Content is King - Why the right content is crucial for the long-term success of your online campaigns

Regularly maintained content not only improves your click rate, but also your ranking in search engines. The design is not the only decisive factor for long-term success, but above all: interesting and up-to-date content - your hotel website is only as useful as the information provided on it.

But what exactly does content marketing mean?

This can be understood as a marketing approach aimed at the regular distribution of high-quality content with significant added value for users. It describes how you distribute content, i.e. texts, images, videos, etc. All content should be customized to the needs and benefits of the guest segments. This not only makes your hotel better known by supporting your online reputation, it also differentiates you strongly from your competitors. This means more visitors to your hotel website and increasing room reservations.

Searching before booking

Before a potential guest books a hotel, one first searches online for information on how to get there, the surroundings and sights, or gets inspiration about the country and its people. This is where you should take the first step for informative, relevant and unique content. Because not only recommendations of other guests are decisive when booking a hotel, but also the hotel website with its content, such as the service, hotel rooms, breakfast or bicycle rental. The main goal is to satisfy the guests' need for information and to use content formats that create a desire for more.  

Offer interesting content for your target group

Contribute to the unique profile of your hotel by presenting the content that is interesting for your guests. Is it the idyllic location of your hotel, the varied breakfast, your own boat rental, a large wellness area or a children's paradise that characterizes you? Help your guests discover why your hotel is special and stands out from the rest.

Before you choose the content, you should first ask yourself what message you want to convey and who exactly fits your target group. Who are typical regular - or even dream guests? What is important for these hotel guests during their stay? And why exactly should these travelers book your hotel?

While the preferences of a business traveler are more in a central environment, a large bed, a TV and a big window, leisure travelers tend to prefer pool pictures and the hotel's surroundings when booking a hotel. Therefore, provide images on various platforms that reach each target group individually.

What needs to be considered?

The focus of content marketing is not the hotel's offer, but the added value for the customer. With access to texts, images, videos, graphics and ratings, you entertain your guests, create your own image and build trust. After all, it's all about the content, information and inspiration that binds your customers emotionally, increases your reach and clearly differentiates you from the competition.

1. Content idea and quality

Good content always starts with an idea, which should start from the USP, your unique selling point.  A common mistake in content marketing is that hotels produce content - but in most cases this content does not exactly represent its values. So before you create content, the first step is to think about what you want to tell and show your customers. Potential guests should be able to see through your content exactly what is your USP.

2. Content creation

There is a difference between dynamic and static content.

• Dynamic content: availability, rates, cancellation conditions
• Static content: pictures, information about facilities and amenities

But this blog post focuses exclusively on static content. A Tripadvisor study proved that travelers are 150% more engaged in ads with more than 20 photos. Therefore, the following requirements should be considered especially for pictures:

• at least 20 photos per hotel 
• 4 or more photos per room including 1 photo of the bathroom 
• Pictures of important facilities (restaurant, bar, fitness, spa) 
• Labeling of all images 
• High quality and resolution 

Especially static content should be compared across different channels to avoid discrepancies. In addition, make sure that the content is always up-to-date and that outdated content, such as renovation information, is removed in time.

Does the content have to be changed or edited regularly?

Yes, especially Google rewards up-to-date content with a better ranking, i.e. a better position in the search results. So find the mix of constantly optimized and new content.

3. Content translation

Especially with texts it is important to find the right words to convince potential guests of your offer and hotel. However, in order to address target groups from other countries, you should make sure that the translation is correct.

Don't just look at the content for one country. Check the different country versions, especially those that generate unexpectedly few bookings, as the display often varies.

4. Content distribution

There are numerous channels to distribute your content. Whether on OTAs, such as booking, expedia and HRS, meta searches, like trivago and Google, your own website and IBE, social media or listing services, as mybusiness - you decide. A content database is an excellent tool to collect content such as text documents and images and distribute them later on the channels.

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As part of our campaign management and full management support, we offer you individual advice on all aspects of content on platforms such as trivago and Google. Are you interested? Write us for further questions at business@myhotelshop.de or simply call us at 0341 392816751.

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