DIGITAL

MARKETING
“Digital marketing impact on
the hospitality industry.”
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The hospitality industry includes restaurants, hotels, casinos,

amusement parks, events, cruises, entertainment, and other tourism-
related services. In layman’s terms, the hospitality industry refers to a
variety of businesses and services linked to leisure and customer
satisfaction.
A defining aspect of the hospitality industry is also the fact that it focuses
on ideas of luxury, pleasure, enjoyment and experiences, rather than
catering for necessities and essentials.

Doesn't matter whichever industry, a strong digital marketing strategy has

become the vital necessity to build a brand image, attract new customers and retain them.
And thus, The hospitality industry is no different.

Digital marketing has a significant role in the hospitality business, as to know who are the
potential customers for the particular business, to build strong relationships with
customers, and create a strong brand image amongst the viewers.

For any business to grow, it is important to be aware of the current marketing patterns and
how one's business can make a profit by implementing the current market trends and even
by adding more to that trend.

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And undoubtedly, the best way for that is to add a strong digital
marketing strategy to your business strategy.

A customer’s buying behaviour is triggered by majorly three influences i.e.

social, marketing and situational influences. And digital platforms help
rightly cover all these dimensions and hit the target audience.

The later will talk about how important it is to have a digital presence for any
business in the hospitality industry and how, positively and negatively,
digital marketing has impacted the hospitality industry.

Various aspects
For the hospitality industry or any other businesses, it is important to use
the tools rightly. Otherwise, it can back-fire your business. However, if
rightly used, digital marketing tools can prove to be a great boon for the
hospitality business.

1. Website Optimization
A business website is the mirror window that allows customers to have a sneak into the services
your business provides and it's quality, which creates an impression in the viewer's mind.
A website with the attractive and new content is what that viewers enjoy and like.

2. Marketing through social media

According to a survey, “40% of consumer’s purchase decisions are influenced by social media.”
People are spending more time than ever, on social media platforms. Sponsoring and
collaborating with Instagram models and influencers, have driven out to be a common way to
influence viewers and promote hotels, amusement parks, foreign tours, cruise stays etc.

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3. Content Marketing
Content is a key domain in gaining customer attention and retaining them.
Almost everyone, lookout for content online to explore and know about
tourist places. How common it is to look for " Best Places to visit in _____" when
you plan a trip. Hence, Blogs, stories, client experiences, info- graphics, videos
can be a pivotal element to redirect them to your business website.

4. Marketing through Emails

Staying connected with existing customers and at the same time connecting to
new people is important in the hospitality industry. Sharing new deals and offers
through emails is a way of staying connected and drawing their attention and
triggering their recall memory.

Digital marketing tools help the business to know its customers better; which is
very important for a hospitality industry since it caters to satisfying the
needs and expectations of the customers.

And thus for the hospitality industry, this, in turn, can be a benefit to channelize plans for
reaching the set objective. Business can advance yearly offers & other packages to meet the need
of clients besides attracting good quality traffic over the website.

It will help the business to retain its customers especially for hospitality domains such as hotels
& spa, etc.
Digital marketing is not just restricted to the above-mentioned points, it is a far broader concept.
It focalises many paths to reach the desired goal. Google Adverts, Online review management,
back-linking, SEO Optimization are other few to enlist where digital marketing works.

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In the world of cut-throat competition, acquiring a position in the market requires

to make yourself visible to and be remembered by the clients which thus
requires extensive online marketing tools to fight back.

Impact
With the increase in percentage of people sitting behind screens, it has
necessitated the businesses to have their online presenc, as well. Business are now
striving to increase their
market share on online
platforms as well.
Wherein hospitality
industry is concerned, it has
been impacted massively. As it
is a totally customer driven industry.
No matter how premium and luxury your
brand is, it is important for you to share some
common platforms with other competitors to
attain business growth.

For instance, JW Marriot is famous luxury hotel chain. It requires no introduction and briefs.
But still it has be on common hotel-booking platforma such as Make my trip, trivago,
bookmyhotel etc. with other hotels (luxury and non-luxury both) to get customers.

Moreover, some branches of these premium hotel chains also provide free stays and meals to
social media influencers, to gain more customer attention and then be able to attract customers.

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Digital marketing tools provide small tourism businesses step-in into direct access
to a global market of travel consumers, largely expanding their prospects.

Digital platforms offer global passage to customers and enable service providers
to improve the advancement of the hospitality sector and its competitive
standards.
Low-income economies seem to have an opportunity to benefit themselves from
this digital revolution; however, there is always a risk of being left behind if one
fails to make use of an opportunity.

DISPLAY ADVERTISING is the main game changer, when it comes to

hospitality industry. Statistics inform us that an average indian user sees around
72 display ads per day.

This is the point where we talk about the impact of digital marketing.
Hotels have started to create separate budgets for digital marketing
purposes.
Actors/models/influencers role have just not been limited to a T.V Ad.
Uploading stories, posts, status, check-ins about a visit to a particular place/ meals at cafes/
parties at lounges is the new marketing trend to drive customers to follow a trend.

Partnering with travel and lifestyle

blogers is the major go through in the
hospitality industry.
A blogger with more followers and
engagement rate bids higherer price
for the post compared to others.
But there also lies a major flaw in this
beauty of influencer marketing
business:

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● Fake followers
● Promotion of expensive/luxury lifestyle only. Hampering the businesses
with affordable rate schema.
● Influencers are not your brand ambassodors. Their post might be yours
today but not sure about tommorrow.
● Misleading the viewers, by showing extragvagent
hospitality/treatment at any resort, hotel etc.

According to the influenceragency.com “The most concerning

impact on the influential marketing has been on the non-luxury
domains.” Because each influencer wants to be associated with
the luxury hotel chains/ expensive gym chains/ etc. and not the
domestic/ordinary businesses. How often have you seen any influencer
put in a hotel check-in of less than a 3-star hotel?

The digital marketing has not only limited itself to hotels, clubs and amusement
parks. When talking about hospitality industry, country/state tourism is not far
away.

For instance, when Dubai re-opened its city to international tourists on July 7 2020, the
Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) created a digital moment
with a hashtag "#Ready When You Are” to ensure the travellers that the city is safe and ready
to welcome you all, whenever you are ready to come.

Amid the pandemic, Dubai tourism also created a short video as a global digital campaign to
ensure that it continues to stay in people's bucket list and to encourage them to make it their
must-visit destination after the pandemic gets clear.

The digital impact has been so immense, that no hospitality business can prosper till it has its
digital presence. And according to the secondary sources analyses report, it can also be stated

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that digital marketing is not less expensive compared to other channels. But, it
is way more complex and require expertise.

Companies have to spend huge amount on research and analysis before targeting
audience and choosing their right means and content on digital platform.

Competition has taken a whole new turn in all industries, after digital marketing
came into place.
And thus price wars, discount offers, better facilities, etc. have helped customers
get better value of money and prompted the businesses to strive for the best to
compete in the race.

The hospitality industry relies majorly on word of mouth. Posting good customer
reviews on social media is a common marketing tool.
The utilization of social media platforms have gotten inescapable, and
explorers/travellers reliably utilize the media to boast about their incredible
experiences just as express dismay with bad ones.

Regardless of whether digital media is utilized deliberately or unintentionally,

the pioneers inside the hospitality business can't disregard the effect of digital marketing in their
ventures.

Digital media is turning out to be more big and complex each day, the simplicity with which
information (basically pictures and recordings) can be communicated through versatile stages
and the web has fundamentally speeded up the spread of any word.

Clients are sharing their own contents, but at the same time are spreading computerized verbal
exchange about a brand, an item, or an encounter/ experience, which can reach massive viewers.

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Geo-locational tags and brand hashtags allow user posts to be found via
metadata searches, thereby increasing the potential market reach of such posts.

Virtual reality is an innovation which is setting down deep roots. sooner or later,
there would be a feature that would allow the customer to have a virtual tour of the
room and hotel before the client makes a booking.
This can also act as a first-mover advantage for any business if they try to
implement it.

Analytic tools that are synced with chosen digital communication channel traffic
additionally help organizations realize what the clients appreciated about
their stay at the lodging just as what they despised.

The computerized/digital idea of communication generally promotes more

transparency and honest client's reaction/feedback.

And these feedbacks help the businesses to understand the customer's

expectation and then modify accordingly. And thus helps the business to
survive and grow in the long run.

REFRENCES:

● Paper, A. (2020,Jan) Revfine, “Hospitality industry: The no. 1 hospitality information guide”.
● Paper, B.(2019) Easeroom Blog Page, “Effects of digital marketing in the hospitality industry”
● Paper, C.(2020) Saletify blog page, “Importance of digital marketing in hospitality sector”.

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