Hotel Marketing in a Digital Age

with a Focus on

Managing for Results

From A Hoteliers Point of View

For：2012 China Hotel Marketing Summit

By：Bernold O. Schroeder

• The Problem

• The Facts

• The Solution

–Directly Related

– Indirectly Related

Problem: We Face a Dilemma

• Hotel Management on a property

level is not up to speed with

industry trends

and

• At the same time, hotel S&M teams

often “forget” the basis of

hospitality

So we have to close this gap.

Let’s Start with some Facts

Wikipedia defines

“Digital Marketing”

in two broad categories.

Two different forms of digital

marketing exists.

“Pull Digital Marketing”

in which the consumer must actively

seek the marketing content often

via web searches or the recipient

has given permission to received

content by

email, text message and web feed.

Websites, blogs and streaming

media are also examples of pull

digital marketing.

Search Engine

Promotion Website

Micro Blog

Sample of Pull Digital Marketing

Push Digital Marketing

technologies involve both the marketer that

sends a message without consent of

recipients. Such as display advertising on

websites and news blogs.

Email, text, messaging and web feeds can

also be classed as push digital marketing

when the recipient has not given permission

to received marketing message.

This is known as spam.

Sample of

Push Digital Marketing

SMS and MMS

Banner

SPAM Mail

And Lets’ Look at our Industry Headlines

• Starwood commits 75% of marketing

spending to digital and has more than

1.5 million Face Book fans.

Eg. Mobile apps for loyalty program –

SPG in 2010

• Inventor Spot via an online poll listed the

Top 3 Hotel Mobile apps on the market

today – Omni Hotels, SGP and Choice

Hotels

• Ritz Carlton launched mobile app on 1st

May – relies heavily on QR codes

Sample of Digital Marketing in Hotel Industry

How about Jin Jiang?

• Online distribution and digital marketing is

the key focus in 2012

• 60% of marketing spending on digital

marketing, will reach 70% in 2013

• Engaging customer actively via local social

media, China has more than 550 million

micro bloggers as of Feb 2012.

• Sina Weibo – 250 million users

• Tencent Weibo 300 million users

How about Jin Jiang? (Con’t)

• In April, Jin Jiang launched

e-Commerce platform to support all

business units on digital marketing

• J-Club mobile apps for more than

2.5 million loyalty members

• In June, Jin Jiang is launching a new

website to provide customers with

enhanced online experience

But let’s go back to the question:

How do we close the gap?

Our team members must

change their thinking.

For the GM’s

• You are the chief marketing officer (CMO).

• Make digital marketing your priority, it can not

only be driven by the S&M team.

• Start today with a digital marketing check up

of your hotel, if you have not done so yet

• Google your hotel

• Website quality and functionality

• Search engine optimization(SEO)

• E Marketing campaigns, web

dictionaries, etc.

For the GM’s (Con’t)

• Start a biweekly meeting with Marketing, Finance,

F&B and discuss daily online review. Eg. Trip Advisor

and Dao Dao ranking and review are good health

indicators for the hotel

• Monitor ranking to measure operational

improvement

• Most important, this is an ongoing effort to look into

reviews and comments to improve services and

product

• Social media aids you to get closer to your

customers but can also be the other way round

Featuring in Target Group Website

Check Rating in Tripadvisor / Dao Dao

Featuring in Local Website

Sample of Hotel Related Marketing Websites

For the F&B’s

• Times changed; you must drive your

online F&B strategy or otherwise all the

focus goes to rooms.

• Google your hotel restaurants today.

• Create links of your restaurant websites to

local dining websites.

• Take reviews seriously and action on it

For the F&B’s (Con’t)

• Feature special promotions and events on

social media platform. Constantly create

activities and promotion to engage

dinners

• Build your F&B CRM system, motivate your

guests to opt in for emailing list

• Participate in online group buy program

during low period

• Ensure message is consistent with

Marketing to create the impact

Dian Ping: China’s Food & Beverage Guide

Sample of F&B Digital Marketing

Group Purchase: Popular Practice in China

For the Marketer’s

• Engage professional to do the digital

marketing job, doing something damaging is

worse than doing nothing

• Digital marketing is not just a marketing tool,

it’s a way to engage your customers.

• Social media is the channel to get close to

our customers, involve the Customer Service

team in managing social media feedback so

that negative comments can turn into

positive operational improvement.

For the Marketer’s (Con’t)

• Engage your operation team and sales team

to participate in social media management.

Each department can appoint one person

to take charge of social media posting on

relevant topics to make your posting on

social media interesting.

• Don’t rush in - consider mobile website

instead of mobile app if resources are limited

• Don’t forget about traditional marketing that

drive high ROI for the hotel

For the FCs

The good news for you?

• Everything in digital managerial can get measured.

• You must understand the trends in the industry

• Understand the details of

a) initial development costs and

b) Ongoing expenses and maintenance.

• Budget properly from employee expenses to

training and consulting fees; from website

optimization and SEO to pay per click advertising

for social media and reputation management to

email communications and of google all context

development and media production.

Managing for Result in Digital Marketing

How to develop personal and

professional effectiveness?

A leader has to 100% self

organized before he can

manage others effectively.

25

PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS

Be 100% Self Organized

1. Set Long Term Goals

2. Set Priorities

Practice Self Renewal

Activities that

develop the

mind and

knowledge

Activities that

care for the

physical body

Activities that

develop

relationships

Activities that

clarify personal

values

Read industry

publications

Attend

courses

Exercise

Rest sufficiently

Eat well

Take time out

Personal Retreat

Build

relationships

bank account

Spend time with

family

Where you want to be in 5/10/15 years?

26

• Have a planning time

• Develop a to-do list

Breakdown into small tasks

Determine the amount of time needed

• Schedule into a daily and weekly plan

1. Plan and schedule

2. Beating time wasters

External Time Wasters

• Eg: Phone interruptions, Visitors, Emails, Paperwork

Internal Time Wasters

• Eg: Perfectionism, Procrastination, Stress, Inability to Say No

Keys to Effective Time Management

PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS

Use Technology as a “Tool”

But Don’t Forget Hospitality

“Touch”