, consolidating guest information and enabling a personalised approach. Cloud-based solutions can offer cost-effective options, scaling with the hotel’s needs. Comprehensive training programmes can empower staff with the necessary skills, fostering a customer-centric culture. Emphasising the long-term benefits of omnichannel marketing, such as increased guest loyalty and revenue, can help garner support from all levels of the organisation.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the hospitality industry is evolving, and as hoteliers, we’re all part of this journey. Omnichannel marketing isn’t just a buzzword; it’s a compass that can help further guide us towards a future where every guest feels truly seen, valued and keeps coming back for more!
