Photograph by Anna Sundström
In this post we wrote about driving direct bookings on your site to boost profit margins. In order to do so you need to have an updated, accessible and interesting site.
Basics
The basics are to keep your site up to date. Be sure that phone number, email, directions, prices and so on are correct. In anything changes, you have to change this on the site as well. Remember to do this in all your channels.
Also be sure that content, pictures and written, are updated and gives the feeling that you want to create.
Content marketing
A powerful way to build your brand and create strong relationships with your visitors is to use content marketing. It’s all about sharing your story, telling people who you are and what you can do and letting them know that you are the one to book with.
Who do you want to be
First you need to know what brand you want to build, what feeling you want to give your follower. Then you can start to figure out what kind of content you want to share. The goal is to show what an amazing accommodation you have to offer and what an awesome host you are.
The content you share can be both created by you, like blog posts or photographs, or you can share from someone else, like your local tourist information or maybe activities or restaurants in your neighborhood.
What to share
You can blog about your daily life at your accommodation, let your followers come with you to the local market when buying locally produced food, share your latest surfing adventure, spread the word about events you're hosting or write down your latest smoothie recipe.
Show the follower what kind of experience he or she would get by visiting you and you will help him or her to make the decision to do so.