Hospitality as an industry is no longer just about providing a warm welcome and a comfortable night’s stay. It is now about creating a memorable digital experience, differentiating itself from competitors, and ensuring that guests remember your experience and brand long after they check out. The realm is full of meanings and possibilities with social media platforms, websites, search engine optimization, reviews, email marketing, influencer partnerships, and so on.
By utilizing the right strategies and digital PR tactics for restaurants, your hospitality brand can become a household name, driving bookings, increasing loyalty, and bringing guests over and over again.
This article will dive into the latest digital PR trends and best practices directly related to brands such as yours within the hospitality sector!
Devising a Digital PR Strategy
It is necessary to first delineate your objectives of digital PR, for instance, getting people to your website, generating bookings, or improving your hotel’s reputation online. Then learn about your target audience relating to their demographics, interests, and behaviors to enable you to pursue targeted digital PR campaigns. It is also important for you to study your competitors in detail, such as their social media activities, online presence, and guest relations.
Now this is where you devise a content strategy that focuses on your goals, your customers’ needs and interests, allowing you to create high-quality, engaging content across multiple digital channels.
Digital PR Tactics You Can Use For Your Hospitality Brand
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Launch a User-Generated Content Campaign
Launching a user-generated content (UGC) campaign is a great way to showcase your hotel’s unique experiences and offerings through the eyes of your guests. Encourage guests to share their photos and videos on social media using a branded hashtag, and showcase their content on your website and social media channels. This will not only provide social proof and drive bookings, but it will also help you build a community of loyal guests who will vouch for an amazing experience at your hotel.
To launch a successful UGC campaign, start by creating a branded hashtag and promoting it on your hotel’s website and social media channels. Encourage guests to share their photos and videos using the hashtag, and offer incentives such as discounts or free stays for participating.
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Partner with Local Influencers
Partnering with local influencers is a great way to tap into the local community and showcase your hotel’s unique experiences and offerings. By identifying influencers who have a large following in your hotel’s local area, you’ll be able to collaborate with them on content, events, and social media promotions.
The influencer marketing industry is projected to reach a global market size of $32.55 billion in 2025. That says a lot, doesn’t it? Make sure to utilize it to your best interests!
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Optimize Your Website for Search Engines
Conduct a symphony of SEO strategies to optimize your website for search engines! By optimizing your website’s content, structure, and meta tags, you’ll be able to increase website traffic, drive bookings, and attract new followers. Use analytics tools to track your website’s performance and make data-driven decisions!
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Develop an Email Marketing Strategy
Nurture leads and encourage bookings with a targeted email marketing strategy! By creating personalized and relevant email campaigns, you’ll be able to drive bookings, increase engagement, and attract new followers. Make sure to develop an email marketing strategy that outlines your goals and objectives. Create personalized and relevant email campaigns that showcase your hotel’s unique experiences and offerings. You can also use email marketing automation tools to nurture leads and encourage bookings.
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Offer Exclusive Promotions to Social Media Followers
Reward your social media followers with exclusive promotions and offers! By creating special deals and discounts for your followers, you’ll be able to drive bookings, increase engagement, and attract new followers. Don’t forget to promote the offers on your hotel’s social media channels!
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Host an Instagram Takeover
Imagine giving your followers a sneak peek into the inner workings of your hotel, showcasing the unique experiences and offerings that set you apart from the competition. That’s exactly what an Instagram takeover can do for your hotel! By inviting a social media influencer to take over your hotel’s Instagram account for a day, you’ll be able to tap into their audience and showcase your hotel’s personality, values, and experiences.
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Create Engaging Video Content
You might have seen that video content ranks best on most social media platforms nowadays. So you should jump on the bandwagon and create engaging video content that showcases your hotel’s unique experiences and offerings. You can create content on YouTube, Instagram Reels, and TikTok to boost your organic reach on all these platforms.
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Create Engaging Visual Content
Create engaging visual content that tells the story of your hotel and its unique experiences and offerings. Use high-quality images, videos, and graphics to showcase your hotel’s amenities, services, and local surroundings. Utilize platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, and Facebook to share your visual content and engage with your audience.
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Host Exclusive Events for Influencers
A lot of top hotels host exclusive events, launches, and trips for influencers. You can host exclusive events for local or international influencers (based on your budget), such as a private dinner or a VIP tour of your hotel. This will help you build relationships with influencers and encourage them to promote your hotel on their social media channels.
It is a great idea to invite international influencers. That way, your hotel can gain popularity among the international audience as well, increasing your international bookings.
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Showcase Customer Testimonials
It is always a good idea to showcase customer testimonials on your hotel’s website and social media channels. You can use platforms like Trustpilot or TripAdvisor to collect customer reviews and put up the best testimonials on your hotel’s website and social media channels. This can help you gain the trust of your guests so that they are more satisfied and know what to expect.
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Hosting Events for the Local Community
You can host expos and events at your hotel, putting your hotel and brand in the limelight. A lot of hotels host education expos, book fairs, pet shows, or partner with certain marketing agencies for movie launches. Alternatively, you can also host digital events, such as webinars or online conferences, to establish your hotel as a thought leader in the industry.
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Create a Digital Loyalty Program
Create a digital loyalty program to reward your hotel’s repeat guests and encourage them to book again. Offer points or rewards for bookings, referrals, or other actions, and use email marketing and social media to promote your program. By offering these personalized rewards and benefits, you can enhance the overall customer experience and make your customers feel valued and appreciated.
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Partner with Other Businesses Online
You can also partner with other businesses online to expand your hotel’s reach and offer joint promotions or packages. Choose businesses that complement your hotel’s services and target audience. By partnering with other businesses online, you can significantly expand your reach, improve your credibility, and enhance your offerings.
Just remember to carefully plan and execute your partnerships to ensure their success!
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Develop a Crisis Communications Plan
This is the most important part of your Digital PR strategy! Develop a crisis communications plan to manage your hotel’s online reputation during a crisis. Use platforms like social media, email marketing, and online review sites to communicate with your target audience and build relationships with them.
Conclusion
So now you know that digital PR is no longer a nicety, but a necessity for hospitality brands looking to stay ahead of the curve! By leveraging the power of social media, online reviews, influencer partnerships, and more, you can increase your online visibility, drive bookings, and build a loyal community of guests who will advocate for your brand.
At CJ Digital, we specialize in helping hospitality brands like yours navigate the ever-changing digital landscape and achieve their online goals.
Whether you’re looking to boost your social media presence, improve your search engine rankings, or develop a comprehensive digital PR strategy for hospitality brands, our team of experts is here to help.
Get in touch with us today!
FAQs
1- What is digital PR and how can it benefit hospitality brands?
Digital PR helps hospitality brands manage their online reputation, build relationships, and drive website traffic and sales. Through digital PR, hospitality brands can leverage social media, influencer partnerships, online reviews, and content marketing to build a strong online presence, engage with customers, and stay ahead of the competition.
2- What is the importance of influencer partnerships in digital PR for hospitality brands?
Influencers can help hospitality brands reach new audiences, build brand awareness, and drive bookings. Additionally, influencers can provide hospitality brands with high-quality content, such as photos and videos, which can be used on social media and other marketing channels.
3- How can hospitality brands measure the success of their digital PR efforts?
Hospitality brands can use analytics tools, such as Google Analytics, to track website traffic, engagement, and conversion rates. They can also use social media analytics tools, such as Hootsuite or Sprout Social, to track social media engagement, reach, and conversions.
4- What is the role of crisis communications in digital PR?
Crisis communications help hospitality brands respond promptly and effectively to online crises, protecting their reputation.
5- How can hospitality brands leverage user-generated content (UGC)?
Encourage customers to share their experiences, photos, and videos on social media using a branded hashtag. UGC helps hospitality brands build their brand image and