Authored article by Rahul Gupta, Founder & Chief Creative Officer, By Design

In today’s rapidly evolving world, hospitality brands must adopt a holistic, multi-channel approach rooted in technology and data analysis. Mapping a customer’s journey can help marketers create an effective strategy aimed at reaching them at the right time either through search engine ranking or a presence on the innumerable traveller apps available. It is an essential component of a successful business and creates lasting impressions in the minds of customers.

Assimilating the years of data collected is now more important than ever. Personalise your marketing campaigns to target various customer segments and preferences. From environmental sustainability to distinct dietary preferences and affordable luxury, the wants are unique, to say the least. Create special offers, programs and loyalty schemes to forge long-lasting relationships with your customers.

Ensuring your guests have a seamless, comfortable and convenient experience will encourage brand loyalty and advocacy. Engage with your customers at every step, tweak your offerings as per their expectations and take feedback along the way. This is a worthwhile strategy that can be applied to your brand’s relationship with online travel agents too. Be mindful of minute details that remain with your guest long after their holiday has ended.

While emphasising the need for a robust digital marketing strategy is a bit anachronistic, it’s essential to tailor-make and continuously adapt your game plan to the ever-changing digital landscape.

Ensure your brand is present on every relevant social media platform, website or app that your current or potential audiences use for travel research and bookings.

Amp up your SEO and SEM game exponentially and make certain that your performance marketing and programmatic ads strategy cast a wider net to attract audiences from different channels.

The benefits of a user-friendly, experiential website are unwavering and critical for brand awareness, engagement and consideration and can be bolstered with features such as chatbots. Explore the possibilities of AI and virtual reality to improve your customer experience online.

Each piece of content must highlight your brand USPs, encourage conversation and engagement, and communicate your offerings using a distinct brand tone and immersive experiences. Even before a guest steps foot on your property, when they first interact with your brand online, your content should feel like a virtual holiday, a breath of fresh air amidst the clutter.

The quality and authenticity of your content are what will set your brand apart in 2023 where the opportunities to connect digitally with your audience are plenty but the attention and retention spans are diminished. Build credibility through user-generated content and identifying the right influencers, travel or otherwise, who resonate with your brand’s style of communication.

Of course, community outreach is a timeless, essential facet of any successful communication strategy. It is important to encourage conversations with customers, partners, and stakeholders to forge relationships and create a loyal customer base. This can be done through curated events, social media campaigns, and other interactive forms of outreach. With a well-defined vision and a comprehensive plan that marries past data with current trends, hospitality brands can create a strong and unified brand presence, leading to customer loyalty and revenue.

—