What does your online brand say about your hospitality?
When customers arrive to your website, are they greeted with the warm and welcoming atmosphere they will feel when walking into your hotel? When placing their reservation, is the process as stress-free and easy as their visit to your restaurant will be? If they post a question on your Facebook business page, do they get a prompt answer as they would in your establishment?
The experience created online is a reflection on the experience people can expect when visiting a company’s bricks and mortar offering.
Nowadays, the expectations of customers are rising when it comes to online experiences – they want web pages to load in six seconds or less, live chat options, 1-step checkouts, high resolution pictures, and that is just to name a few.
So, it is imperative companies are responding. What does your online presence say about your hospitality? Are you losing business because of it?
How can a brand extend their hospitality online?
If you aren’t sure about how exactly to extend your hospitality online, here are a few tips to get you headed down the right path.
Personal experience
Customers expect to be treated and served well when visiting businesses in the hospitality industry, and this service involves a personal aspect. It is about catering to the needs of each customer to maximize their comfort and enjoyment. For example, in a restaurant a customer may want their steak cooked medium rare, while another wants it well done. Catering to each person’s request is crucial to their satisfaction and thus their loyalty. This kind of personalization is also expected online.
Companies should be using software that registers their customers, tracks their behavior, knows their preferences and thus responds with personalized recommendations, offers, and auto filled out forms, for example. If you want a software that is perfectly tailored to your company’s goals and needs, you can look into using travel and hospitality software development services to create one for you. This shows an attention to detail which helps the customer feel like they are known by the company, that the company cares, and that they are catering to the customers unique situation.
Great website usability
Imagine you walked into a hotel and it took several minutes for someone to attend to you, the place was messy, and when you finally did get acknowledged, the attendant was extremely confused and unhelpful. What would you do?
Well, these behaviors are seen as unacceptable in real life but often happen online. Websites take a long time to load, the navigation is confusing, and the pages are cluttered.
Your website should be streamlined, simple, and representative of your business. Prioritize the information your customers are likely to need and make that easy to find. Optimize your site so it loads fast and responds well. Then the experience for visitors will be like walking into a restaurant and being greeted immediately with a big smile, having your reservation confirmed and being seated with drinks on the way. (sigh of relief) Much better right?
Consider adding live chat options on your website as well. Not only will your customers get their issues resolved in real-time, they’ll also remember the positive and seamless experience they had when visiting your site.
Social media communication and customer support
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Social proof is a huge factor in whether you will earn business from a client or not. From Tripadvisor, to Yelp, to Google reviews, your online reputation matters.
Social media platforms are another key place potential customers will check to get a “feel” for your business. Often, they see how your establishment is represented, how many people check in there, what kind of posts you have, and if you reply promptly to questions.
A Facebook page which is rich in customers boasting about their great experiences, sharing beautiful photos, and having important questions answered will encourage potential visitors to join in on the fun everyone else is having. A consistent social media presences should span across multiple platforms beyond Facebook including Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube at least.
Helpful information on a blog
Another way to gain and engage customers is to ramp up your content marketing strategy. Having regular blog posts published once or twice a week helps to provide helpful information to potential customers, places you as an authority in your industry, and also strengthens your search engine rankings. The stronger your SEO, the easier it is for customers to find you.
This content can then be used to guide customers along their purchasing journey, not only on the blog, but also through email marketing and integration with the main website on key traffic pages.
Consistent design and branding
Lastly, it is important to create a clearly identifiable brand. All of your online and offline marketing efforts should represent the business in a uniform way from color schemes and font, to graphics and information. An effort to establish brand consistency eliminates confusion and instills confidence to both potential and existing customers.
In order to improve the bottom line of your hospitality business, you need to invest time and effort into making a home out of the digital space. Not only is this cost-efficient compared to other forms of marketing, you will also be able to reach out to a larger number of people with your online presence and give them a preview of what they will get by actually visiting.
Want More?
Hungry for more? Maybe these articles will satisfy:
20 Outstanding Websites By The World’s Most Exclusive Restaurants
Industry Spotlight: 20 Beautiful Hospitality, Restaurant and Cafe Logos
20 Cool Crowdsourced Cafe & Restaurant Logos
20 Outstanding Logos Of The World’s Most Famous Restaurants
Written by Jessica Walrack on Wednesday, November 2, 2016
Jessica Walrack is a professional freelance writer with a background in sales and marketing. After 7 years in the corporate world, she stepped into the online sphere and has now been freelancing for 4 years. She specializes in helping businesses to create a stellar online experience for their audience in order to build industry authority and increase profitability. In her spare time, Jessica enjoys traveling all over the world with her family.