Digital Marketing for Resorts: 5 Tips & Strategies
Luring and retaining guests entails more than providing comfortable lodgings and breathtaking vistas in the fast-paced and competitive hospitality landscape. If you want to increase bookings, a digital marketing strategy can help show off your resort’s distinctive appeal, resonate with your desired audience, and get heads in beds.
The resurgence of travel and tourism is in full swing, making this an opportune moment to get your digital marketing in gear. Valuable insights from TEGNA’s latest e-book, “Understanding Today’s Leisure Traveler” found:
- 94% of Americans plan leisure travel in the next 12 months
- 3 in 5 are swayed by deals and discounts when booking travel
- More travelers are booking directly with vendors to access benefits, like loyalty perks and special offers, and to avoid extra fees
- Social media inspires 75% to travel to a specific destination
- 48% want to travel somewhere they can show off on social media
Want to know more about the specific demographics of these travel-intenders? Download “Understanding Today’s Leisure Traveler” for a deep dive into their demographics.
Now that we’ve set the stage, let’s explore why resorts should embrace digital marketing.
What Is Digital Marketing for Resorts?
Digital marketing for resorts is a comprehensive strategy that utilizes online channels and digital technologies to promote and market resorts to a targeted audience to attract guests, boost bookings, enhance brand visibility, and ultimately increase revenue. A comprehensive digital strategy can include digital ads and banners, email newsletters, social media, SEO, PPC, content marketing, and more.
At TEGNA, we find the following to be the most effective for our partners:
Video
We’ve found that travel video content is reliably popular, as 83% of Americans watch some form of travel content: Reviews (44%), social media videos (41%), ads (23%), and local news (20%). Video content, such as virtual tours, promotional videos, and guest testimonials, can provide potential guests with a more immersive and engaging experience. Local news is an exciting option, as viewers rely on local news stations to educate them about nearby tourist activities (59%) and the latest travel trends (44%). Viewers are also more likely to trust travel recommendations from local news over national news.
Contextual Advertising
Contextual advertising is targeted advertising that delivers relevant ads to users based on the content they are viewing and focuses on the immediate actions of the user’s online activity. For example, if you’re reading an article about popular travel destinations and see a display ad for flights, hotels, or vacation packages, you’ve been served contextual advertising.
Native Advertising
Native advertising is a type of digital advertising that blends seamlessly with the content and format of the platform or media on which it appears. The primary goal of native advertising is to deliver ad content that feels natural and non-disruptive to the user experience while providing more in-depth and educational information about a topic relevant to a brand’s product or service.
Audience Targeting
Audience targeting and measurement technology within digital advertising is under transformation, putting first-party data in the front seat as consumers and state legislation demand more privacy-centric solutions. We recommend using a tool like TEGNA AudienceOne to collect first-party data on previous browsing behavior that helps identify audience interests to drive campaign success.
Why Should Resorts Utilize Digital Marketing?
Resorts should utilize digital marketing for several compelling reasons, as it can significantly impact their success and visibility in the hospitality industry. Key reasons why resorts should embrace digital marketing include:
- Global Reach: Digital marketing allows resorts to reach a worldwide audience. You can attract visitors from around the globe with a well-crafted online presence.
- Cost-Effective: Unlike traditional advertising methods, digital marketing offers a cost-effective way to market your resort. You can allocate your budget more efficiently and accurately track your return on investment (ROI).
- Targeted Marketing: Digital marketing enables you to target specific demographics, interests, and behaviors. This precision targeting ensures that your marketing efforts focus on potential guests genuinely interested in your offerings.
- Data-Driven Insights: Resorts can collect valuable data to track user behavior, engagement, click-through, and conversion metrics. This data helps refine marketing strategies, make data-driven decisions, and optimize campaigns for better results.
- Online Booking and Reservation: Digital marketing can drive traffic to the resort’s website and online booking platforms. Simplifying the booking process and offering special promotions online can increase direct bookings, reducing the resort’s reliance on third-party booking platforms that charge high commissions.
Displaying your resort’s online booking options is of the utmost importance, as “Understanding Today’s Leisure Traveler” found that more travelers are booking with resorts directly to access benefits, like loyalty perks and special offers, and to avoid extra fees accumulated when going through a third party.
5 Digital Marketing Strategies for Resorts
A well-executed digital marketing strategy can be a game-changer for resorts looking to thrive in the modern hospitality landscape. Here are our recommendations.
1. Create a Marketing Persona
Knowing your target audience is paramount. Using customer data to create persona profiles is a great way to identify ideal guests and understand their preferences, behaviors, and demographics. You can also pull insights from “Understanding Today’s Leisure Traveler,” which found:
- Older generations tend to travel to check places off a bucket list
- Younger generations want experiences that contribute to their overall identity
- Social media inspires 75% to travel to a specific destination
- 48% want to travel somewhere they can show off on social media
When it comes to spending on travel, 76% expect inflation to impact travel in the coming year, therefore:
- 1 in 3 are changing travel plans, staying close to home in response to inflation
- 3 in 5 are swayed by deals and discounts when booking travel
- More travelers are booking directly with vendors to access benefits, like loyalty perks and special offers, and to avoid extra fees
- Top-notch service is always expected, even in the absence of a five-star hotel rating
Want to know more about the specific demographics of these travel-intenders? Download “Understanding Today’s Leisure Traveler” for a deep dive into their demographics.
2. Craft a Media Plan
Media planning involves identifying the most effective channels to connect with your intended audience, allotting financial resources, establishing schedules, and outlining key performance indicators (KPIs) to optimize return on investment (ROI). It is essential to learn where and how your target demographic engages with various forms of media.
3. Create Compelling Ads
Crafting the ideal creative content for your advertising campaign can be a challenge. Drawing from the insights uncovered in the report titled “Understanding Today’s Leisure Traveler,” resorts should take into account the following aspects when formulating their creative strategies:
- Prioritize Relaxation: Americans travel for their well-being, seeking stress reduction, relaxation, and mood enhancement. Emphasize how the entire travel experience, from booking to check out, is devoid of stress and frustration.
- Appeal to Local Explorers: As economic concerns persist, there is a growing trend of Americans opting for staycations and exploring nearby locales. If your brand traditionally caters to out-of-town visitors, consider enticing locals with exclusive discounts tailored for residents.
- Leverage Five-Star Endorsements: Travel enthusiasts heavily rely on reviews to shape their travel choices. Incorporating authentic reviews and testimonials into your messaging can spotlight specific ways your brand surpasses expectations, alleviating apprehensions about service quality.
- Foster Connections with Friends and Family: Reconnecting with loved ones is a significant motivator for Americans considering travel in the coming year. If your establishment offers group discounts or provides spaces for large gatherings, promote these accommodations in your messaging.
- Harness the Influence of Video, Trust, and Scale: As a marketing medium, video possesses unparalleled capabilities to evoke wanderlust. Recognizing video’s potential to influence travel planning and purchasing decisions underscores the importance of implementing video into your digital strategy.
Interested in acquiring further insights and best practices? Check out the following creative best practices from a few of TEGNA’s digital experts:
- How to Make Your Ads More Clickable
- Q&A: How to Make Strong Creative For TV Ads with Brian Kintz
- Choosing the Right Local Media for Your Advertising Campaign
4. Take a Multi-Tactic Approach
Resorts must incorporate contextual advertising, geofencing, retargeting, and native advertising into their digital marketing and advertising campaigns to maximize their outreach and engagement with potential guests.
- Contextual advertising increases the likelihood of attracting individuals genuinely interested in resort offerings.
- Geofencing leverages location-based targeting to reach potential guests when they are near the resort or specific tourist attractions. It enables resorts to provide tailored promotions, making travelers more likely to consider them a convenient and attractive option.
- Native advertising can feel less like advertisements and more like valuable information, fostering a positive brand perception.
- Retargeting allows resorts to re-engage users who have previously shown interest in their offerings, reinforcing brand awareness and encouraging potential guests to convert.
Together, these tactics contribute to a more comprehensive and effective digital marketing strategy, ultimately driving increased bookings and revenue for resorts.
5. Combine Digital Marketing with Other Channels
A great local media partner will collaborate with your brand to craft a comprehensive cross-channel marketing campaign encompassing an array of impactful local strategies. Consider incorporating TV advertising, OTT/ streaming, and elements, including video of lifestyle segments and content sponsorships (weather and traffic reports) that can be used on-air and digitally.
Book TEGNA for Your Next Campaign
Ready to make the most of the rebounding travel and tourism industry? With the right approach and a dash of local charm, your resort marketing campaign can impact your brand and customers. With TEGNA, we can help craft an irresistible campaign that captivates your local audience, taps into emerging trends, and showcases the wonders of your community – from beginning to end. Let’s get in touch to start planning our journey together.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you promote a resort?
Promoting a resort involves a combination of targeted advertising across platforms like TV, digital media, and social media. Highlight your resort’s unique offerings, such as amenities, location, and experiences, to capture the attention of potential guests.
How do you promote a resort online?
Digital marketing is a great way to promote resorts online. A comprehensive digital strategy can include digital ads and banners, email newsletters, social media, SEO, PPC, content marketing, and more.
What is digital marketing in the hospitality industry?
Digital marketing in the hospitality industry involves utilizing multiple digital channels to promote a hospitality business. A comprehensive digital strategy can include digital ads and banners, email newsletters, social media, SEO, PPC, content marketing, and more.
How do you attract customers to a resort?
Resorts can attract more customers by focusing on customer-centric strategies, which can include offering personalized experiences, leveraging guest testimonials, and creating engaging content that resonates with their target audience.
