With summer approaching, consumer demand for domestic travel is increasing; however competition among operators is high too.
To capitalise on demand, boost bookings and recover revenue, you need to employ an effective marketing strategy to ensure you reach, target and convert domestic travellers from lookers into bookers.
Below, we’ve put together a list of 6 ways hotels can attract domestic travellers to book a stay…
1. TARGET VIA GOOGLE ADS
Google Ads is one of the powerful marketing tools to reach your domestic market – and better yet, specifically in the research phase of their booking journey (increasing the likelihood of them heading to your website and booking a stay).
Using this platform means that you pay a fee to have your website displayed on the search engine results page (SERP) when someone types in specific keywords or phrases – for example, ‘family friendly hotel in Cornwall’.
By selecting the right (and most relevant) keywords and phrases for your brand, you can bid for your website to be positioned at the top of the Google search results. Being at the top of the search results makes your brand discoverable to potential guests, gives you a level up on competitors and will lead to increased direct bookings.
To achieve good ROI, you need to consider (and do some serious research into) what keywords people are searching for while exploring domestic travel options – while reviewing this information, think about what their needs, priorities and desires will be and how your brand meets them.
You should also set up Google Hotel Ads to maximise direct booking revenue. Check out our ultimate guide to Google Ads to learn more about this here.
Tip: We really recommend utilising Google Ads to target domestic travel goers however if you are new to this, we advise hiring an expert to maximise your return on investment. Interested in learning more? Drop us a message here.
2. WORK WITH LOCAL INFLUENCERS
Influencers spend a lot of time building and nurturing engaged online communities. Collaborating with local influencers to your location allows you to tap into these audiences, build trust with potential domestic guests and promote the experiences you offer to people you may not have been able to reach via organic channels.
However, it’s not just a case of collaborating with any influencer who has mentioned your location. To reach your target domestic market and get effective results, research influencers who are local to you or those who specialise in domestic travel in your area.
Partnering with these types of influencers means you are more likely to reach a large number of potential domestic guests who would be interested in – and are actively looking for – a brand like yours. This will lead to increased booking revenue and therefore, a better ROI from influencer collaborations.
Tip: Finding the right influencer who fits well with your brand is crucial. Before working with any influencer, request a media kit and case studies to see past results of how influential the individual is. You should also submit a contract to be signed so that all parties are clear on the deliverables and deadline for completion of work.
3. UTILISE PAID SOCIAL ADS
Utilising the power of paid ads on social media offers an ideal way for you to reach specific domestic market segments, boost brand awareness and increase booking revenue.
In order to do this, create a separate ad funnel targeting your domestic market to ensure you are reaching users with messaging that resonates, therefore increasing the likelihood of converting social media users into confirmed bookings.
Your funnel should include multiple ad sets and ads that will guide your potential guests through the booking journey. Using Facebook’s detailed targeting tool, you can opt to prioritise ad delivery to people who may be planning to travel soon. You can also target based on behaviour – including those who frequently travel domestically or internationally – and interests related to your brand.
You can also filter based on demographics such as location and age, too.
In addition to this, utilising the Lookalike Audiences function allows you to create a group with similar characteristics to one of your current audiences to target e.g the domestic segment of your email list.
At the end of your ads funnel, you should utilise the powerful retargeting tool. Retargeting ads can specifically target people who have previously visited your website or interacted with you on social media and convert them from interested potential guests – to confirmed bookings.
In this instance, be sure to add a personalised direct booking offer and optimise the ad to encourage users to ‘book now’.
Tip: To utilise the retargeting, you will need to install the Facebook Pixel. Once the pixel is enabled, it will monitor visits to your website and you can utilise this data in your ad strategy.
4. WRITE A SERIES OF RELEVANT BLOG CONTENT
Investing time in developing blog content will help you boost your site’s organic search rankings for relevant keyword phrases, drive web traffic and showcase the experiences both your brand – and destination – offers to domestic travellers. As more people begin to plan domestic trips, they will be on a lookout for information on different types of things to see and do in your destination – so make your brand’s website the go-to resource for that information.
To attract potential domestic guests, focus on topics that are specific to your target market’s interests and needs. In a bid to climb up the search ranking and land on the first page, research topics or angles that haven’t been covered much by other brands online (and ensure keywords phrases are included in both the title and meta description!).
Eyes on your website means eyes on your offering, increasing the likelihood of driving potential direct bookings.
Tip: New to blogging? A list post is a good place to start. This is one of the most commonly used and simple-to-understand blog formats. Lists are popular with online audiences because they are descriptive, easily scannable and concise.
5. PITCH TO RELEVANT PRESS
Sharing creative, targeted press releases to your regional and national media (and securing coverage!) is an excellent way to boost your brand profile to your domestic market, reach a wider pool of your target audiences and increase overall bookings.
When it comes to working on securing press coverage, it’s really important to have a clear vision of who you want to reach, what publications they are most likely to read and the message you want to share.
Consider how your story is newsworthy and what unique hook you can use to entice both the journalist and the potential guests who will read about you.
Tip: Be sure to take the time to tailor your message to each person you contact – this will vastly improve your success rate in cutting through the noise.
6. LAUNCH A COMPETITION ON INSTAGRAM
Many of you will be trying to reach entirely new target audiences as you switch your focus to your domestic market therefore getting the word out there as quickly as possible is key to converting Instagram users into confirmed bookings.
Launching a competition (to your domestic market only) via Instagram allows you to grow your following, increase brand exposure and promote your offering to your domestic audiences – all while staying within a reasonable budget.
When carried out effectively, the ROI on a competition can be immense- and deciding on the objective and prize is a relatively simple step. Your aim is to get the word out to potential domestic guests and build a following so that you can interact with them more in the coming weeks and persuade them to book a stay with you.
Tip: Terms of entry that will assist you in achieving this could include ‘share on your story and tag two friends to be in with a chance of winning.’
Looking for support with targeting domestic travellers and converting lookers into bookers? Email hello@staythenight.net and let’s chat about how our team can support you.
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