From a weekend away at Center Parcs to a long stay at a luxury resort in Tenerife, most of us stay at a hotel at some point in our lives. The hotel market is, therefore, becoming very heavily saturated and the competition is tougher than ever before. So as a hotel, resort, getaway or even caravan site, how do we stand out from the crowd?
Video marketing is an increasingly popular method of communicating a message to your target audience and is the most effective from of marketing across a range of channels. Videos are especially powerful when marketing hotels, as most people like to get a full picture of where they will be staying ahead of splashing their hard-earned cash on a few nights’ stay! We have put together a few important points that you should consider before creating a video for your hotel or getaway.
- Communicate your message clearly.
A holiday company like Center Parcs will want to promote their surrounding beautiful environment and the outdoor activities that are available to guests. Whereas, a luxury hotel like the Four Seasons would be more focussed on their top-end bedrooms and suites, and facilities within the hotel. It’s vital that you nail down the exact message you want to communicate to your potential customers.
It’s highly important that you don’t bombard your potential customers with a lot of information all at once. You may want to include your bedrooms, swimming pools, spa treatments, buffet, breakfast menu, bar and surrounding area all in your video, but this may be too overwhelming and doesn’t focus on the most important aspects of your hotel. Ramside, a hotel in County Durham, focuses on their state-of-the-art spa facilities and stunning golf course as their USP. They have lovely bedrooms on offer and great surroundings, but these aren’t the core selling points of the hotel. Break your video down into one message that you want to communicate. Do this well, and the rest will come organically.
- Consider your target audience – who they are, and their needs
Who is your video targeted at? Who exactly is your target customer? Keep this in mind when creating your video as it will dictate everything from the content used in the video to the language you use. For example, Butlins targets the family market with young children, and so their marketing videos feature families enjoying themselves, alongside their extensive choice of activities for children and families. On the other hand, an adults-only holiday resort will feature only adults in a sophisticated setting, portraying a quiet and relaxed experience.
A hotel such as the County Hotel in Newcastle, situated straight across from the Central Train Station, will appeal more to business people who may be stopping overnight in the city for a meeting or as a stopover on their way to another city. A hotel like this will focus on their fast service and early breakfast menu, to ensure guests are checked in and out as fast as possible. This is just an example of how your target audience also depends on your location – are you in the city centre, on a tropical beach, or in a rural area?
- Where will you be sharing your video?
Will it be on your website’s homepage? Will you have separate videos for each bedroom option on your website? Will you share it on Facebook, Twitter, or Youtube, for example? Where you share your video dictates how successful it will be and how much ROI you will see from it. Having a video on your landing page can increase your conversion rate by up to as much as 80%, which is why this is a very popular choice for many hotels! It’s also a great idea to use social media to your advantage and share it on your platforms. It is, however, important that you optimise the video for each platform. For example, Facebook favours square videos with captions, as most people watch Facebook videos with the sound off when they are scrolling quickly through their news feed. Optimise you video correctly, and you will see results.
We hope you have found these tips useful for planning your marketing campaign for your holiday company, hotel or resort. Let us know your thoughts and get in touch if you need any advice!
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