As the hospitality sector begins to gather pace after the enforced COVID-19 lockdown, business owners all over the UK will be looking for ways to get back on track. One significant means of boosting trade is through the use of business data. Increasingly, hospitality establishments are falling by the wayside due to a few key factors – including poor management and sub-standard or non-existent marketing and advertising strategies.
A sensitive communication strategy can help the hospitality sector to weather the COVID-19 storm – and any other challenges for that matter. Direct marketing data targets your publicity material to the people who will appreciate it most.
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Managers and owners in the hospitality sector must become familiar with having a digital presence and using channels, such as social media, to promote their establishment. The days have gone when having a great hotel or restaurant in a beautiful location is sufficient to attract customers.
With all the competition out there, it’s important to use all the help you can get. Every hotel or restaurant needs a high-quality website with an online booking system. As online review sites like Trip Advisor increasingly gain prominence, a digital presence is crucial for your future survival.
You also need a Twitter and Facebook page to interact with customers, highlighting special events and promotional offers – it helps build a rapport with your target audience if you respond to queries and comments. The more followers you have digitally, the easier it becomes to connect with people and attract them to your establishment.
Customer insight marketing
A professional digital strategy and good customer service go hand-in-hand with customer insight marketing, using up-to-date business data. It’s vital to gauge who your customers are, the things they want and how your business can provide them with their requirements.
Email marketing remains hugely effective, as long as you’re not bombarding people with daily messages that don’t have any personal relevance to their needs. An effective emailing marketing campaign is one of the best ways of reminding customers that you’re there waiting for them, especially during quiet times. You can highlight special events and promotional offers that are waiting for them should they return.
Hotel guests can be varied, ranging from families and honeymoon couples to business travellers or people on a budget. Using business data can help the hospitality industry to effectively target its marketing content to people who will appreciate it the most.
Identify opportunities
Marketers can identify the best opportunities for their company, targeting the key demographics in a more specific manner, in particular through online advertising. You can include time-specific and location marketing, enabling hotels and restaurants to reach customers when the information will be most relevant to them, or where they’re more likely to want to see it.
When it comes to hospitality sector marketing, the key point to remember is the customers – they are what matters most! You need to provide what they want: business data is an excellent way to gain an insight into their requirements. You can use it to create effective marketing strategies that will keep them returning time and time again.
Manage revenue
Through the use of data, businesses can devise a revenue management strategy. They can carry out predictive analysis, enabling hotel owners to anticipate the level of demand for rooms more accurately, for example.
For the complete picture, current bookings, past occupancy rates and other key performance metrics can be combined with external data – including the dates of Bank Holidays, school holidays or popular local events and festivals.
Business data also enables hotels and restaurants to gauge whether they need to provide new services or upgrade existing ones. When the data is collected and analysed, it provides important insights – you’ll get to know just what your customers are thinking! This can help business owners to make planning decisions, such as whether their gym needs refurbishing, or whether customers are happy with the facilities or the booking system.
It’s all about tailoring your services to meet demands – and using business data is one of the most effective means possible.
Importance of GDPR
Creating email, telephone and postal lists for ideal prospects, Selectabase recognises the importance of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) – we always comply with the legal data protection principles.
For further information on how our business data services can help make your marketing strategies more effective, and to receive a no-obligation quote, contact us today on 01304 383838 or use our handy online contact form.