What are you doing to attract new guests and engage with your existing customers? One of the best ways that hotels can connect with their clientele is through creating and maintaining a blog that caters to the needs of travelers from all walks of life. When executed properly, a hotel blog can increase traffic to your website, improve your bookings, and significantly enhance your guest's experience with your business. This post will explore how to reach your targeted audience with a superior blog and what you can expect in return for your efforts.
Why Blog?
There are numerous benefits associated with keeping up an informative and relatable hotel blog. Some of the primary advantages to doing so include:
SEO -- Blogs that feature natural keywords and key phrases within highly relevant and valuable content can help a lot with search engine optimization (SEO). Your site will gain more traffic and attention, making you more likely to receive a higher volume of bookings.
Social Media Engagement -- Social media continues to grow in its importance in the world of marketing. Blogs help to create effective and regularly scheduled social media content that will show your prospective guests that you are well-connected and up-to-date.
Appeal to Guests -- Today's consumers are interested in the "personalities" and values behind the businesses that they patronize. Your blog sets the tone for your entire hotel and allows you to create a unique voice that will appeal to future guests.
Stay Current -- Google gives preference to websites that feature newer content. Hotels that make it a point to post new and original copy on a regular basis will tend to rank higher in searches than stagnant sites.
Get to Know Your Customers -- Consumers like to feel as though their voices have been heard. Maintaining a hotel blog makes it possible for guests to leave comments on the blog post itself or on a related social media site. This will allow you to engage with customers and learn more about what makes them tick for future marketing strategies.
Hotel Blogging Ideas for Improved Bookings
Now that you're convinced of the need for setting up a blog for your hotel, you're probably looking for some ideas for blog topics. Once you get the ball rolling, you'll find that there's really no end to the amount of insightful, entertaining, or otherwise valuable content that you can provide for your readers. The following suggestions are a good starting point:
Local Attractions -- Get your future guests excited about visiting your area by highlighting local landmarks, theme parks, attractions, city tours, and other points of interest. This will demonstrate your value as you convey to your readers that you are the most knowledgable source about their desired destination and will provide you with the opportunity to showcase your proximity to these venues.
Restaurants & Nightlife -- Travelers want to know where all of the local hot spots are for great dining, drinks, live music, and more. Your blog can point them in the right direction.
Special Events -- Entice travelers to make a stop at your hotel by providing them with information about any special events such as festivals, concerts, and conferences.
Hotel News & Updates -- Don't forget to toot your own horn. When you make important updates that will positively impact your guests' experiences, you should make your readers aware of it immediately. If, for example, you're switching to a VoIP phone system, you can highlight all of the features that will make your customers' stay more comfortable. This will get them excited to check out the latest technologies that your hotel has to offer.
Staying up with technology is important. That's why so many hotels have already made the switch to VoIP, and why others are following in their footsteps. To learn more about how VoIP can help your hotel, contact PhoneSuite and we'll explain in further detail.
