10 MARKETING IDEAS FOR HOSPITALITY BUSINESSES.
The UK hospitality industry holds a special place in our hearts. Our team has held senior marketing leadership positions for some of the countries biggest hospitality brands, from restaurants, and hotels, to everything in-between.
The industry is facing many challenges right now, with soaring energy prices and the cost of living crisis, combined with the lasting effects of a global pandemic, exposing businesses to rocketing overheads and changing consumer behaviour. As a result, small independent brands are fighting to stay viable, and big chains, which historically went for growth and scale at all costs, are now scrambling towards leaner business models.
All this adds up to a rocky 2023, with significant challenges ahead.
Still, despite it all, hospitality businesses have always needed help finding the delicate balance between building their brand and establishing awareness whilst also paying attention to the site-by-site performances to implement practical support and an objective-led marketing strategy for their teams. After all, hospitality is about putting bums on seats, driving footfall, and boosting underperforming sites.
So today, we'll dive deep into just that by laying out ten marketing ideas for hospitality businesses. We'll draw from our years of insider experience working in the industry for some of the biggest household names and spilling some of their secrets about what they do and why. We've made sure that these ideas are actionable, implementable and practical for any business, big or small, with a hint of creativity, out-of-the-box thinking, and risk-taking to go along with it.
Without further ado, let's go.
1. GET OBSESSIVE ABOUT YOUR GUEST’S JOURNEY.
It's a step that absolutely cannot be missed under any circumstance and is one of the leading causation factors behind the success of some of the UK's biggest industry-leading brands.
Becoming utterly obsessed with the guest journey, from start to finish, and returning to it repeatedly to refine, improve and pivot every touch point is the secret sauce to laying the foundations for great marketing.
But why does this have anything to do with marketing? I hear you ask. Well, we'll tell you why.
First, even the most effective marketing cannot sell a bad experience, and if your guest journey is terrible, then all good marketing will do is drag more people into that journey and piss them off faster and at scale. Second, most hospitality businesses wouldn't survive if they had to constantly appeal to new customers and drive new footfall through the door. You need repeat guests who come back time and time again, tell their friends and family, promote you, and become loyal brand advocates.
So, lay the foundations with a solid and incredible guest journey so your product and service can take the heat and convert guests into net promoters and superfans.
So, what should you be auditing? Well, everything.
Start with the guest's booking journey and try to make a reservation with your business yourself. How do they find you? Is it an easy, speedy and enjoyable process for the user? Is your booking system up to scratch? Is it easy to find your menus and packages, add premium add-ons or upgrades, or make personal requests? Does the guest receive an on-brand confirmation email which includes all the necessary information they need?
What about telephone calls? Are you answering your phones (it sounds crazy, but this can be a huge deterrent for potential guests)? Are your customer service teams offering a great experience? Are your social media inboxes monitored and replied to promptly? Again, these are all easy wins and quick fixes.
Then move on to the actual day-of experience. What is someones first impression when they walk through your doors? Is someone dedicated to building and nurturing relationships with your guests? Take notice of the ambience, sound, temperature, smell, sound, and lighting; no detail is inconsequential. Mystery visit, taste your food, stay in your rooms, and ensure your management teams proactively and rigorously audit the guest experience every day without bias.
It isn't a race to perfection because this job never stops. Instead, it's a journey and a commitment to adapt, refine, and perfect everything just that little bit more every day. So start by walking through the journey and get microscopic about every detail and every touchpoint.
The time taken is worth its weight in gold.
2. SEEK OUT FEEDBACK LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT.
Again, this is a foundation, a culture shift, and a process that needs laying before we go any further, and it is so important. Every guest who walks through your doors walks out with a truly unique and invaluable experience packed with learnings, from which you should be relentlessly seeking feedback.
Feedback is your business's crux, the lifeblood; treat it as such. You have to become thick-skinned and entirely open to positive or negative feedback to allow your service, brand, and product to flourish, grow, and improve over time. Ever heard the saying, "The customer is always right"? Well, I won't debate you on whether that's right or wrong, but their insights and opinions are worth listening to, without a doubt.
Some businesses become so wrapped up in their own business goals, objectives, and biases that they find it almost possible to listen to critique, feedback, and learnings. So they freeze up and throw up the defences. You have to get over that mindset and not just hear the feedback but proactively go out asking for it.
Incorporate something like Feed it Back into your service training, where guests can answer a few simple questions at the end of their experience - incentivise them to do so if necessary. This way, you can get a clear picture of your NPS score and overall guest satisfaction rate, as well as some more granular feedback and opinions. Send out an after-visit email prompting guests to be honest and open about their feedback and, for god sake, listen to it.
Go after feedback as if your life depends on it, take it in, act on it, and give your guests a seat at the table.
3. REALLY NAIL DOWN YOUR IDENTITY.
Now that you've shifted your mindset and adopted a guest-first approach (which is obsessive about the guest journey and relentlessly seeking feedback), we can move on to some more nitty-gritty tips and tricks.
This one is something that many hospitality businesses could be better at, but if you get it right, it will pay you back in buckets. It's time you decided to nail down your identity and truly discover who you are as a brand and what you do, i.e., what guests are coming to you for, what feelings, experiences, and occasions you want to be associated with, and what the guest's expectations should be. It's a big piece of work that needs some time, introspection and expertise, but it's about getting clear on your brand's identity first and foremost.
Too many hospitality concepts try to do too many things at once, appeal to everyone, and as a result, end up pleasing no one.
Stop throwing spaghetti at the wall and going after mass-appeal.
You're diluting your brand and message by offering too many menus, too much discounting, and too much diversification. Quite frankly, it's chaos, and if you don't even know what to expect, how on earth do you expect your target guests to get on board? It doesn't make sense that you're targeting young emerging socialities and positioning yourself as a premium all-day venue, offering brunch, dinner, cocktails, and nightlife, if the next week you're promoting traditional family roasts and a cosy dog-friendly atmosphere. Those two things don't align.
Strip it back, discover what makes you different, and do one thing well. Every hospitality brand which has ever skyrocketed to success has been abundantly clear about who they are, what they do, and what the guest should expect when they arrive. That's no accident.
Again, guest feedback becomes very important here. If you get into the detail, you'll find that there is more than likely one, or a small number of things, that your guests come to you for, whether that's because you offer impeccable and attentive service, rustic and authentic food, a prime location, an immersive and entertaining experience, or a relaxing home away from home. Be open and welcoming to the suggestion that, perhaps, you have a speciality, and that is what you need to harness and do well.
Once you know what your special sauce is, ensure that it's reflected in every sprinkle of what you do. Then, embody it, and come back to it to acid-test every next move you make. Knowing who you are on a deep level is a powerful tool in marketing and needs to be understood before any strategy or tactics come into play.
Remember, expectation rules all. Become a master at doing what you do extraordinarily.
4. YOUR EVENTS CALENDAR ISN’T a marketing strategy.
It's a prime mistake we stumble across time and time again. So let us say this loud and clear - your events calendar is not a marketing strategy. Yes, your events calendar is essential (which we'll dive into very soon), but it's no substitute for a marketing strategy.
Unfortunately, when asked what their marketing strategy is, too many hospitality businesses present a calendar of events and stare blankly across the room after that. Trust us when we say you're on a one-way train to nowhere if this is the extent of your plans.
You must develop a marketing strategy; it's a pivotal piece of work that should come at the very beginning, setting the tone, direction, objectives and deliverables for the business. Of course, we're not talking today about creating a winning strategy (that post is coming soon). Still, in short, it should come off the back of some significant market and competitor research, clearly outline your positioning and differentiation, cover the entire marketing mix, define who you're targeting, identify your creative ideas, channels, and tactics, allocate a budget, and outline clear deliverables, objectives and KPI's. Sounds more comprehensive than a list of events, right?
Events or significant dates should result from the clarity you gain from creating a strategy.
Once you understand your brand, who your target audience is, what they want, and what your objectives are, you can roll that out to which levers you're going to pull, what tactics you're going to implement, and which channels you're going to use. Without this information, you're taking a wild guess, packing a calendar full of events, and hoping for the best. You must be intentional about what you do, when, and how; it should all be strategic, targeted and purposeful.
Your marketing efforts should, and must, encompass a lot more than an events calendar. But, having said that, once you have a solid strategy in place, now we can talk about immersive and exceptional experiences, which are a must.
5. CREATE IMMERSIVE AND EXCEPTIONAL EXPERIENCES.
Hospitality is about creating real-world experiences that connect people; that is the case and will always be the case. So, crafting immersive, exceptional and memorable experiences for your target guests should be at the forefront of your priorities, no matter your strategy.
Your events programme should reward and reengage existing guests, entice and excite new audiences, create unforgettable experiences, and establish you as a trendsetter in the industry.
Starting with seasonal dates, such as Christmas, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, and the like, you should be well prepared and plan a year ahead to set yourself up for success. As a rule of thumb, your Christmas campaign should be live 4 - 6 months in advance. Likewise, it would be best if you gave Valentine's Day and other reoccurring dates in the annual calendar 6 - 8 weeks to promote.
But you don't have to acknowledge or promote every date in the calendar. Instead, go back to your overarching strategy and check if actively targeting this occasion makes sense to your audience, brand, and objectives. Consider why your guests come to you and their expectations, select the dates in the year that make sense for your brand, and then plan ferociously to give yourself time and space to land your hard work. Finally, make sure you have firmed-up campaign planning tools and critical paths to hit the ground running.
Good pre-planning and solid structures allow you to flesh out your ideas and spend time garnering inspiration.
Regarding inspiration, once you plan well ahead and select dates that align with your brand and strategy, you should identify the gaps and shoot for the moon on creativity and flair. Can you introduce experiential and immersive events, new packages and propositions, one-off ticketed experiences, or launches? Again, don't go mad here. It would be better to land one fantastic event a quarter than scatter your calendar with every idea you have. Be ruthless in your selections, but take a good hard think about what you can offer your guests that they want, need, and can't get anywhere else.
6. LOOK OUTSIDE THE HOSPITALITY BUBBLE FOR CREATIVE INSPIRATION.
Now that you have a guest-first approach, a well-thought-through and deliverable strategy, and you've considered your events calendar and the experiences you'll offer your guests, it's time to get creative and innovative.
The hospitality industry is behind the curve. Even some of the biggest brands and chains in the UK need to improve their approach when you compare them to fashion, beauty, gambling, and other industries and how they execute campaigns. "Campaign like a fashion brand" is a term you can remind yourself repeatedly, and it applies heavily here. These industries are far advanced from the hospitality and service-based industries.
Take inspiration and get creative; why not?
How often have you seen a hospitality brand do epic and disruptive guerilla marketing to capture eyeballs and attention, ala Brewdog? When was the last time you saw a tremendous creative PR campaign come out of hospitality? Can you name a restaurant or hotel that does effective influencer marketing and leverages user-generated content? What about a podcast or long-form video series? Physical products and merchandise, have you considered them?
It's not to say that any of these ideas are good for you or your business, but it's not about that; it's about opening your mind to new possibilities and tactical ideas. Challenge yourself to take your mind out of the hospitality bubble and look to other industries and what they're doing.
Stop trying to be the best hospitality name, and start trying to be the best full-stop.
7. GET SERIOUS ABOUT YOUR OWNED CHANNELS.
Now we're moving on to content, which should be a key focus for any hospitality brand in 2023. Yes, social media is essential, and every hospitality business should be on it and leveraging it ferociously, but it's not the be-all and end-all. For example, one often neglected piece of the puzzle is owned channels.
So, what's an owned channel? First, the clues in the name - it's a channel you own and over which you have complete and total control. For example, social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn are channels you don't have complete control over - you don't own them. The platform is home to your content, but it's never truly yours, and you're at the mercy of the platforms themselves. It's wise to diversify your output and protect your community, so build at least one solid and scalable owned channel, whether a blog, an email list, or just your website.
If you need to put more energy, time, and commitment towards building at least one owned channel, get to it.
Remember, always have your audience and objectives in front of your mind when you're in the initial ideation stage. An email newsletter could be the best route for you, allowing you to update your audience every week, fortnight, or month and drop valuable hints, tips and resources. On the other hand, an app with push notifications may be more suited, keeping you connected 24/7 and becoming a part of your guest's daily routines. Are you a bit more exclusive? Then consider a membership or loyalty programme, a little black book? Another option is to opt for a content hub on your website, like a blog or a subscription model community.
The possibilities are endless. Again, get creative, focus on what makes sense for your brand and audience, and look outside your hospitality competitors to gain inspiration and clarity on your ideas.
Why is investing in your owned channels important? Because you need to have a direct line of communication with your audience that is evergreen, constant and reliable. Focus on building community, meaningful relationships and a consistent stream of valuable content.
8. VIDEO CONTENT IS ABSOLUTELY KING.
This one barely needs any explanation. Video content is king for 2023 and beyond, and better yet, mobile-friendly short-form video. If you haven't already, then you have to find a way to incorporate video into your strategy consistently. The good news? Shooting creative and engaging video content for hospitality businesses like yours is an easy win.
So, how can you get started? First, take some time to understand TikTok and YouTube shorts. Then, consume content daily and keep an eye on what's trending, what audiences are searching for, and how content is performing across channels. Then, draw on members of your team who are avid TikTok or Instagram users and incentivise them to help you create content, or better yet, engage a content marketing or production agency to help you. We've also written a blog on how to get started on TikTok here.
In our influencer marketing trend predictions for 2023, we also spoke about the rise of YouTube shorts and taking advantage of the opportunity. You can read the piece here.
It continues beyond social media; you can also incorporate video into your seasonal campaigns and marketing activity. The Alchemist has been playing around with this idea for a couple of years now in their Christmas campaigns (see their 2022 Enter the Extra campaign teaser here), which takes inspiration from fashion, makeup, and beauty brands, pushing the boundaries against the norm for hospitality brands and how they market to their audiences.
Video content is one tactic you can leverage this year for speedy and business-changing results. So use it, and don't sleep on it.
9. MAKE YOURSELF THE TALK OF THE TOWN.
Moving away from digital, we want to talk about good, old-fashioned, on-the-ground business development. Yes, we're talking about getting out there and talking to people, a scary thought, aye?
You'll rarely hear marketing agencies talk about this at all. Still, as we said earlier, we have 15 years of experience working in and for actual hospitality businesses in operational, marketing, and sales leadership positions. So we know that sometimes, nothing can beat a bit of old-fashioned networking.
You have to trim it back down to basics and ask yourself, are you doing all you can to become the talk of the town, of your local area? Building local hype is critical to any successful hospitality business, whether it be a national brand with 30 sites or a stand-alone independent.
Boots on the ground business development is a strategy you must consider and work at every day.
Become known, incentivise your management or guest relationships team to become faces and advocates of the brand. Join networking and coffee meets, host local events, or throw a launch party. Better yet, find out who the local influencers are, and by that, I don't mean social media influencers; I mean the people in town. We all know someone who knows everyone, is well-connected and can introduce you to someone or hand you a favour at the drop of a hat. Those are the people I mean. Get friendly with them, and they will recommend you, introduce you to their networks, and spread the word.
This strategy ties in nicely with the boiling pot method, which is when you reign your attention in and focus your marketing and promotional efforts into one tiny community or group of people, give them your all, put every bit of attention into nurturing and building relationships with that small group of people. Then, you let the natural course of recommendations and word of mouth do its thing, causing the boiling-over of their loyalty and advocacy as they spread the word and draw more people into your brand, multiplying your community and supercharging brand awareness.
It works. Yes, it requires time and effort, but anyone who tells you that word of mouth isn't like gold dust for hospitality is lying. Try it, combine it with red-hot creative, epic campaigns, phenomenal content, and a guest-first approach, and watch your results skyrocket.
10. DO INFLUENCER MARKETING, BUT NOT IN THE WAY YOU THINK.
Last but not least, tap into influencer marketing. But before you do, understand how the tides are changing in the influencer and content creator space and get up-to-date on the trends and what audiences want to see in 2023 and beyond. Again, we wrote a blog post on this subject last week, so go ahead and read it.
To summarise, the evidence is clear that audiences are shifting away from over-filtered, aesthetic and aspirational influencers, and moving towards content creators who look, feel and act just like them - authentic, relatable and real people, with real jobs and everyday lives.
They're over #ads, product placement, incredible gifts, and sponsored trips; there is too much transparency around the transactional relationship with influencers and brands, which has left a sour taste in the mouths of the audience.
Instead they want to see content that makes sense for both the brand and the influencer and feels natural and authentic.
That's why we're telling you if you want to work with influencers in 2023, seek out micro-influencers in your local area who have a highly engaged audience. Then, reach out to them, and build a relationship with them. Finally, insert yourself and your brand into their story authentically.
Let's give you an example. Imagine that you're a countryside spa hotel based in Yorkshire, and you're looking to partner with an influencer whose audience looks just like your target audience. So let's say you go ahead, get on TikTok, and find a Yorkshire-based content creator with a small but mightily engaged community. She's a woman in her mid-late 50s, recently divorced, has two grown-up children, and is venturing into the working world after 30 years of marriage and over 2-decades of raising her children.
She's on TikTok documenting her journey of dating as an older woman, and her audience is lapping it up. They're constantly checking in on her daily updates, asking her questions about how her dates have gone. Still, she's entirely authentic, trustworthy and relatable, keeping her audience in the loop.
Then she posts that she's met a new man, who seems to be the ideal man for her. She reveals that she's planning her fourth date with him, and they're planning on taking a country break to get to know each other better. She's ready to introduce him to her audience and says she will soon, but for now, it's a secret, and the suspense is mounting amongst her followers.
There you have it. Bam, you jump in as the perfect getaway spa hotel for the big reveal and introduction to her audience. Of course, she would have booked this trip anyway and taken her audience along for the ride regardless, so it feels natural and authentic. Still, you've just inserted yourself into the story and consequently captured the attention of her audience whilst also providing real value for the content creator.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is how to do organic influencer marketing. Good luck!
So, there are ten marketing ideas for hospitality businesses in 2023.
Want to know more? Connect with Up The Anti on LinkedIn, where we'll continue discussing the hospitality industry, how they can be bolder and braver, and how to craft an effective marketing strategy. You can also tune in on TikTok to stay up to date on the latest.
Are you interested in working with us? Get in touch if you're a hospitality business and want to supercharge your marketing efforts. You can find out more about us and what we do here.
Finally, binge on our blog, where we post every Monday morning.