No more Cookies? How Will This Impact the Selling Strategy to Drive More Direct Booking to Hotel Websites?
Since the pandemic and the travel ban hit, things have changed for the hotel industry. And at this point, we can’t quite speculate if things will eventually go back to normal. For that reason, both hoteliers and operators are being pushed to modify their strategies in order to compete in the current environment and future-proof their businesses to remain relevant in the long run.
A primary strategy that most hoteliers have had to revisit is their acquisition strategy for new customers. Since the digital marketing game is evolving at a rapid pace, hoteliers are forced to keep up. Unfortunately, most of the channel’s hoteliers would traditionally have relied on to acquire visitors like Google, OTAs, Metasearch channels, and Facebook now emphasizes more on customer privacy.
Without a doubt, this is creating obstacles for hoteliers to track traveler’s booking journeys online. For that reason, we are witnessing a shift from using third-party cookies to first-party internal cookies to build better connections with the guests. With that said, in this article, we will discuss how hoteliers can drive travelers to their websites directly and convert more of those visitors into guests in a cookieless world.
Lean on First-Party Data to Establish Better Guest Connections
A special focus on first-party data in this cookieless world is the recipe for most hotel business success. The focus is shifting more towards machine learning techniques, multi-channel marketing strategies, and real-time data. The best thing about first-party data is that it comes directly from your visitors; therefore, you can rest easy knowing that it’s relevant to your audience.
With first-party data, you get to learn more about your guests’ booking behaviors, preferences, and interests. This data helps you make better and more informed strategies to predict your guests’ future patterns.
Focus on Revenue and Marketing
When it comes to hotels, the revenue department is at the heart of the marketing strategy. But here’s what happens in the world today; the revenue department identifies an upcoming period where they can increase their income. Then the hotel starts to implement discount rates across all channels without keeping in mind their marketing budget.
Or in some cases, the marketing team creates a well-thought-of marketing plan without necessarily inquiring from the revenue department. Next, the expected revenue will not match their expectations due to the funds spent during the marketing. But don’t get me wrong! The hotel will still witness a substantial amount of profit. However, it will not be as exact as the projected profit outcome. To ensure this doesn’t happen, all departments need to align their goals and strategies. That includes the revenue and marketing departments.
Typically, the revenue department should identify the ideal periods that need extra work. And then, the marketing department should determine the best strategies to drive sales by targeting specific travelers. Once that’s done, the marketing team should check back with the revenue department to identify the budget so the numbers can align.
In Summary
Undoubtedly, marketing is one of the most crucial parts that, when approached carefully, will drive your revenue through the roof. It takes an extra level of consistency, dedication, and commitment to, in fact, increase your revenue through marketing. Hopefully, the tips above will ensure your hotel’s revenue are as high as possible. Stick around for more exciting topics on the same.
