How Your Hotel Can Win in a Mobile First World

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June 20, 2017 by

The world has gone mobile and it shouldn’t come as any surprise. How many hours do you clock per day on your mobile device? Google has been vocal about the importance of mobile for years and it’s something that GCommerce has been preparing clients for since the first iPhone was released (that’s dating back to 2007 for quick reference).

First, a quick history of a few of Google’s mobile-ly motivated actions. In 2013, Google Adwords transitioned to Enhanced Campaigns, effectively taking away the ability to target a campaign to only one device type. Why? Because they want you to deliver the same experience to every consumer, no matter what device they are using. It also forced advertisers to start playing in the mobile space, where most saw lower conversion rates and poor revenue performance. In May 2015 Google confirmed that more searches are on mobile than desktop. Then, in the fall of 2016 Google announced they will be rolling out a new mobile-first index.

What does this all mean for hotels and how can your hotel succeed at (mobile) marketing? A successful marketing strategy these days means optimizing for all devices and understanding that consumer behavior is different depending on what device they are using at that time. We’re here to outline the steps for your hotel to achieve a successful marketing strategy for all devices.

STEP 1: THE FOUNDATION OF SUCCESS IS A WELL OPTIMIZED, RESPONSIVE WEBSITE

If you don’t have a mobile-friendly website it’s the first, most important step you should take in your hotel’s digital marketing strategy. Most KPIs funnel from traffic sent to your website. Take out your smartphone right now. Go to your hotel’s website. Can you easily navigate and find the information you need to complete the action you want visitors to take whether that’s an online reservation, click to call or important information such as location, directions, photos and more?

MAKE IT RESPONSIVE – In the early days of smartphones, many businesses turned to mobile websites to display unique, different versions of their web pages for mobile. New technology and Google’s directives are favoring the structure of responsive sites.

  • Responsive websites give you the control to use the same page URL for any device but the design/presentation of the page is automatically adjusted depending on the device it’s being viewed upon. This means you don’t have to manage two sets of page content.
  • Google is moving to mobile first indexing – if you have different/less information on your mobile page version then it could hurt you in organic rankings
  • Take a look for yourself using a tool such as Screenfly to view your website across many different device types

MAKE IT FAST – page load time is extremely important for website performance and search engine rankings. Consumers have come to expect page content to load instantly, and when it doesn’t they bounce. Kissmetrics completed a study that found 47% of consumers expect a web page to load in 2 seconds or less and 40% of people abandon a website that takes more than 3 seconds to load. On top of that, Kissmetrics found that a 1-second delay in page response time could result in a 7% reduction in conversions. COMMIT THE BUDGET NECESSARY FOR IMPLEMENTING WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT IMPROVEMENTS FOR PAGE SPEED – you are certain to make your money back in no time.

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OPTIMIZE IT – set up your site for SERP success with well-optimized pages that include:

  • Optimized page titles, meta descriptions, and header tags
  • Keyword focus integrated into your on-page copy, alt text and image names
  • Voice focused keyword queries that answer questions and include semantic phrases for your top keywords
  • Keyword rich URL strings
  • Internal links to help visitors navigate easily through the site to find important content

MAKE IT EASY FOR YOUR VISITORS TO CONVERT –The easier you make it to navigate to what your consumers are looking for, the more likely the visitor is to convert. Don’t forget to look beyond your web pages – is your booking engine easy to use on mobile devices?

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  • Follow Google’s mobile-friendly best practices. Test your site here
  • Present a clear path to conversion such as a prominent “Reserve Your Stay”, “Book Now” or phone number with click-to-call functionality
  • Display easy to navigate menu options that present the most important information that visitors need
  • Audit your booking engine path to book to ensure there are no excessive steps or information required to book
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STEP 2: MAKE SURE YOUR HOTEL IS VISIBLE WITH LOCAL SEARCH OPTIMIZATION

46% of all searches on Google are local and in 2015 Google confirmed that mobile search surpassed desktop. Ensuring your hotel is optimized for local is more important than ever. Here’s a breakdown on how to make sure your hotel is visible in local searches:

Make sure you have consistent business information across all major directories, local listings
Optimize local listings including Google My Business, Bing Places
Partner with local businesses/community to gain exposure as well as link opportunities
On-page keyword optimization focusing on local, geographically focused terms
Encourage guests to post reviews through post-stay emails and reminders on property

STEP 3: DRIVE QUALIFIED TRAFFIC THROUGH A MIX OF MEDIA CAMPAIGNS ON MOBILE

Set up and optimize media campaigns for mobile devices driving exposure and generated qualified traffic to your mobile friendly website. Channels include:

PAID SEARCH
Use mobile bid adjustments to ensure visibility and conversions at the most efficient CPC
Enable location extensions to be eligible to show in Google Map/Local ads when people are searching for “hotels near” terms
Enable call extensions to allow your customers to click to call and drive phone call conversions
FACEBOOK: We see higher CTR on mobile than desktop and many of our clients are seeing a vast majority of their conversions coming from mobile devices.
Facebook’s Q1 2017 report showed that more advertisers are jumping on this trend; mobile ads made up 85% of Facebook’s q1 revenue.
In fact- many agencies are preaching “mobile first” even when it comes to FB ads (i.e. shorter copy, make sure images look good on a small screen, etc.).
EMAIL: a good mobile experience is also crucial to email marketing efforts:
Mobile represents roughly 54% of all email opens (according to litmus).

STEP 4: UNDERSTAND PERFORMANCE THROUGH KPIS AND CONVERSION TRACKING – are you tracking all points of conversion? Across all channels and all devices?

It’s important to understand that conversions on mobile devices may differ from desktop or tablet. Mobile phones are used intensively for research while desktop and tablet are still the main devices used to book online for hotels. Conversion types you should be using to measure mobile success include:

Phone calls
Look-to-book
Online reservations
Text to book
A major issue for many hotels is the inability to attribute phone call revenue to specific media campaigns or channels. There are a few solutions to track phone calls, from basic reporting that allows you to track the number of phone calls with duration and area code to solutions that can attribute booked revenue to specific campaigns. Some of our favorite solutions to help you track phone call conversions for hotels include:

Navis – an advanced phone call tracking solution that integrates with your reservation system to not only track revenue back to specific campaigns but improves your call conversion rate and deliver exceptional guest service.
Pros – advanced reporting including revenue booked over the phone and online attributed by campaign and by channel, improves guest experience drives higher phone call conversion rates, allows reservation agents to have specific notes on past guests and previous calls tied to same phone number
Cons – more expensive to set up, requires full integration into your operations reservation process and system
Phonalytics – provides a secure, easy-to-use Web-based control panel that shows all call attributes by customer name or ID, staff member, department, location, call time, call status and call duration
Pros – tracks phone calls and stats across multiple channels
Cons – doesn’t automatically track direct revenue from call bookings by channel
Google Adwords Call Tracking – the easiest and least expensive (free through your Google Adwords account) option, Google Adword’s call tracking allows you to track calls generated directly from your ads and calls generated after someone lands on your website and then calls you from the number displayed. This call tracking is easily set up through GTM and tracks by using dynamic phone numbers associated with each paid search campaign and displayed to the consumer on your paid search ad and on your website.
Pros – free, tracks calls – including duration, area code and if the call was answered or missed
Cons – can’t attributed direct revenue bookings, doesn’t record phone calls for reservation training or insight

CONCLUSION

What it all boils down to is that you need to optimize your online presence for an all-device world, taking into deep consideration the device types that are sending the most traffic to your website. Mobile, tablet and desktop traffic all play a role in the online lives of consumers and they expect a high standard of performance no matter what device they use. Optimize your hotel’s website for mobile but remember that all device types play a role in the online success of your business.

Guerilla Marketing Through Facebook Advertising

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April 5, 2017 by

To some, April represents a race against the clock and scrambling to file taxes. To others, it equates to tax rebates and impromptu purchases. To hoteliers, it symbolizes struggle: the struggle to capture lost revenue resulting from mud season; the slow wait for the snow to melt and trails to dry. The solution? Connect consumers and their new-found disposable income with hoteliers looking to put heads in beds. The results of seasonal transitions are thoroughly understood by GCommerce. As residents of a resort town working with multiple hotels and resorts who must face the challenges of operating around seasonal traffic, we understand the trials and tribulations associated with putting heads in beds during these downturns in traffic. To ensure low cost-per-acquisitions (CPAs) and high return-on-investments (ROIs), hoteliers must ensure their marketing efforts are efficient. The ability to advertise on a cost-per-click (CPC) or cost-per-1000-impression (CPM) model, with both costs well below that of display advertising or media buys, allow hoteliers to deliver on the aforementioned objective. To date, GCommerce has seen an average ROI of 40-to-1 on Facebook Advertising campaigns.

FACEBOOK ADVERTISING: BUILDING YOUR NEXT GUERILLA MARKETING CAMPAIGN

Step 1: Match Need Periods to Upcoming Events

To the Tivoli Lodge, an iconic mountain town property, summer and winter mean high occupancy and a high ADR. Spring and fall however, equate to lower occupancy and a struggle to capture minimal market share. Crossmatching need periods with local events, those that put heads in beds, allow properties to combat seasonal lows.

Step 2: Determine Interest Surrounding Upcoming Events

Once a comprehensive list of upcoming events has been identified, determine what, if any garner enough buzz to be identified as an Interest on Facebook. Using Facebook’s Detailed Targeting tool, we’ve identified that the following Vail events garner enough traffic to build a campaign around – Vail Film Festival and Bravo! Vail Music Festival.

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Step 3: Create an Informative Landing Page

A successful landing page will educate site visitors, providing thorough details about the event, and engage your audience, beautifully illustrating the experience that awaits.

Step 4: Develop Ads with Relevant Imagery and Copy

An eye-catching, vibrant image is a must. As our attention spans dwindle, it is imperative to capture the attention of those scrolling through their news feeds. Similar to your landing page, the ad should provide event details, yet focus on selling the experience to come rather than the product at hand. Your words must send your reader into a daydream, allowing them to imagine themselves at the event, as well as the experience they’ll have while staying at your property.

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Step 5: Launch Your Campaign!

Satisfied with your landing page? Do your ads provide engaging imagery and captivating content? If your answer to both is yes, then you’re ready to launch your campaign! GCommerce recommends the utilization of conversion tracking through Facebook and custom URLs developed through Google’s URL Builder to track key data via Analytics. Challenged with need periods resulting from seasonal transitions? Look to Facebook Advertising to execute guerilla marketing efforts by targeting local events and attractions as a way to increase awareness, drive qualified traffic to your site, and capitalize on your new-found prospects. Questions? Concerns? Allow us to help launch your next campaign!

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A/B Testing: Why and How We Do It

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March 2, 2017 by

If you’ve worked with any form of digital marketing, the phrase “A/B Testing” is bound to have come up at least once during your experience. In short, A/B testing is a tool used to figure out the best digital marketing strategies for your business through testing different variables. A/B testing is frequently used with many different channels including email, social, website, and display. Variables can be related to copy, imagery or even user experience functionality. For instance, a popular A/B test includes testing out different subject lines for the same email to see which drives more engagement. A/B testing allows you to single out what the most compelling aspects of your digital marketing are, which can help drive strategy and successful returns.

HOW TO A/B TEST

1. DEFINE YOUR GOALS AND HYPOTHESES

The first step to a successful A/B test is to understand two major things: your business goals and the goals of your buyers. If you don’t know why you’re A/B testing in the first place, it’s difficult to pin down the right variables to test. Understanding who your buyers are and what they want helps you understand where tension may be occurring in your messaging. Is your offer in line with what your customers want? Is your copy consistent with your landing page or imagery? Are customers understanding what you’re trying to say? These are a few common pain points in digital marketing that can be used to not only understand what you should test, but what metrics and hypotheses are important to your test.

Hypotheses are used to provide a sound foundation for your A/B test. Kevin Ho at Wishpond provided a simple framework for developing a quality A/B testing hypothesis:

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Using this framework can help develop strong A/B testing hypotheses in-line with your goals and objectives. Use these hypotheses to guide your metrics and test development to always bring it back to the bottom line.

2. DEVELOP YOUR TEST

Once you understand these important pieces of information, the next is to develop your content. The name “A/B Test” is an allusion to the fact that you are creating two different versions of one piece of content (Version A/Version B) and only making changes to a single variable. Common variables are email subject lines, landing pages, a call-to-action button, or even the image associated with your content. You will then distribute these two versions to your sample.

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In order to keep your data clean and informative, you should only run one test per campaign. This is to make sure that any increases or decreases can be directly attributable to the single variable that you are testing. For instance, if you decide to A/B test your copy and your imagery, how do you know which one impacted your engagement? The example below illustrates the testing of one variable for a hypothetical Facebook ad, the image. Notice the copy, link and CTA remain the same.

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3. TEST, TEST, TEST

A/B tests are not done overnight, you want to make sure you are generating enough traffic and engagement to justify any decisions you are going to make regarding future marketing initiatives. Therefore, it is important to let A/B tests run anywhere from a few days to a few weeks in order to make sure that results are substantial enough to take confident action. However, it is also important to make sure that you aren’t letting your A/B tests run too long because this can also negatively affect your data. Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide what the appropriate amount of traffic or length of time is, but be sure to make smart decisions about when enough data is truly enough.

4. ANALYSIS + DECISION MAKING

The goal of A/B testing is to obtain actionable data about your marketing tactics. What this data looks like and whether or not you consider it actionable is up to you and the goals of your business, but typically you eliminate the lower performing variation or use the data to inform a new A/B test. Your data will either prove or disprove your hypotheses or be found inconclusive. Either way, this data should be used to optimize your digital marketing efforts through reducing inefficiencies by obtaining a thorough and clear understanding of what your customers are looking for.

SUMMARY

The goal of any business is to increase its bottom line and A/B testing allows you to do this by optimizing your marketing strategies. It’s important to understand why and how A/B tests are used in digital marketing in order to remain informed on what messaging and experiences your customers are looking for. While there are endless amounts of variables to test, following the above advice can help you craft an effective A/B test and increase your digital marketing returns.

The Key to Effective Digital Marketing: Delivering Great Content

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March 2, 2017 by

“Content” is the trendy new word that’s been sweeping the digital marketing space for the last few years. Hundreds of webinars and thousands of blog posts have mentioned the topic, continually hitting home on how important it is to not only deliver good content but deliver great content. But to understand how to deliver great content, it’s important to understand what “content” is.

Content is every post, picture, piece of copy, or story you are trying to tell through your marketing efforts, it is everything you share with your audience. Rebecca Lieb likened content to the “atomic particle of marketing.” There is no marketing without content, regardless of channel. Creating effective and engaging content is the best digital marketing strategy you can adopt and is the foundation for digital marketing success.

IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU

Perhaps the first and most important thing to understand about delivering great content is this: it’s not about you. Content marketing is about your audience. In another post, we talked about boosting engagement with email marketing campaigns. One of the suggested steps is to ask yourself “Who am I targeting and what interests them?” This applies to any form of content marketing. If you aren’t considering who you are trying to market to and what they want, your content is going to fall flat. That being said, it’s still important to maintain your voice.

In a webinar from Skyword, one of their first steps to good content marketing is understanding your “why?” When we say “why”, we are referring to why you’re creating content in the first place. What do you want to give people? What do you want them to know about you? Why do you want them to read your content? One of the best content marketing campaigns of 2016 belonged to Deadpool. Everything from pre-release to post-release was crafted with the singular purpose of conveying to the reader that Deadpool was in no way, shape, or form, your regular superhero movie experience. Below is one of the many movie posters created for the box office hit.

Deadpool was, at its core, a satirical superhero movie with heart. In a world inundated with superhero after superhero, audiences were clamoring for something different and that’s exactly what Marvel gave them with Deadpool and it was their “why” for their content marketing strategy. Understanding your why is key to developing good, actionable content because it serves as a constant reminder of what you want your audience to know about and learn from you while still keeping them at the heart of your campaign.

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LEVERAGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT: DIGITAL AND PHYSICAL

So now that you know why you’re delivering content, how do you create or find it? There is a multitude of ways to create engaging content, but perhaps one of the easiest and most effective ways to do this is through leveraging your environment, both digital and physical. The 1888 Hotel in Sydney, Australia rebranded itself as an “Instagram hotel” using its creative and eye-catching interior to develop Instagram devoted spaces and using the Instagram photos and experiences of its guests to adorn its walls, website and social media feeds. Here is one of its website homepage modules promoting Instagram-worthy interiors:

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Utilizing hashtags, trending topics or even local and world news and events are all fair game for delivering great content. Find out what your audience is talking about and join the discussion. But remember that content isn’t just external, your guests, employees, and property-at-large are having unique experiences every day.

In 2014, The Lenox Hotel in Boston welcomed 120,000 new tenants to their property: bees. Yes, you read that correctly, they welcomed a colony of bees. The bees were brought in to produce honey that would be used for signature drinks and dishes created at The Lenox’s restaurant and lounge. Rather than just put up notices, GCommerce and The Lenox teamed up to rally behind the bees, creating bee-themed stay packages and content campaigns to generate buzz about the hotel’s unique news. This not only won them a Silver Award at the 2014 Adrian Awards but significantly increased their following and engagement for their email and social channels.

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This goes to show that great content is located all around you, both digitally and physically. To hear more about what’s going on around you, think about installing a suggestion box, creating an email account, or reminding guests and employees to share their stories as they interact with your brand.

CREATE STRONG HEADLINES

People definitely judge books by their cover, at least when it comes to content marketing. We’ve talked before about how important email subject lines are to email marketing campaigns and that extends to just about every piece of content marketing you do. Copyblogger released the following statistics about content headlines and what they mean for engagement:

  • 80% of people will read your headline
  • 20% of these people will read the rest of your content

With statistics like that, it’s clear that your headlines matter. So what can you do to make sure that you are creating strong headlines? Studies showthat headlines should stay in the 8-12 word range and be specific without being too gimmicky or sensational. In a world where clickbait is becoming increasingly popular and infamous, don’t deceive the reader with your headline, but don’t give it all away either. Try and utilize keywords as well, optimizing for SEO and social.

MEASURE, MEASURE, MEASURE

Digital marketing is all about generating actionable data and this should be no different in your content marketing strategy. One of the ways to do this is through conducting a content audit. This audit can be everything from metrics across content marketing campaigns to the quality of individual posts. Which campaigns or posts are seeing the most engagement and why? Is your content accurate and trustworthy? Is it linking to authoritative sources? Is it fresh? These are all questions that you should be asking yourself about your content. As George Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it.” So remember your content, why it did or did not perform, and understand how you can use that data in the future.

SUMMARY

Effective content marketing is the key to digital marketing success. Content affects everything from your search rankings and engagement to brand awareness and repeat conversions. Understanding your “why” and your audience sets the stage while leveraging your environment can provide fun, informative and engaging content for those following your brand. Just be sure to audit your content to obtain actionable data about the health of your content marketing program.

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