Ep. 18: 5 storytelling ideas for hotels.
LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS | LISTEN ON STITCHER | LISTEN ON SPOTIFY | RSS FEED
Lately, my clients have reached out to me wanting more. They’re wanting to hit the nail on the head. They want the right language, the right imagery—and yet, they’re not altogether certain of the story they’re telling anymore. That’s no fault of theirs.
With this virus still hanging in the air, things are evolving daily. We thought we’d slowly be able to reopen, but the reality is on-again, off-again. The second we pin down a strategy, the pendulum swings in the other direction, again.
Here in Bend, the mayor provided some strongly worded language to say that hotels should not be welcoming any more tourists this summer. This, in a place where tourism is our number one industry. Meanwhile in Napa Valley, we were preparing to reopen a spa last month, only to receive word that spas needed to close once again. Restaurants and tasting rooms that had been able to re-open were once again relegated to outdoor experiences, only.
This is the backdrop; uncertainty is the stage. Still, we’ve got to find a way to keep sharing stories. We’ve got to keep hotels, restaurants, spas, and towns that rely on tourism, afloat.
It’s not all bad news. We have hit on some positive new developments out of this strange time, like an increase in demand for off the beaten path places. People are setting out to discover hidden gems instead of the same old tourist traps. There are more people wanting to leave the world better than they found it. This has created renewed interest in ecotourism, adventure travel, and good old road trips.
So, back to marketing during these uncertain times. It’s complicated. I go back to the idea of what’s left of hospitality? We’re needing to write pages of descriptions that limit the guest experience: how a dining experience has changed, the new rules at the pool, or our cleaning protocols.
I drove past a local distillery this weekend, and slung underneath their sign, their tagline was replaced with the phrase “We have sanitizer.”
Yikes.
As marketers, we’ve got to find a way to continue to share compelling stories.
There’s something else that’s happened in the last few months that’s making all of this even harder. Hotels have cut back on marketing dollars. They’re bringing more work in-house. Suddenly a revenue manager is overseeing Google ads, a sales director is proofing local advertising, and the front desk team is drafting flyers about social distancing. Today, I’m sharing 5 storytelling ideas for hotels with limited time, shrinking budgets, and a growing need for occupancy.
At the end of the episode, I’m also going to share a resource I’ve created in response to everything going on, called Marketing In A Box. It’s a solution for hotels who are doing it all themselves. If you have someone on property who’s currently wearing a marketing hat, and needs some guidance, this might be the solution you’ve been looking for.
Here are 5 storytelling ideas for hotels that don’t rely on big marketing spends and can yield some great results.
1. Use your customer’s words.
Sure, Tripadvisor and Yelp can be scary places right now. With all of the stuff happening in the world, some people are being down right mean. But for every bad review, my bet is that you’ve got plenty more good reviews. Use your most recent, positive reviews to piece together your story about what’s changed. Are guests commenting on how secluded and private their stay was? How they had the pool to themselves? Maybe they loved grabbing food from a neighborhood food truck, or brought their dog and spent mornings in the park across the street? These aren't just guest reviews, they’re marketing gold.
Travel + Leisure and other big travel publications are sharing these stories, too. They’re featuring stories of travelers who are exploring places like Mexico during the pandemic. Follow their example, and share your guests’ stories.
It’s easier and more effective to use travelers’ words for a couple of reasons. First of all, they’re talking about what they did at your property, not the rules and regulations. While we’ve been busy sharing safety protocols, travelers are sharing their experiences vacationing within the boundaries we’ve set. Turns out, it’s not so bad. Actually, it’s quite good!
The second reason to use recent guest reviews, is that they highlight the things that matter to guests in the present moment. These same things will resonate with other guests, too. Rooms that open to the outdoors, for example? That’s a big one these days. See what else your guests are talking about, then use their personal reviews to tell your story. Use direct quotes from guest reviews in your social media posts, within your emails, and even on your website.
2. Hire an influencer.
This is one of the most effective ways to tell your story, and it doesn’t stop at social media. Chances are, there are influencers nearby—they’re everywhere! The catch is finding the influencers who live up to that title of influencer or content creator. You’re going to want to find an influencer who has a following that extends beyond social media.
An influencer with a solid blog is typically sharing content that’s optimized for Google search, where travelers are actively searching for trips to your corner of the world, and also for Pinterest, where people are seeking out inspiration for future stays. By finding an influencer with a presence that extends beyond Instagram, you’ll be better served.
When it comes to contracts and payments, it’s a bit of the wild west out there—just be clear on deliverables and KPIs from the start. There’s so much more to influence than a follower number. Microinfluencers are some of the most influential people when it comes to local business. Their following, albeit smaller, is typically more engaged than larger audiences. If you choose a microinfluencer that reflects your target market (for example a mom blogger in Portland for a family-friendly resort in Oregon), chances are you’ll share a common audience of moms in Oregon. When the influencer shares her own experience, she’ll influence others who are far more likely to plan an identical trip.
You can also build a plan to suit your needs. Whether you're in need of summer photography or photos of a specific area of your property—like a dining or spa outlet that’s been moved outdoors, or a new hotel feature you’ve just rolled out—you can actually accomplish a lot with an influencer visit. Again, just be sure to clearly lay out your list of deliverables, and even provide examples of the type of visual imagery and stories you’d love to have shared. The influencer will appreciate the opportunity to give you exactly what you need as it’s an opportunity to nail the partnership and opens the influencer up to future collaborations with you and other properties.
3. Opt outside.
Yes, the popular REI campaign rolls off the tongue, but how can we apply it to hotel experiences? I’m always preaching “think outside of the hotel room”, and that’s never been more important. While you can let your guests know that the fitness room is double disinfected daily, or you can also reach out to a local bike rental company and build a partnership. Why not offer your guests a bicycle and a map to explore the surrounding area? If you offer group fitness, take those classes outside. If you have a spa, take the massages outside in the open air. In this moment we’re in, we need to meet travelers where they are—we need to be empathetic, flexible with cancellations, and nimble when it comes to making guests feel comfortable. So think beyond the hotel walls, and encourage guests to get outdoors by activating some new experiences.
4. Create limitless itineraries.
Along these lines, I want you to turn what feel like limited experiences into limitless itineraries. Sure, you’ve got to include your safety protocol, you’ve redesigned your restaurant experience, and your spa menu is now condensed to mask-friendly services, but please don’t stop there. Don’t stop at what can’t be done. Take all of the pieces remaining, and figure out what can be done.
PR teams are great at this stuff. If you’re not lucky enough to have a team on speed dial, I’ll give you a couple of prompts. You could create an itinerary for outdoor enthusiasts coming to visit, to explore hidden gems where social distancing is easy. You could create an itinerary for people who normally come to dine and drink—a foodies itinerary of all the places to eat outdoors. Right here in Bend, we could be sending people out to Camp Sherman to eat a sandwich on the Metolius River, or up the ski lift at Mount Bachelor for a sunset dinner. We need to improvise. Put ourselves in the guests’ shoes and find ways to make their vacation memorable.
On a previous episode, we talked about pent up demand, and we’re certainly seeing that bubble over into bookings and occupancy in these summer months that tend to be busy across the board. Travelers mindsets have shifted as a result of not being able to travel, and travelers will pay more for experience that feel safe and are close to home. On episode 16, Aditi Verma talked about revenue management during this time, and why dropping rates is the wrong approach right now.
5. Go big on packages.
At this stage, we know people are chomping at the bit to travel again. I saw this really interesting thing happen with Alyssa Ramos, who was my guest on episode 10. Alyssa has been building group itineraries for travelers for a few years now. This year, the trips she’d organized were all cancelled due to the pandemic. Alyssa is a really smart blogger who doesn’t give up quickly, so it’s not surprising that she started building her 2021 programming. She packaged up a trip to Antarctica—a trip that typically costs around $7500. She found an eco-friendly tour group, and opened up 62 spots to join her on the trip just this past weekend. She sold out all 62 spots in 24 hours.
This got me thinking about big trips and how this same philosophy applies to hotel packages. People are not only ready to travel, they’re ready to treat themselves. They’re ready to book experiences they’ve been longing for and dreaming up. So along with not lowering your rates, consider building more packages. Experience-based packages, including ‘book now, stay later’-type experiences are performing. This is another place for storytelling, taking those itineraries you’ve created, turning them into packages, and then promoting them to travelers who are looking to book a special vacation.
Marketing In A Box
Now before we go, I want to share Marketing In A Box, the new, limited-time subscription service built for small hotels who have always done everything in house, or who have recently found themselves needing to do everything in house as a result of the pandemic. I created this subscription service for hotels that need to continue marketing themselves—and really just need a guide.
By signing up, you’ll get access to a monthly marketing box with three documents, typically one for web, one for email, and one for social. Each document provides insights and action prompts, so you can go from just sort of treading water in your marketing efforts, to experiencing growth right now.
The subscription includes a monthly one hour consulting call and access to a marketing dashboard that I’ll build for you. I’ll walk you through the dashboard each month to track and measure your performance. Pretty cool, right? The only problem: I have limited spots available. If you’re interested, get on the list to access this amazing new program.
As a reminder, here are the storytelling tips we reviewed today:
1. Guest reviews are your friend - use your customer reviews to share your stories.
2. Hire an influencer - this is a low cost, high impact storytelling technique that yield bookings.
3. Opt outside - look beyond your hotel ways and take some of your amenities outdoors.
4. Limitless itineraries - develop some new programming that’s build around social distancing instead of limited by it.
5. Go big on packages - dream up “treat yourself” packages and share these stories with people who are dreaming just as big.
As always, keep sharing your stories.
