3 MINUTE READ
In this eye-opening presentation, SImone Puorto of WIHP provides us with a practical roadmap to increase direct bookings. With his straightforward take on hotel marketing, Mr. Puorto breaks down his approach into four “pillars”:
- Popularize
- Capture
- Convert
- Share
Popularize
After a brief explanation of how guests are booking today, we learn how hotels need to be present on every available online directory. Rather than view OTA’s as enemies, he shows us how to best exploit the “billboard effect” and increase your rankings across platforms. His frank advice in this area can prove especially helpful for independent and boutique hotels.
Capture
Here, Mr. Puorto explains how to use Google Trends and other free tools to determine the best keywords for pay-per-click advertising. He breaks down the danger of “brandjacking” and how to avoid it. This will help hoteliers to capture more online bookers before they land on an OTA’s website.
Convert
Next, we learn that your USP is not necessarily what you think it is. By analyzing large numbers of online reviews, hoteliers are often surprised to learn the real reasons guests booked their hotels. Here, Mr. Puorto illustrates his method for analyzing reviews and shows us how we can better determine the most effective selling points for our property. He then stresses the need to keep websites simple and aligned with the feedback from positive guest reviews. A clean website that focuses on the right USP will always lead to more direct bookings.
Share
Finally, Mr. Puorto shows us how to over-deliver to your guests to maximize positive reviews. He also provides real-world examples of how to train and motivate the Front Desk staff to exceed guest expectations. Effectively managing the review process can lead to huge increases in value perception without the need for a significant investment.
If you would like to learn how our video marketing tools can help you increase direct bookings, simply contact us at info@accommovision.com.