Everyone loves a good list. To help you plan for the upcoming year, I’ve put together some of the best new marketing ideas for 2009. Enjoy!
Website
Buy some great domain names (market is less competitive right now)
Remove your intro “splash” page
Have a clean & simple web design
Use Website.Grader.com to ensure technical quality
Build easy navigation
Ensure instant brand identification
Make contact forms short & simple
Use Google Optimizer for best results
Add live chat support
Add a virtual host
Use video instead of text (where possible)
Post directions to your hotel in pictures
Syndicate content as RSS
Offer in-depth destination information
Show pictures of attractions near your hotel with Panoramio
Use Google maps to provide step-by-step directions to your hotel
Let visitors write and send eCards (email postcards)
Publish visitor comments
Publish videos of satisfied guests
Include positive social media rankings (ex: #1 in San Francisco on TripAdvisor)
Add social bookmarking services Digg and del.icio.us to important pages
Use Mofuse.com to make your site mobile-friendly
Use Diigo to track & share changes to competitors’ websites
Create a public Google Calendar to show upcoming events
Organic Search Marketing (SEO)
Focus on dominating local search
Create local keyword lists by pairing geocentric keywords (Seattle) with industry keywords (boutique hotel)
Optimize for questions people ask
Make your blog search friendly
Appear in Google Maps‘ local business listings
Make sure your hotel website has the right keywords in the right place
Establish a web presence, not just a web site
Use Quarkbase to understand your web presence
Use Google Trends for websites
Paid Search Marketing (PPC)
Determine your objective first (ROI, growth, market research, etc)
Use professional keyword research tools
Use property features as keywords
Include industry & long tail keywords
Do keyword competitive analysis to find opportunities
Experiment with different match types (broad, phrase, exact)
Use negative keywords
Grab attention with your ad copy
Use Dynamic Keyword Insertion (DKI) to include search phrases
Highlight special seasonal offers & update regularly
Disqualify unlikely guests
Create many ad variations for each ad group
Split test ad copy variations
Use unique reservation landing pages
Adjust keyword bidding strategies
Use seasonality data
Try geo-targeting
Target specific demographics
Set up weekly statistics reporting
Ask your PPC agency hard questions
Social Media
Listen to what people are already saying about you
Monitor your brand name with Google Alerts
Use Google Trends to find what’s hot
Start a destination blog
Start a hotel blog
Have your staff start blogs
Understand the 7 types of blog posts
Use Feedburner for RSS syndication
Offer an email alternative to RSS
Make blog posts richer with Zemanta
Encourage distribution with ShareThis
Build your blog community with MyBlogLog
Realize that effective PR takes place in social media
Pitch travel bloggers
Focus your social media outreach on best groups
Start tweeting
Create a Facebook page
Get listed in WikiTravel (amazing how many smaller hotels are absent)
Get listed in TripAdvisor
Get listed in Yelp
Get listed in VirtualTourist
Encourage guests to register with Yelp & Tripadvisor at check in
Ask for TripAdvisor hotel reviews when your guests check out
Ask for Yelp reviews at the end of all in-house satisfaction surveys
When a guest compliments your hotel, ask them to give you a social media review
Print a social media review request on the back of your business cards
Start a Flickr photostream
Start a Flickr group
Start a YouTube channel
Shoot a video of your hotel, and post it to Google Video
Measurement & Analytics
Install (free) Google Analytics (if you haven’t already)
Understand how Analytics can help with search optimization
Use Compete.com to understand your site traffic (& competitors)
Track referral source types
Know which websites refer the highest quality traffic
Develop meaningful metrics for digital marketing
Track number of social media mentions
Track social media satisfaction percentage
Create new toll-free numbers to track different web promotions
Try HowSociable?
Customer Service
Listen to your guests using the web
Respond to feedback (positive and negative) in social media websites
Develop a more intelligent guest relationship system
Build an (opt-in) email list of your guests
Offer exclusive rates to your list
Reward your best guests: Send special birthday & anniversary packages
Reward your best guests: Create seasonal specials packages
Hire multilingual staff
Hire multicultural staff
Offer air conditioning
Print and give out (free) postcards
Reimburse checked baggage fees
Provide a SMART shopping car (like Le Bristol in Paris)
Borrow ideas from customer service leaders like Nordstrom and Lexus
Technology
Embrace new technology that improves your guest experience
Provide free internet access through WiFi and guest computers
Offer technology that complements your hotel’s heritage
Add new entertainment hubs (with iPod docking, etc)
Try interactive activity planner centers
Experiment with permission-based mobile marketing
Get your hotel video posted on TVtrip
Miscellaneous
Look for big advertising discounts (corporation budget cuts mean remnant sales)
Try unconventional room pricing
Never reduce prices as a quick-fix remedy
Partner with local businesses for destination marketing
Sell the experience, not the room