When a client first starts their partnership with Blue Magnet, it is a lot like dating. There is time spent getting to know one another, learning what is important to their future, and, of course, becoming confident that this person has your best interests in mind. We understand the level of trust hotels need to have in our team in order to foster the most important thing for any relationship: open lines of communication. Here are the top five things you can do to get your budding relationship off on the right foot.
1. We can make the distance work but calling is necessary.
Just like long distance relationships, it is important to have time dedicated to talking to your significant other. This is why every client at Blue Magnet is on either a monthly or quarterly status schedule; status calls are your time to strategize with your dedicated Account Manager, ask questions, and learn about your hotel’s performance over the last month.
Your Account Manager will address important digital marketing status updates, identify which items have been completed over the last month, and present data and revenue reporting on independent sites, social media marketing, AdWords, etc. By coming prepared with questions, clients can utilize status calls as an educational tool and better understand how we can work together to reach the property’s goals. Part of our mission statement here at Blue Magnet is education – both internal education and client education. We not only want our team to be experts at internet marketing, but we want to educate our clients on digital tips and trends as well.
Use our time on these status calls to let us know of any questions you may have throughout the presentation or if you would like us to elaborate further. Keep your Account Manager up-to-date regarding important hotel changes, upcoming events (either on property or in the local area), and, of course, any new photography or renovations coming down the line.
Having this information ahead of time allows your Account Manager to better prepare for the coming months. With ample notice, our team can craft landing pages to support your staff (for example, a page with answers for frequently asked questions the front desk receives or a page with details on a large event coming to the area such as Comic-Con or the Super Bowl). Working closely with your Account Manager is not only vital for the long term growth of a website but also seeps into social media and all paid efforts. In order for us to drive the most incremental revenue possible, the hotel and Account Manager need to maximize their time together.
2. Surprises are nice, but knowing in advance is even better.
It is difficult to make plans together when you do not know the other person’s ideas. This is why the earlier we know the hotel’s forecast, the more effectively we can strategize and formulate a strategy to target those dates. If there are specific times of year you know your hotel struggles to fill rooms during, letting us know far enough in advance will allow us plenty of time to brainstorm the best digital marketing strategy to fill rooms during those dates.
From creating landing pages to setting up Travel Ads and paid social media campaigns, your Account Manager will create a custom strategy with the sole purpose of putting more heads in beds. Filling need dates can be make a big difference in your hotel’s year-end revenue, and when the Account Manager is given the information in advance, their ability to help you fill those rooms dramatically increases.
3. A picture is worth a thousand words.
Now that our relationship has started and we are talking more, there is one additional item our team needs: pictures! When you take the time to send us photos of your lobby, guest rooms, pool, breakfast areas, hotel staff, etc., we are able to amp up our social efforts. Our team members are experts at crafting engaging social media content; however, there is nothing fans love more than seeing images straight from the hotel. Designate one person on property to snap photos around the hotel. Examples of good content includes photos of your staff in action or talking to guests or shots of the restaurant and its specials of the day. Whatever you can take we can use!
After snapping a few pictures, email them over to Blue Magnet with a brief description and your Account Manager will turn your camera phone picture into a spectacular post! We have seen time and time again mixing in photos straight from the property increases fan engagement tremendously and allows us to create organic conversations with the hotel’s online community. A strong, engaged fan base will be more likely to turn into high-quality, converting website traffic.
4. Introduce us to your friends, we know they will love us.
Just like dating, we get a better picture of who you are by getting to know the businesses and people you associate with. A big component of growing and maintaining an independent site is link building with your hotel’s network, partners, and preferred vendors. Here at Blue Magnet, link building is a year-round affair. We spend hours making sure we target credible, relevant links that make sense for your property to associate with.
If there are contacts at local area attractions, vendors, or other businesses you or your staff has a direct relationship with, please share these connections with our team. By sharing your network, our team can dramatically increase the rate at which we are able to gain helpful, relevant links. Know someone at the Staples Center in New York? Let us know and we can reach out on behalf of the hotel and have them link to your site on their “Nearby Accommodations” page.
Link building is not limited to large area attractions; establishing links to local area golf courses, hospitals, restaurants, and other relevant businesses will help drive more traffic to the website and, ultimately, increase the amount of people checking rate and booking.
5. We miss you, please write.
Constant communication with your Account Manager is one of the biggest keys taking your digital marketing strategy to the next level. Similar to the way you always let your significant other know about your daily life, the great things going on or the struggles you are facing, you should also let you Account Manager know about everything big or small happening at, or around, your hotel.
Even a quick email every couple of days letting us know things are going well and you would like to discuss the best way to market an upcoming weekend where a big room block just cancelled helps us plan our strategy and make up the potential loss in revenue.
I believe in a thing called love.
Just like any relationship meant to last the test of time, Blue Magnet and our hotels are destined for a successful partnership when there is constant communication and trust. Our goal is to create the best digital marketing campaigns possible for each property and the best way to ensure that happens is by maintaining constant contact. We love digital marketing and, while it may be a bit sudden, I think it is safe to say we love you too.
