120 Marketing Ideas for Hotels in 2010

Website

Buy some great domain names (market is less competitive right now)

Remove your intro “splash” page

Have a clean & simple web design

Use Website.Grader.com to ensure technical quality

Build easy navigation

Ensure instant brand identification

Make contact forms short & simple

Use Google Optimizer for best results

Add live chat support

Add a virtual host

Use video instead of text (where possible)

Post directions to your hotel in pictures

Syndicate content as RSS

Offer in-depth destination information

Show pictures of attractions near your hotel with Panoramio

Use Google maps to provide step-by-step directions to your hotel

Let visitors write and send eCards (email postcards)

Publish visitor comments

Publish videos of satisfied guests

Include positive social media rankings (ex: #1 in San Francisco on TripAdvisor)

Add social bookmarking services Digg and del.icio.us to important pages

Use Mofuse.com to make your site mobile-friendly

Use Diigo to track & share changes to competitors’ websites

Create a public Google Calendar to show upcoming events

Organic Search Marketing (SEO)

Focus on dominating local search

Create local keyword lists by pairing geocentric keywords (Seattle) with industry keywords (boutique hotel)

Optimize for questions people ask

Make your blog search friendly

Appear in Google Maps‘ local business listings

Make sure your hotel website has the right keywords in the right place

Establish a web presence, not just a web site

Use Quarkbase to understand your web presence

Use Google Trends for websites

Paid Search Marketing (PPC)

Determine your objective first (ROI, growth, market research, etc)

Use professional keyword research tools

Use property features as keywords

Include industry & long tail keywords

Do keyword competitive analysis to find opportunities

Experiment with different match types (broad, phrase, exact)

Use negative keywords

Grab attention with your ad copy

Use Dynamic Keyword Insertion (DKI) to include search phrases

Highlight special seasonal offers & update regularly

Disqualify unlikely guests

Create many ad variations for each ad group

Split test ad copy variations

Use unique reservation landing pages

Adjust keyword bidding strategies

Use seasonality data

Try geo-targeting

Experiment with ad placements (on travel websites)

Target specific demographics

Set up weekly statistics reporting

Ask your PPC agency hard questions

Social Media

Listen to what people are already saying about you

Monitor your brand name with Google Alerts

Use Google Trends to find what’s hot

Start a destination blog

Start a hotel blog

Have your staff start blogs

Understand the 7 types of blog posts

Use Feedburner for RSS syndication

Offer an email alternative to RSS

Make blog posts richer with Zemanta

Encourage distribution with ShareThis

Build your blog community with MyBlogLog

Realize that effective PR takes place in social media

Pitch travel bloggers

Focus your social media outreach on best groups

Start tweeting

Create a Facebook page

Get listed in WikiTravel (amazing how many smaller hotels are absent)

Get listed in TripAdvisor

Get listed in Yelp

Get listed in VirtualTourist

Encourage guests to register with Yelp & Tripadvisor at check in

Ask for TripAdvisor hotel reviews when your guests check out

Ask for Yelp reviews at the end of all in-house satisfaction surveys

When a guest compliments your hotel, ask them to give you a social media review

Print a social media review request on the back of your business cards

Start a Flickr photostream

Start a Flickr group

Start a YouTube channel

Shoot a video of your hotel, and post it to Google Video

Measurement & Analytics

Install (free) Google Analytics (if you haven’t already)

Understand how Analytics can help with search optimization

Use Compete.com to understand your site traffic (& competitors)

Track referral source types

Know which websites refer the highest quality traffic

Develop meaningful metrics for digital marketing

Track number of social media mentions

Track social media satisfaction percentage

Create new toll-free numbers to track different web promotions

Try HowSociable?

Customer Service

Listen to your guests using the web

Respond to feedback (positive and negative) in social media websites

Develop a more intelligent guest relationship system

Build an (opt-in) email list of your guests

Offer exclusive rates to your list

Reward your best guests: Send special birthday & anniversary packages

Reward your best guests: Create seasonal specials packages

Hire multilingual staff

Hire multicultural staff

Offer air conditioning

Print and give out (free) postcards

Reimburse checked baggage fees

Provide a SMART shopping car (like Le Bristol in Paris)

Borrow ideas from customer service leaders like Nordstrom and Lexus

Technology

Embrace new technology that improves your guest experience

Provide free internet access through WiFi and guest computers

Offer technology that complements your hotel’s heritage

Add new entertainment hubs (with iPod docking, etc)

Try interactive activity planner centers

Experiment with permission-based mobile marketing

Get your hotel video posted on TVtrip

Miscellaneous

Look for big advertising discounts (corporation budget cuts mean remnant sales)

Try unconventional room pricing

Never reduce prices as a quick-fix remedy

Partner with local businesses for destination marketing

Sell the experience, not the room

Website