when it comes to CONTENT, don't be CHEAP

Are you investing adequately in your marketing? When looking to make cuts to your budget, marketing is often one of the first things to get cut. But we already know this…

Different markets require entirely different marketing strategies. Being in a city is completely different than being in a secondary market. Being in a tourist destination is completely different than being in a strong corporate market. Identifying what channels you should invest in and aiming for quality return is important. But we already know this…

Alright, so you’re investing in channels providing you good returns. Examples of channels may be TripAdvisor Sponsored Placement, Expedia Travel Ads, Meta Search or perhaps sponsored placement on Sabre, Travelport, Cvent. The list goes on, but how are you differentiating yourself? Take a look at your hotel online, would you choose it?

It’s time to take an honest look at your content. Are your pictures better than your competitors? Do they look dated? Do your sales proposals present better than who you’re bidding against? It’s easy to tell people why you’re better, but they aren’t going to believe it unless they see it. It’s time to start investing in your presentation.

When it comes to photos, most hoteliers view this as a one-and-done exercise. Check the box when you open up and leave the rest to the hotel gods. Ten years go by, and another set of pictures rolls in with the renovation, but this isn’t necessarily the best option. Even if your hotel hasn’t changed, there are many benefits to making pictures and content creation a priority for your marketing and sales efforts.

Guest’s Views Change: All potential customers are surrounded by photography nowadays. People see high-quality photos everywhere they look online or through their social media profiles in their daily lives. Trends in photography change. Even though your hotel may not look different now, the way they present through photographic style could vary greatly. In many instances, updated photos can give you an online renovation even if your property hasn’t had one.

Guests need to see it to believe it: You can no longer rely on your online photo album in your sales processes. You need to give your guests more to trust you. Think about virtual tours of your rooms that bring your guests’ imagination closer to their potential stay. Another great option is video. Most meeting, group, and corporate planners don’t live in your city. It’s not convenient to come in for a site tour. Why not make a video that does this work for you? It’s another tool that will boost you ahead of your competition. Investing in a single-day video shoot can provide you with several targeted videos for different segments like groups, corporate, meetings, wedding etc.

Online Channels Demand It: Every online platform requires content to boost rankings. Google heavily rewards content in their Google Business Listings performance. If you want your hotel to show up higher, photos are one of the simple answers. Expedia, Booking.com and others work similarly. Regularly adding photos shows activity, and activity boosts rankings.

Conversion: At the end of the day, photos and content heavily impact conversion. Believe it or not, your online profiles on OTA’s, hotel search platforms and your website are getting hundreds of thousands of views a year. Imagine bringing your conversion up by 0.1% -- using a simple calculation of ((175,000 profile views x 0.1%) x $200 revenue per booking )) = $35,000.00. Even increasing conversion by a tenth of a percent dramatically impacts your bottom-line revenue.

Hey, it’s never smart to do too much of anything. Your entire marketing budget should not go to content creation – but don’t be cheap.