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The Rise of Instagram: Moving Beyond AdWords

More peripheral advertising platforms like AdRoll, Twitter Ads and even Instagram’s new ad service all have large audiences at their disposal and are less competitive (especially in the case of Instagram).

AdWords is still the PPC platform with the biggest audience, but that also comes with the competitiveness and required budgets to stay ahead of everyone. Diversifying into these up-and-coming paid services could be a great way for you to squeeze ahead of the competition.

Mobile Bookings

Mobile traffic is increasing. Just look at Google if you are in doubt. Over the past year, they have made multiple updates to increase the importance of mobile search. Therefore, it’s even more important to ensure that your website includes responsive web design elements. This approach to web development will allow your website to transform and rearrange its content depending on the device you’re viewing it on.

As a hotel, it’s also important to factor in that more guests will be making reservations through their phones and tablets. So go beyond a superficial responsive facelift, make sure your system as a whole is mobile-friendly, and that it’s just as easy, if not more so, to book a room on an iPhone.

Targeted Web Design

Gone are the days of gigantic websites. Nowadays smaller targeted websites are all the rage, but unlike other fashions, this innovation isn’t just for aesthetic purposes. Think about what you want your potential guests to do on your site. These smaller websites are built to hone in on one, maybe two specific goals. They are then structured so that every element points a user towards that ultimate goal.

Presumably, the ultimate goal is to book a room. Therefore, ask yourself if any of the current content on your website distracts from or hinders the achievement of that goal. If in your mind it does, then seriously think about retiring the content or moving it out of the way.

Beyond Your Domain

Smart customers do their research. Oftentimes, users will open up another tab just to search for any positive or negative reviews. We want to see what we’re getting, and the outside opinions of others matter. While you obviously can’t fabricate reviews, you can encourage them.

That’s just one aspect of reputation management. Did you know that 40 percent of businesses have listing errors, when it comes to simple information such as addresses and phone numbers? A more established presence like a hotel might be immune to this problem. However, it’s still possible. As more and more people use third-party websites to research your establishment, ensuring that your data is consistent across all areas is important.

If You Take One Thing Away

Very often trends are just that. We go through them and then onto the next. However, what is far more important is what caused these trends to emerge. In this case, it’s that the average searcher is savvier than in the past. People are on multiple digital platforms, and they aren’t stuck to chunkier laptops and desktops. They are using other online resources when making their decisions and they just want the booking process on your site to be as hassle-free as possible.

What do you think? Are there any more important or emerging trends you’re seeing within the industry? If you’d like to learn more about digital marketing strategy, please feel free to contact us.