Did you know that your hotel loses between 5-30% in commission of every sale you make via an Online Travel Agent (OTA) and not only that but you don’t even get the opt-in marketing data?
We’re not saying that OTAs are not without their benefits but you need to make sure that you are maximising your direct bookings and capturing GDPR compliant first-person data.
OTAs currently account for around 66% of all online bookings and that is increasing year on year. Pretty soon if you don’t do something about this 100% of your bookings could be via them and you could be losing up to 30% of your revenue and up to 100% of the actionable first person marketing data from bookings.
Since May 2018, GDPR has massively affected our clients and they are now all searching for ways to replenish their once valuable marketing lists. This is particularly difficult for our hotel clients as the OTAs do not pass on all of the booking data.
So, how can you collect data for your hotel? Well, why don’t you try to turn lemons into lemonade and use this as an opportunity to create a fresh data set of quality customers or at least enrich what you do have left with actionable data.
Lemons into Lemonade…
Fortunately for you, our studious and somewhat geeky team have spent considerable time thinking about this and we have a few insights/ideas we’d like to share.
- 50% of users booking via an OTA first visit your hotel’s web site
- If you don’t use this as an opportunity to request their data (in a GDPR compliant way) then you won’t get it later
- Even if they don’t directly book a room with you this time around if you have got their data then there is always next time
- You need to grab their attention quickly and give them a fun, compelling reason to share their data
- People enjoy games of chance especially if there is the possibility of a fun/valuable prize at the end
- So why don’t you place different games (or the same) at different points in your hotel booking / sign-up process, or even as an exit intent and rebuild your lists and ultimately increase your conversion rates?
- BeeLiked has an average entry conversion of 55% up to 80% so for every 100 people that come to your website and play a game with BeeLiked’s help you could get data from 55-80 of them… not a bad way to rebuild / enrich your marketing lists
But how do I do that?
Here are some simple ideas that will give your customer a reason to share their data and feel invested in the process
● Rather than having a static picture gallery, you could have a personalized video showcasing the hotel with a chance to win prizes featured in the video. The user spends time watching the video, learns about the hotel and has the thrill of seeing what they have one at the end of it
● Instead of having a promotion code or voucher allow customers to win a great deal or prize with a virtual scratch card or Spin the Wheel game. Even if they don’t win they will be spending more time on your site envisioning what it would be like to stay there
● A Cryptic Image Quiz gives users a chance to spend a lot more time on your site, they also have a huge potential to go viral as people send them to their friends and discuss what the answers could be. Challenge us to create a cryptic image quiz for your country or city, or something relevant to your hotel.
For more information about using gamification in your marketing click here
Okay, so we have the why we should do something and thanks to BeeLiked a way to do it, but the bit missing is… What will incentivize my customer to play these games?
Have a prize that connects with your audience
Our friends at Prizeology recently wrote an informative blog post for us about picking the right prize for a contest.
The key points were:
- Are your rewards really an incentive for your customer?
- Do your prizes upsell your hotel’s experience; such as a free bottle of wine on arrival or a discount on a spa package?
- Do your prizes enhance their experience at your hotel? Even if they don’t win, have you highlighted the benefits of staying at your hotel?
If you answer no to any of the above then it’s possible that your contests aren’t working as the prize is not hitting the right buttons with your potential guests.
Ok I’ve got my data back what’s next?
Once you start collecting your opt in marketing data, keep up the momentum. Collecting data is a continual process, by taking back ownership of your customer information you have the opportunity to uncover valuable insights that can shape the future of your business and your next marketing campaign.
Make sure that you are channelling your findings back to your customers.
● If someone is just browsing today, email them in a week with a personalized offer.
● When customers leave your hotel, keep in touch by inviting them back with further promotions and offers.
● If a customer has an anniversary coming up suggest ways they can make it special by staying at the hotel.
By strengthening your game plan and giving your customers a unique and positive user experience you can start to collect your own quality customer data. Your data is one of your most valuable resources, the lifeblood of your business, so make sure that you are the one who is getting it and you are using it to its full capacity.
About BeeLiked
What do you need to include in your hotel marketing plan? With conversion rates tipping over 55%, check out BeeLiked’s promotional apps.
BeeLiked creates gamified, interactive content for consumer brands, helping them build engagement with their social following, grow their opt-in marketing data and ultimately boost sales. We have Personalized Videos, Cryptic Quizzes, Spin the Wheel, Personality Quizzes, Online Scratchcards and much more.
The BeeLiked Platform can help you engage and incentivize your audience and customers across their life-cycle and journey.
BeeLiked is on a mission to prove the ROI of interactive driven marketing. Click here to set up a no-obligation 10-minute discovery call.
