This is the first post in our Hotel Marketing 101 series where we will be giving you the necessary information to successfully market your hotel and increase reservations.

Hotel Marketing 101: Leading the Conversation

Imagine this scenario; you overhear two teenage girls having a conversation in a coffee shop. One girl is talking about how her parents are buying a car for her birthday and the other is talking about what a jerk her boyfriend is. What you have just witnessed could be called a conversation, the only problem is that there’s no filler. Nothing that is relevant to you, no pertinent information exchanged just fluff and nonsense.

Great marketers will tell you that what fuels a successful marketing machine is quality content. The hottest website design is pointless without rich, well-crafted content. A brochure is just an attractive piece of paper if it doesn't say anything relevant. Likewise, conversation between two people is pretty boring if neither of them is really saying anything. Yet content is something few business owners invest in developing, leaving potential customers with half the story.

Take a moment to evaluate your website content. When is the last time you updated it? Are you communicating pertinent information to your potential guests? It is easy to view your own website with blinders, believing that you've accomplished the important task of just having a website. But does it effectively communicate what potential customers need to know about your business? Ask a friend to read through your website. Or better yet, think about a product you would like to purchase. Go to a few websites and research that product. You can easily see the gaps in information as you desperately search for details like product dimensions, available colors, or even which store has it in stock right now. Unfortunately, these gaps in information can also happen on your website and they can equal potential revenue loss as frustrated customers turn elsewhere for the information they seek.

Now more than ever, consumers are making purchasing decisions on an emotional level but more importantly they are researching a greater variety of sources before making these purchases. So first you must be found, be where they are looking for information, and be the richest source of information. Don’t give away this opportunity and corresponding revenue to Online Travel Agencies (which we went over in one of our posts about OTAs). And finally, use your content to really communicate who you are to potential customers. Lead the conversation, and avoid blowing a lot of hot air.

In recent years, the Marketing profession has been perceived negatively as many larger corporations have abused their powers to persuade the masses to purchase anything from Chia pets to cheeseburgers. It is true that these tactics of creating need and perceived value can be used in a harmful way, but at their best they create renowned brand recognition, generate sales, and develop strategies that lead companies to long-term growth and prosperity.

Below are functions of a typical marketing department:

1. Identify and befriend your customers.
2. Know your market and monitor your competition.
3. Create and propagate the corporate brand.
4. Recruit and direct outside vendors.
5. Foster Innovation.
6. Simplify your internal communications.
7. Strategize effectively within a finely-tuned budget.
8. Develop a strategy that completes specific goals and delivers expected ROI.
9. Observe, adapt, anticipate, plan, execute. … and be ready to improvise at a moment’s notice.

The Marketing department of InnLink is no different. Comprised of just two people, Mary Beth Folger and Victoria Vanderveer, our Marketing department supports the needs of 4 distinct brands and develops marketing strategies that support the goals of each brand in the marketplace. They handle both internal communications and any client-facing element of our business to inspect it for branding, messaging, and consistency. The Marketing department meets with internal clients to develop campaigns and coordinates with outside vendors to pursue work required beyond the capabilities or time constraints of the team. Perhaps the most important function of marketing, however, is researching our industry as well as our competition to ensure we remain effective and relevant to our customers. This function is at the root of every product and service that we develop. But while it is Marketing's specific, assigned task to be customer-focused, it's important to remember that all departments contribute to a positive experience for the customer.