As the hospitality industry start to implement their marketing and budgeting tactics for 2022, it is essential to build strategic marketing plans with in-built resilience as the world begins to emerge from the after-effects of the pandemic. 

We all know that there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all marketing strategy in the hospitality world. Each business is unique, so will need to take a very different approach to win back customers in the coming year.

Here we look at some top tips that will help you put together a winning strategy for your hospitality marketing in 2022.

1: Set realistic goals

Regardless of what type of hospitality business you run, every marketer has the same goal – to drive more bookings. It can help to spur you on to set a target or goal to reach, whether that is to increase bookings by 50 per cent on last year, but make sure you set realistic goals. 

It is wise to set goals, or else your marketing efforts can feel unorganised and chaotic. This isn’t a recipe for success, so break your goals down into more easily achievable short-term steps. This will help give you and your staff meaningful yet measurable small goals and successes to keep everyone positive and motivated to reach the next goal throughout the year. 

2: Social Media Marketing

With 42% of the world population using social media, it would be unwise for you to ignore it. The average person spends over two hours per day using these platforms, so it makes sense for hospitality businesses to use these spaces wisely.

Social media plays an integral role in most consumer experiences and has changed how businesses build their brand. The hospitality industry has embraced and taken great advantage of social media platforms to stay competitive in the last decade.

 Creating a Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and content strategy plan combining your blog, website, and social media pages will help to increase levels of organic traffic to your company website.

Sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram help hospitality businesses to showcase their services and attract new customers. Using the available free analytical tools, you can run targeted social media marketing campaigns based on your target demographic. You can set up adverts based on age, gender, location and other essential demographics specific to your business.

3: Adwords

Google AdWords is a tool offered by Google that allows you to promote your business online to help you rank well in the Google search engine. If you want to establish an online presence for your hospitality business in a way that helps to drive traffic to your company website, then this is a valuable marketing tool for your business.

 If you are on a tight marketing budget, you can set your own budget for posting your ads on Google. This means you can stay in control of your marketing budget and not overspend on expensive newspaper and magazine advertising that is beyond your reach.

You can tailor your ads to reach your target market audience, and it is easy to set up your ads using the guides that Google provide. Instead of paying for blanket ads that will reach people outside of your target audience, you will be able to create ads with well-defined targeting to your ideal demographic based on location, language, age range, and more. 

Combining AdWords display and social media advertising can help you target a specific audience and get your business’s image out there. For example, if you rely on local custom for your bricks and mortar business, then you can limit the reach of your ads to a defined area in your local community to attract customers that are already living or working right on your doorstep.

4: Loyalty Rewards

When you establish a large percentage of repeat loyal customers, it can be the bread and butter that your business relies on to survive. Staying connected with your regular customers and encouraging them to return by offering incentives can be very effective.

However, setting up a customer loyalty scheme to reward your regular customers can tempt new customers to return and become part of the reward scheme family. 

Incentives you could consider offering in your restaurant include a free drink with their meals, a complimentary dessert, a 10% discount off the bill, or a loyalty card that offers a free meal once all the squares have been ticked off.

You could ask your customer to sign up to your email list to keep in touch with your latest news, new dishes on the menu, special offers, and live music events that you are hosting.

Time to Up Your Marketing Game

If your business isn’t active on social media, taking advantage of Adwords or running a loyalty scheme, you are missing out as a hospitality company. You should already have picture-worthy food, hotel rooms, live events and cocktail evenings, so why not get them noticed online! 

It can be a time-consuming challenge to market to everyone, so it is best to break down your efforts to target the audience you want. The most successful and cost-effective hospitality marketing is done when you know your target audience.