Several effective ways to promote a hotel website

by xuqing1202 on 2009-12-04 02:47:06

In the 2009 "China Hotel Interactive Alliance Work Report," a discussion on the development trends of China's hotel industry recognized that "the Internet will become the largest platform for hotel marketing" and that "hotel online marketing should be direct sales-oriented with channels equally important." As more hotels establish their official websites, they begin to delve into the vast field where tourism and emerging Internet industries intersect.

There is an old saying in Chinese: "Even good wine suffers from being in a deep alley," meaning quality alone is not enough if it cannot reach customers. In today’s market where customers have many choices, it is essential for hotels to take the initiative to stand out.

How can hotel brands be promoted so that the public recognizes both the hotel and its website?

How can effective communication be achieved within the appropriate audience group?

How can promotion and sales be connected conveniently to achieve high conversion rates?

How can small advertisements be placed online to save costs while expanding the audience?

How can the hotel break through local competition and guide customer sources across regions?

These are the demands and goals of hotel online direct sales. The corresponding direct issue is, of course — how to promote the website. There are many methods for website promotion, such as advertising, viral marketing, word-of-mouth dissemination, etc., which are common ways but not all applicable to hotel websites. Considerations must be made regarding hotel brand, target customers, user characteristics, and user needs to choose effective methods.

Online Hard Ads ★★★★★

Placing banner ads or text links on websites is a traditional and common method of online promotion. It is characterized by timely placement, wide coverage, flexible form and content, but relatively high cost. However, one piece of data shows that the average click-through rate for online banner ads is only 0.3%. And according to incomplete statistics, internet users are more sensitive to numbers, discount words, and benefit information.

Therefore, determining the right placement depends on the ad content and target audience. For websites, portal sites, vertical search sites, business travel sites, and mass tourism communities are all potential options. Their user characteristics and potential user volume vary greatly.

Take Sohu, for example. Its considerable traffic and unique user count are advantages, naturally achieving the broadest brand spread. However, whether or not to consider the low conversion rate of door-to-door advertising depends on the focus of specific promotions. Just for spreading the brand image, the banners and focus images of portals are the first choice for directly establishing a hotel's image among the masses. However, it's worth considering how many portal site users seek novel content versus those who intend to make reservations directly, and how well users accept advertisements.

Now let's look at the rapidly rising vertical search sites, represented by Qunar (www.qunar.com). In recent years, Qunar has seen a rapid increase in traffic. Data shows that its monthly independent user count has exceeded 35 million, second only to Ctrip in the tourism industry. Among these users, most actions revolve around querying, price comparison, and booking. Direct promotion and conversion into sales within this direct-demand audience becomes a choice for many hotels. GreenTree Inn, 7 Days Inn, etc., have promotional activity ads on the first screen of Qunar's hotel channel, with very prominent prices and content.

Email Marketing ★★★★

As a direct link to maintain users, email marketing has distinct advantages and disadvantages. Emails based on user subscriptions and unsolicited email lists give users completely different feelings. Regardless, issues such as aligning with user interests, rich readability, effective links, and normal display of images and text determine users' acceptance of emails.

An example is the "Points and Voucher Monthly Statement" launched by Elong last year, which improves user experience and friendliness. Under the guise of a "monthly statement," the promotional content is delivered more gently to users. Another example is hoteltravel.com's EDM, each issue rich yet concise, combining seasonal travel highlights with engaging articles by columnists, special hotel recommendations, and winning user award information.

Interactive Promotion ★★★

Online interactive activities themed around tourism come from operational promotion experiences of tourism communities. They can "tempt" users to pay attention and participate within a certain period, contributing content or traffic. This can also be borrowed for hotel website promotion to develop potential users. Online activities need to consider participation breadth, operational simplicity, and fairness. Given user habits, it's easier for netizens to upload pictures than text; writing a short passage is more convenient than composing an article.

For some online fun activities that often result in page views without sales, current hotel and business travel website promotions like "Stay X Get X Free" or cashback offers combine sales and interaction more directly.

Is it possible to effectively combine fun activities with sales promotions, achieving both?

Search Engines ★★★

Improving rankings on search engines like Google and Baidu to allow users easy access is a basic need and task for all websites. Studies show that 64% and 56% of people rely on search engines to plan personal trips and business trips, respectively. In terms of searching for hotel information, 81% and 67% rely on search engines for overnight business and personal accommodation searches, respectively. Another survey indicates that most netizens check only the first three pages of results, making it difficult for lower-ranked content to be viewed.

In this area, besides paid projects like registering in paid directories, keyword advertising, keyword bidding rankings, and web content positioning ads, website SEO optimization is another in-depth part that requires professional teams.

Other Promotions ★★★

Promoting special website functions or utilizing forums, celebrity blogs, event hype for soft publicity are other means that hotel websites can incorporate. However, care must be taken to prevent vulgarization affecting the brand, preferably aligning closely with real user needs and more integrated with hotels, such as starting from user reviews, check-in stories, etc.