November 2005 marked the creation of an ingenious marketing strategy to persuade people to shop online. Cyber Weekend is a big date in the calendar of every industry. For hotels, it provides the perfect opportunity to increase occupancy during low periods and shoulder dates. Furthermore, in today’s technology-driven world, it’s only increasing in importance. Our data taken from last year’s weekend shows us that revenue increased by 15% compared to the year before. Here’s a look at some more insights from last year so you can ensure you are ready and waiting for the weekend of the 23rd of November, the biggest online spending weekend of the year!
We are seeing a trend regarding a strong performance from email during this period. Similar to 2016, email thrived last year, delivering 7% of overall transactions and 6% of revenue. Therefore, it’s important that you focus on email communications.
Prepare several reminder messages for the build up to Cyber Weekend. This will build suspense and create a buzz around your big sale beforehand. Furthermore, use your email content and subject lines to create a sense of urgency. Phrases such as ‘limited time’ and ‘only a few left’ emphasise it’s a one-time offer and will push that booking.
Social
Last year’s data shows that web users pay more attention to online ads during this sale period and that they’re certainly worth investing in again. Our clients saw a strong return from their campaigns which went live over Cyber Weekend. In fact, a healthy 25% of the month’s social revenue happened over the sale period. However, customers are looking for information and are doing their research earlier than you might expect. Begin letting your customers and visitors know about your upcoming sale well in advance.
Mobile
43% of transactions were on mobile on Black Friday, increasing to 50% for Saturday and Sunday. With our Q3 2018 Device Data telling us that mobile revenue has increased dramatically, we can assume that this year’s cyber weekend will see a healthy amount of transactions being made on mobile. Make sure your visitor can complete a booking quickly and hassle-free on your mobile site! You can click here to make sure your site follows our guidelines on being mobile-first. Furthermore, test your mobile site to make sure it can handle a surge in traffic to avoid it crashing and disappointing your potential guests.
Paid Search
Revenue from paid search increased by 52% last year. Therefore, It is critical for your property to run paid brand campaigns, but don’t limit yourself to just this! The most successful Pay Per Click Campaigns target existing brand and non-brand keywords while highlighting the discounted Cyber Weekend deal within the ad copy. More advanced strategies include bidding on broad keywords associated with the weekend through the use of Remarketing Lists for Search Ads.
Conclusion
Don’t be fooled by thinking that Cyber weekend is just for retail- your hotel can benefit from the largest online spending weekend of the year too! Follow these guidelines and make sure that you’re prepared and ready to sell out those shoulder dates and off-peak seasons.
