The hotel industry is one of a kind. Your facilities never close, your customers have high expectations, and it can be difficult to gauge when a slow week is going to hit. Unless you have a ton of hotel lead generation ideas. But if you don’t, we can help. Learn how lead generation can propel your hotel status and how to start building your lead list and booking more rooms as a result.
Do Hotels Need Lead Generation?
Absolutely! Unlike restaurants, grocery stores, landscaping services, or monthly service providers, your customers don’t stick around for very long. Competition is usually steep, especially in a tourist town, and repeat business can’t be relied upon.
Therefore, it’s crucial for hotels to always be developing leads and reaching out to them in a way that gets your brand and message across so that when the time does come for them to book a room, you’ll be the first option they consider.
But hotels need a specific type of lead generation. Focusing on simply collecting names won’t work. You need to have an idea of your target customer.
Do you mostly cater to business people staying a night between flights? Do you mostly book rooms to families on vacation? Or do you see senior citizens enjoying coffee in the lobby more than anyone else? Knowing who to concentrate on can improve the quality of your leads and your conversion rate.
Here’s Where Hotels Go Wrong in the Lead Generation Game
Most hotels spend their marketing budget on advertising their amenities. While consumers do need to know what a hotel offers, they more importantly need to know what the hotel offers them.
What makes your hotel different? What can you do for a customer that will rock their socks off? It’s all about being specific and targeting your message for your ideal customer.
If you start looking at your lead generation techniques from a consumer’s point of view, you might realize that you’re bombarding them with information that doesn’t tug at their heart strings. You need to find a way to make them feel welcome before their attention is snagged by another hotel.
Certain types of lead generation also help establish trust and authority with consumers. Most hotels start off strong but begin to fade. Consistent messaging is key.
Compared to other products and services, even the best hotel lead generation ideas can take months, even years to convert a lead. Your main goal should be to first attract potential customers, wow them with your dedication to customer satisfaction, and then prove it when they finally book a stay.
Hotel Lead Generation Ideas that Work
Need a few new hotel lead generation ideas? Here are some of our favorites.
Discounts
With the high number of booking websites available, every shopper compares prices. So, while you can’t discount yourself into a price that leaves you without any profit, you do need to make sure you’re offering an appropriate discount. If you’re wondering how to generate leads online for free, here’s one of the best ways.
You can turn a discount offer into a lead generation machine. Don’t just offer the discount to anyone (and please avoid Groupon!). Make it an exclusive offer that only members receive.
How do customers become members? All they need to do is provide you with their email and/or home address. You can then take this information and put together a campaign to keep your leads interested in your hotel. Don’t know how to put together an email campaign? You can hire a designer on Tradepay!
Referral Program
If you’re lucky enough to have plenty of repeat customers, double your business by offering a referral program. Even if customers never head back to your area again after their stay, offering fun rewards for referrals can keep your rooms filled every week.
It’s up to you how you want the final program to work, but consider offering a choice between a discount or a gift card to an establishment of their choice in return for each referral.
To take advantage of your repeat customers, you can also offer a reward program that provides them with fun bonuses after a certain number of stays. This will keep them away from the competition, even if a lower price tries to steal them away.
You can offer free stays or a room upgrade. If your hotel has a spa or restaurant, offer a complimentary service or meal. The possibilities are endless. If you want to give away actual products as rewards, such as travel gear, give Tradepay a try. Conduct a simple search for your product and enjoy savings up almost 50%!
Blog
72% of marketers say that creating relevant content is the most effective SEO sales tactic they use. Having a blog is a great way to keep in touch with past customers while boosting your website’s presence, making it one of the better hotel lead generation ideas.
You can let readers know about season promotions, your brand-new referral program, or take advantage of local SEO by posting about local events and attractions.
Blogs can easily be redistributed. Add them to a seasonal newsletter or email campaign to get a better return on your investment. Remember, if campaigns or newsletters aren’t your thing, you can always hire a service on Tradepay at a discount to get the job done.
At Tradepay, we know how important lead generation methods are for all types of businesses. This includes hotel lead generation ideas. A successful lead generation idea can of course increase your sales and revenue but we like to help in other ways as well.
Our platform offers a unique payment system that allows businesses to pay for products and services using 60% cash and 40% Trade Dollars, our form of virtual currency. Not only can you secure any of the services mentioned above for nearly half off, you can also purchase the necessities for your hotel at a discount, too. Learn more about how Tradepay can help you stock and book your hotel.
