Last month, Phil Butler talked us through the first two elements of how to market with meaning and now it’s time for No. 3

Not so long ago a website, a banner ad, a press release, and a listing on Expedia seemed to be the essence of digital hotel marketing. Along came a plethora of OTAs, enough third parties to take a dinosaur bite out of any hotels revenue, and hospitality marketing became the Wild West’ free-for-all we’ve seen these last couple of years. As hotel margins have gone down, so too have another ten marketing channels arisen. Ergo the question: Where do I spend my ad and marketing buck now?

While there is no simple answer to the question of exactly where to put your marketing spend, you should know that channel mix prioritisation is key. What I mean by this is a combination of convertible targets, marketing channel selection, and appropriate budget will lead to the highest conversion AND the best ROI. This is not rocket science, but many hoteliers do fail to use the full spectrum. PPC, mail marketing, Facebook and Twitter, mobile and video, banner advertising, conventional TV and radio, print and a wide array of other choices are available. The best ‘mix’ will involve being where your targeted guest is in combination with the factors already mentioned. Without room here to go into each distribution channel for your ads, this is a good point to interject with ‘metasearch’ to further confound the already dizzy revenue boss.

Metasearch is not new thing, but with the advent of TripAdvisor switching their ad model to a metasearch one, any hotel seeking direct bookings from their website simply has to play ball. Just as the OTAs will always be a valuable asset (prioritised, of course), so too a channel specifically for hotels will be crucial. To gain some insight here, I spoke last week with Martin Soler, VP of Marketing and Sales at World Independent Hotels Promotion (WIHP) about ‘meta’s’ place at the table. Here’s what he had to offer:

“In simple terms, metasearch such as what TripAdvisor does, is the first hotel specific advertising platform that delivers direct bookings for hotels. Think about it, there has never been a channel for hotels to advertise their property on a channel that is solely for them. All previous advertising channels were either generic (print advertising, AdWords, TV etc) or they were distribution channels (OTAs, tour operators, travel agents). It isn't a question anymore of: ‘Do hotels need to advertise on metasearch?’ metasearch is part of the distribution and advertising mix, just like having a website isn't optional anymore, neither is meta-search’.

So, if there is a simple answer for an effective hotel marketing mix, it’s always going to be a customised fit depending on target variables, budget and how to most effectively operate in all the suggested channels. I know that seems like a cop-out, but it’s really the truth. This brings us to ‘measurement’ – the ever-present ‘testing’ component you all fear so much.

Want to read the first two elements of a super successful marketing campaign?

Here is No.1: Target, target, and retarget: the No. 1 element of a super successful hotel marketing campaign and No. 2: Why your hotel's image is No. 2 on the list of a super successful hotel marketing campaign. Later this month we look at the number 4: Why measuring effectiveness is the No.4 element in a super successful marketing campaign