Digital marketing tips and tricks for hospitality tech companies

We know that trying to grow your business through digital marketing tactics can be a daunting task—especially in a highly specific B2B niche like hotel technology. There are many different strategies available with various levels of complexity and cost, so it's sometimes a challenge to know which ones to use and how to use them. That's why we've put together this useful guide of key digital marketing strategies designed specifically for hospitality technology solution providers. By following these tips, you can generate the leads you need to maximize your sales and lay a foundation for global growth.

1. Clearly define your audience

One of the first and most important steps in creating an effective digital marketing strategy is defining your specific target audience within the wider hospitality market. This can be a difficult task, especially if you're not sure who the ideal customer is for your solution. Without knowing the type of hotel organizations you're trying to reach or which titles within those organizations are the true decision makers, it will be difficult to create effective marketing campaigns. Spend some time brainstorming who your ideal customer is, how they think and what the specific needs are for their property or hotel organization. Once you have a solid understanding of your target audience, their needs and mindset, you can start creating relevant content that will appeal to them and compel them to contact you or respond to your digital outreach.

Here are some good starting questions to think about when defining your audience:

Who are your ideal hotel customers?

Which titles have the power to choose your solution?

What are their specific needs, i.e.,  operations, revenue generation, guest satisfaction, etc.?

What are the pain points that your solution can solve?

Which global regions are you targeting?

2. Research your competition

Another important step in creating a digital marketing strategy is researching your competition in the hotel tech market. It's important to know exactly what their offering is and how it compares to yours, so that you can differentiate your solution and promote your Unique Value Proposition (UVP). Take a look at their website, social media, and marketing materials. See what's working for them and what isn't. Identify any gaps that you can fill with your own product development and marketing efforts.

A few ways you can get a good look at your competition are:

Analyze their website

When analyzing your competitor's website, you are looking for their keywords, backlinks, and overall design. This will give you a good idea of how they are ranking in the search engines and what kind of traffic they are getting to their site. Borrowing these strategies from successful competitors is a great way to get a greater share of the market in your particular hotel tech solution category. 

Check out their social media feeds

Social media is another great way to see what kind of content your competition is putting out to the market and who they are targeting. Take a look at their posts and see which ones are getting the most engagement. See what kind of tone they are using and what kind of images they are using. This will give you a good idea of what is resonating with their audience—and what may resonate with yours also.

Sign up for their email list

If your competition has an email list, sign up for it! Following their email marketing campaigns will give you a good idea of the kind of content they are sending out to their subscribers. You can also see how often they are emailing and what kind of deals or promotions they are offering that you may need to respond to with your own offering.

Examine their digital marketing materials

Another way to evaluate your competition is to take a look at their digital marketing materials and collateral. This could include things like downloadable brochures, blogs, eBooks, press releases, etc. Check out their newsroom and resources on their site to see what kind of messaging they are using and what kind of call-to-actions they are including. This will give you a good idea of what's working for them.

3. Create compelling content

Once you have a good understand of who your ideal hotel customer is and what type of solution they're looking for, you can start creating compelling content that will appeal to your specific target audience within the global hotel market or specific regions. This could be in the form of blog posts, infographics, eBooks, or  videos. The sky's the limit when it comes to content creation, so get creative and think outside the box.

Your goal should be to create relevant content that is helpful, informative, and engaging to your customers in the hotel community. Work to educate them and/or solve a pain point they have and, if you do this well and consistently, you'll be well on your way to attracting more profitable customers and growing your business.

4. Get and stay active on social media

Social media is one of the most powerful tools you can use to target and reach a large number of potential customers cost-effectively. If you're not active on social media, you're missing out on a huge opportunity to connect and engage with your market, including potential and current customers.

Some ways to maximize your social media strategies are:

Create and maintain company profiles on each of the social media platforms that make sense for your business, with a focus on B2B.

For hotel tech providers, remember that your market is primarily business-to-business. In general, channels focused on hotel professionals, such as LinkedIn generate the best results. Be sure to include a link to your website on your profile and in your posts, along with strong keywords and a strong call to action. You can target your audience by company size, title, region, etc.  There are also a number of automated outreach tools available to help grow your audience and generate leads. Just make sure that your messaging is personal and relevant so that you don't fall into the "canned pitch" category.

Posting regularly

Aim to post at least two or three times a week, but no more than five times a week, so that you don't overwhelm your audience and cause them to "unfollow" you. 

Engaging with your audience.

Make sure you're responding to comments and questions in a timely manner. Inquiries that go unanswered result in dead leads - and you can never get those back. 

Posting a mix of content.

Your social media posts should include a mix of images, text, videos, and links. Case studies and testimonials also work extremely well in the hotel tech sector, so make sure to showcase the successes you've had with other properties and hotel groups, along with how they have benefitted from using your solution.

5. Use the power of PR to enhance your digital strategies

Public relations and media advocacy programs are especially powerful in the hotel tech sector, as they provide cost-effective and credible third-party endorsement from the trade press and generate consistent messaging that helps to maximize both brand recognition and positive reinforcement through reliable sources that your audience already turns to for news and information. In PR, consistency is key, so make sure to send press releases on a regular basis about any newsworthy happenings in your company. These can include product launches, new features, personnel announcements, corporate news, key wins and case studies. All of these can be cross-promoted through digital channels, such as email marketing and social media.

Aligning with a PR agency is ideal, since they already have established relationships with editors of relevant media outlets, in order to get your news published. When looking for an agency partner for your hotel tech company, it is especially important to choose one that has specialized experience and expertise in B2B hotel trade press, to shorten the curve and get the best results.

6. Invest in paid advertising

Paid advertising is a great way to reach more potential customers and grow your business. By investing in paid ads, you can make sure that your target audience sees your content. This can be a great way to generate leads and boost sales.

When creating a paid advertising campaign, it's important to:

Research your target audience

A good starting point is to look at previous customers and find what they have in common. This will give you a good idea of who your target audience is and what they're interested in.

Set a budget

Paid advertising can be expensive, so it's important to set a budget and stick to it.

Choose the right platform

There are a number of different paid advertising platforms, so it's important to choose the one that's right for your business.

Some popular platforms include Google AdWords, Facebook Ads, and Twitter Ads.

7. Analyze your results

Once you've implemented your digital marketing strategy, it's important to analyze your results in order to see what's working and what isn't. This will help you fine-tune your strategy and make necessary adjustments.

Some things you'll want to look at are:

Website traffic

If your strategy is working you should be seeing traffic, but traffic isn't the only metric to look for You'll also want to look at things like:

• Bounce rate
• Conversion rate
• Email list subscribers

Leads generated

It's also important to keep an eye on leads generated and make sure they are your intended target audience, if not you may need to adjust your strategy.

Conversions and sales

You want to pay attention to what is closing and what isn't and see if your digital marketing strategy has changed the quality or quantity of the sales being made.

Social media engagement

By looking at who is engaging with your content, you can get a good idea of who you are reaching and if they are in your target audience.

8. Keep it up!

Digital marketing is an ongoing process, so it's important to keep at it even when you're seeing results. The landscape of hotel technology is constantly changing, so you need to be prepared to adjust your strategy as needed.

Conclusion

Digital marketing is a vital tool for any hospitality tech company looking to stay ahead of the competition and grow market share. By following these tips, you'll be on your way to attracting more customers and growing your business. Remember to define your audience, research your competition, create compelling content, and invest in paid advertising. And don't forget to analyze your results so that you can continually improve your strategy. Digital marketing is ever-changing, so it's important to keep up with the latest trends and best practices. If you need help with your digital marketing efforts, don't hesitate to contact Provision Partners. We're always happy to help!

FAQ

1. What is digital marketing?

Digital marketing is the process of using online channels to promote and grow your business. This can be done through a variety of means, such as SEO, content marketing, social media, and paid advertising.

2. Why is digital marketing important for hospitality tech companies?

As the hospitality industry increasingly moves towards a digital landscape, it's important for tech companies to have a solid digital marketing strategy in place in order to stay ahead of the competition and continue growing their business.

3. What are some effective digital marketing strategies for hospitality tech companies?

Some effective digital marketing strategies for hospitality tech companies include creating compelling content, staying active on social media, and investing in paid advertising strategies.

4. How can I measure the success of my digital marketing efforts?

Some things you'll want to look at when measuring the success of your digital marketing efforts are website traffic, leads generated, sales made, and social media engagement.

5. What are some common mistakes hospitality tech companies make with their digital marketing?

Some common mistakes hospitality tech companies make include not defining their audience, failing to research their competition, and not investing in paid advertising.

6. How often should I update my digital marketing strategy?

The landscape of digital marketing is constantly changing, so it's important to keep up with the latest trends and best practices. You should aim to update your digital marketing strategy on a regular basis.

7. What are some other tips for hospitality tech companies when it comes to digital marketing?

Some other tips for hospitality tech companies when it comes to digital marketing include creating a responsive website, using data-driven decision making, and investing in mobile marketing.

8. Who can I contact for help with my digital marketing?

If you need help with your digital marketing efforts, don't hesitate to contact Provision Partners. We can help create a customized marketing plan that generates real results.