It’s the little things that get us through times like these, and the same can be said for your marketing activity – focusing on some of the littler things now will make a big impact in the long run. It’s our job to help equip you with the right tools and knowledge that will help see you through this time.
Last week we wrote about how to use book direct offers and social media to your advantage in the face of this pandemic. We recommended looking at your discount offers, loyalty programmes, promo codes and amenities that add value.
We showed how the right organic social media activity is now, more than ever, probably one of the most powerful tools in your business’s toolbox. At a time of immense unease and uncertainty, there is a palpable and collective shift back to basics, and many people are taking stock as to what’s really important. This revolves around things like family, friends, connections, community, well being. Hotels that are giving back, showing their care and concern for their own locality and providing simple ways to enhance this time of unrest will fare well in the eyes of their audience.
This week, we’re bringing a few more tips to consider and implement if you can.
An action bar
If you don’t have one, now is a good time to include an action bar on your website. An action bar is a panel that pops up from the bottom or side of your screen and it’s usually used to highlight a product or service you’re offering. They should be eye-catching with the right image or colour, snappy copy that gets your message across and a clear call to action. A few weeks back, we recommended you use one to highlight a ‘free cancellations’ message on your website.
What else are they used for?
- To direct people to a specific page on your website
- An offer
- To get an important message across
Here are a couple of examples:
Whether it’s a free cancellation message, a voucher message, a note to say you’re closed or even a message about booking a staycation in future, grab people’s attention and use an action bar to your advantage.
What about Google Hotel Ads?
Firstly, let’s recap on the platform
Google Hotel Ads is a meta-search platform originally called Google Hotel Finder that was launched in 2011. The platform displays your hotel rates in direct comparison to OTAs, enabling you to showcase your hotels on Google, across desktops, tablets, and mobile devices. To read more detail on the platform, read our article here.
Hotel campaigns let you bid for dynamic ads that appear when a traveler searches for a hotel on Search, Maps, or the Assistant. The ads appear in a hotel booking module that shows photos of the hotel, amenities, prices, and a booking link.
Here’s what it looks like:
What are the benefits of these ads?
- They attract travelers who are actively looking for a hotel in a particular area
- They have your hotel name, price, and text call outs highlighting the unique benefits of booking through your site
- They tailor a hotel’s prices by availability and traveler’s itineraries
- They send users to a website to book, or allow them to book right there on Google
- You pay for an ad only when someone makes a booking, or you can fine-tune your bidding by factors such as device type, the traveler’s country, or length of stay
Stay safe and continue to try and approach this situation with a positive outlook. As this article from ehotelier.com so eloquently puts it, “You are not ignoring the dilemma that it is, but you are taking stock, assessing and looking for the opportunity within to make a positive change in your business while the rest of the world goes mad. The way we see it, in a catastrophe, there is always opportunity. In this case, we think while we are largely at the will of the wind right now, we can prepare for the future.”
