mastering the hotel marketing ecosystem at the property level
TRANSCRIPT
MASTERING THE “HOTEL MARKETING” ECOSYSTEM AT THE PROPERTY-LEVEL
GREG BODENLOS| SOCIAL MEDIA & HOSPITALITY DIGITAL MARKETING CONSULTANT
APRIL 7, 2015
MASTERING THE “HOTEL MARKETING” ECOSYSTEM AT THE PROPERTY-LEVEL
GREG BODENLOS| SOCIAL MEDIA & HOSPITALITY DIGITAL MARKETING CONSULTANT
APRIL 7, 2015
FEATURED IN…
ABOUT GREG BODENLOS
Previous in-house hotel marketing roles include positions at:
The Fairmont Southampton, Bermuda
600 room four diamond luxury destination resort in Bermuda
The Mark, New York
150 room five star luxury independent hotel in Manhattan’s Upper East Side
Westin Copley Place, Boston
800+ room four diamond city-center hotel in Boston’s Back Bay
Nearly 2 years in B2B marketing roles for Revinate, a SaaS company that provides hotels with comprehensive guest
intelligence
Proud graduate of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and frequent collaborator with Cornell’s Center for
Hospitality Research and eCornell
Consulting focus: bridge the gap between travel technology and marketing
innovation and hotel operations expertise
Over 5 years of professional work experience in the hospitality digital marketing space
ROADMAP
How has the definition of hotel marketing evolved in the hospitality
industry?
What are the most important marketing
focus areas at the property level?
Where should hotel marketing live in the
overall hotel operation
ecosystem?
Who are the various key stakeholders to
involve in hotel marketing initiatives?
What new hotel marketing
challenges are on the horizon?
DEFINING “MARKETING” IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY
DEFINING “MARKETING” IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY
“SOLVING CUSTOMERS
PROBLEMS”
“GIVING THEM WHAT
THEY WANT OR NEED”
“…AT PRICE THEY ARE
WILLING TO PAY”
“EVERY HOSPITALTIY
EMPLOYEE IS A
MARKETING REP…”
DEFINING “MARKETING” IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY
Sources: HeBS Digital screen grab (left) Google search for “role of hotel marketing”
THE “HOTEL MARKETING” PROPERTY-LEVEL ECOSYSTEM
Director of Sales &
Marketing
General Manager
SALES TEAM
Director of Revenue or eCommerce
Director of Food &
Beverage
Guest Services / Concierge
Marketing / Social Media
Manager
HOTEL MARKETING ECOSYSTEM CONSIDERATIONS
THE DESTINATION RESORT
THE INDEPENDENT HOTEL
THE “BIG BOX” BRAND HOTEL
THREE KINDS OF “MARKETING” JOB DESCRIPTIONS
DIRECTOR OF SALES & MARKETING
THREE KINDS OF “MARKETING” JOB DESCRIPTIONS
MARKETING MANAGER
THREE KINDS OF “MARKETING” JOB DESCRIPTIONS
MARKETING COORDINATOR
REALITY AND CHALLENGE:
“Social media channels have
become the heartbeat of a
brand, a direct channel for
communication with the customer.
In hospitality, we have no choice
but to ensure that we are making
social media part of our
marketing mix, managed and
measured properly.”
Alicia Whalen, Co-founder of A
Couple of Chicks e-Marketing
and Online Revealed
Conference
THE RISE OF THE “NEW” MARKETER
Marketing will increasingly be seen less as a cost and more as a source of revenue.
Marketing will take the lead in the customer experience.
Engagement is becoming paramount.
The new marketer combines operational and data skills with a grasp of the big picture (and possibly working within a different organizational structure as well).
Digital and data dominate investment.
Two trends to watch: real-time personalized mobile and the Internet of Things - where ubiquitous, embedded devices with unique IP addresses constantly convey real-time data—to revolutionize marketing by 2020.
2005: MARKETING BUDGET ALLOCATION
2015: MARKETING BUDGET ALLOCATION
Source: HeBS Digital The Smart Hotelier’s Guide to 2015 Digital
Marketing Budget Planning
Using a multi-
channel
marketing
approach in all
campaigns
HOTEL MARKETING BUDGET CONSIDERATIONS
“We know that about 50% of travelers start
their trip without a (hotel) brand in mind, and
we know that so much research and
dreaming happens between planning a trip
to actually booking it.”
– Tiffany Miller, Google Travel
On average, guests visit 18 sites, make
six clicks during eight sessions over a
period of two-and-a-half weeks to make
their travel decision.
MARKETERS NEED TO ACCOUNT FOR INDIVIDUAL, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND SITUATIONAL DIFFERENCES
ENGAGE THE GUEST AT THE RIGHT TIME
INVESTING IN REPUTATIONPrice, travel reviews and convenient location are most influential for travelers when booking an accommodation. However, 77% say amenities are also influential during the decision process. So which amenities should you focus on to encourage bookings?
Amenities that travelers find most influential when booking an accommodation:
Free in-room Wi-Fi – 74%
Free breakfast – 60%
In-room amenities – 58%
Free shuttle service – 35%
Staff who speak the traveler’s language – 35%
Source: TripAdvisor TripBarometer 2015 – 5 key traveler trends
VIDEO CONTINUES TO PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE
MOBILE CONTINUES TO PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE
SOCIAL MEDIA AUDIENCE GROWTH CONTINUES
Source: SimplyMeasured
SO THERE’S DEFINITELY STILL AN AUDIENCE...
Source: SimplyMeasured
QU
ICK
IN
STAG
RAM
EXA
MPL
E
BUT HERE’S THE CATCH…
According to Ogilvy, organic reach on Facebook has dropped to a depressing
2% for brands.
EVOLUTION OF BUDGETING FOR SOCIAL MEDIA
“Social media is completely free.” My unpaid intern can manage it.
“Social media engagement is free but it
requires investment in human capital to
manage all the emerging platforms.”
I can still post on social media for free with
success (organic reach) but will commit
dollars to hire an entry-level person to
manage it all.
“Social media engagement is still in
theory free but, as social media
platforms mature and monetize, organic
post reach (specifically on Facebook) is
becoming less and less significant. ”
I need to hire a seasoned professional who
strategically understands how both paid and
organic social media campaigns can
complement existing marketing and PR
strategies and determine where it fits in the
hotel marketing ecosystem.
REVIEWING YOUR OVERALL STRATEGY
Define your Target Demographic: Whom are you trying to reach?
Define your goals: What are you trying to accomplish?
Decide which social channels to use: Where is your target demographic most active? Is advertising available on the platform? How much will you spend?
Define your metrics and KPIs: How will you measure success?
Execute your strategy: then use available data to measure and refine.
BRING IT BACK TO THE BASICS
Deliver better guest experiences
Decide when to get feedback
Understand your hotel
guests’ buying journey
MASTERING THE “HOTEL MARKETING” ECOSYSTEM AT THE PROPERTY-LEVEL
GREG BODENLOS| SOCIAL MEDIA & HOSPITALITY DIGITAL MARKETING CONSULTANT
APRIL 7, 2015
781.686.2177
www.gregbodenlos.com
MASTERING THE “HOTEL MARKETING” ECOSYSTEM AT THE PROPERTY-LEVEL
GREG BODENLOS| SOCIAL MEDIA & HOSPITALITY DIGITAL MARKETING CONSULTANT
APRIL 7, 2015
SHARE THE PRESENTATION AND ENJOY
BONUS REFERENCE MATERIAL!
HEBS’ 10 DIGITAL MARKETING RESOLUTIONS FOR 2015
1. I believe that 2015 will be the Year of Dynamic Content Personalization and I will personalize the visual, textual and promotional content on my property website to meet the interests and preferences of my unique website visitors.
2. I will embrace Dynamic Rate Marketing and integrate real-time rates and availability into my marketing messages because I know this will dramatically increase campaign effectiveness, boost conversion rates, and increase direct online bookings.
3. I know that Multichannel Marketing is essential to reach customers throughout their travel planning and booking journey.
4. I will not be intimidated by the OTAs and I will keep my property’s Direct Online Channel strategies at the forefront of my marketing efforts.
5. I will not underspend in digital marketing and will budget appropriately, making smart investments in my digital assets and the right mix of direct response digital marketing campaigns.
Source: Max Starkov, President & CEO and Mariana Mechoso Safer, Senior Vice President of Marketing at HeBS Digital
HEBS’ 10 DIGITAL MARKETING RESOLUTIONS FOR 2015
6. I will not be a “Headline Reader” and jump at the latest fad I read or hear about. I will take the time to learn the fundamentals of online distribution and digital marketing and make sure I’m taking advantage of tried and true revenue-generating strategies.
7. Since Search Engines are Still King of Direct Online Distribution, I will not underestimate their impact and will allocate funds appropriately when it comes to my SEM and SEO budgets.
8. Investing in my property website to maximize revenue from the three screens (desktop, mobile, tablet) is paramount to the very existence of my property. Coupled with a robust, well-funded digital marketing strategy, this will allow me to improve my property’s bottom line and leave the comp set in the dust.
9. Speaking of providing the best user experience and maximizing revenue from the three screens, I will utilize a next generation Content Management System (CMS) that allows me to achieve this, allow for unlimited content control of my website, and enable my property to take full advantage of next-generation capabilities such as content personalization and complete merchandising capabilities.
10. I know my property needs a strong digital marketing strategy and high revenue-generating website that drives direct online bookings, as well as an action plan to help my property lessen its dependence on the OTAs. I realize all of this is dependent on choosing my digital marketing partner wisely.
Source: Max Starkov, President & CEO and Mariana Mechoso Safer, Senior Vice President of Marketing at HeBS Digital
REMEMBER THE BASIC SOCIAL MEDIA PRINCIPLES
Choose owner for all of social media
Set up social media posting cadence
Choose a social media management platform
Determine social media voice
Set up an employee social sharing platform like GaggleAmp
7 STEPS TO TAKE WHEN A HOTEL BRAND MOVES NEXT DOOR
Understand the competition
Know who you are
Protect your accounts
Don’t compete on rates
Keep your people happy
Elevate your marketing
Service, service, serviceSource: Hotel News Now
