Guide to marketing success on the Suffolk Hotels Guide
Your display on the Suffolk Hotels Guide will get your business seen by thousands of visitors to the site, but that's all it can do! To maximise enquiries and bookings you have to get the marketing mix right. Here are some tips that we hope will help you do that -
A) Setting up your advertisement
1) Write good copy. You have unlimited text on the Guide, so all the space you could possibly want to sell your services. The key points and features of your business should be at the top of your display as attention spans are limited and you only have a short time to make an impact on a potential booker (8 seconds on average). If you put yourself in the position of an enquiror what information might they like to know to make a booking?
2) Choose good photos. You can display up to 4 colour photos of your Hotel, and you can change these as often as you wish. Remember that people buy with their eyes so photos are your most important selling tool. You don't have to use a professional photographer - just find someone with a digital camera Ideally chose well lit, bright and clear images, preferably taken on a sunny day. And it's a good idea to include interior and exterior shots, a shot of a bedroom, and shots of your food if you're promoting a restaurant. If you use a digital camera email the images to us at the office so that we can reduce them in size - otherwise they take a long time to download, by which time visitors have clicked away. We'll reduce the pixels and add the images to your display.
3) Quote realistic rates. It's always worth knowing what others are charging so that you remain competitive. People are very value conscious at the moment, looking for deals, so try to make your offer as attractive as possible without necessarily reducing your rates eg offer a free upgrade subject to availability etc
4) Double check your contact details - you don't want to miss any leads. When you've uploaded your advert we check it and make it live on the Guide, and send you a link to it. We suggest that you then send yourself an email through the Guide (click on Send Email) to make sure that your details are correct.
5) Consider listing in appropriate extra categories – the more categories your business is listed under the more exposure you’ll get. eg Pet Friendly Hotels, Family Friendly, Venues for parties, Corporate Events, Health Spa, Golf Courses etc
B Maintaining your display Unlike an advertisement in a paper or magazine which cannot be changed after it's been published, to get the maximum from your online display it should be kept up-to-date. Also this means that you can experiment with your online advert, using different images and copy to see what works best and attracts most enquiries.
1) Keep your display current with your password access eg in the summer use bright images and outside shots eg if you have a conservatory or terrace at your Hotel and image of that: and in the winter swap these for cosey inside images, open fires etc. Or, if you’re promoting your restaurant, change the images of your food from salads to stews! Just use the Customer Login button on every page of the Guide to login to your display with your unique password.
2) Use Special Offers to cover periods when bookings are quieter and you want to drive more business. Special Offers are listed on the homepage which will increase your exposure. This feature doesn't cost you any extra so use it is often as you can.
3) Add events to your display that might encourage tourists to visit your area eg events that you’ve organised at your Hotel, or events in your area such as Festivals and Fetes. Your display will go on the homepage, and information you've added will be copied and pasted into other relevant parts of the Suffolk Guides, such as
What's On In Suffolk, Half Term Activities in Suffolk etc etc. If we can help you to get more people to your event or to your area then your business will benefit.
Please contact us at anytime if we can help or you want to talk through any aspect of your online advert. Just send email to [email protected]or call 0845 362 7855. We are here to help you!
A) Setting up your advertisement
1) Write good copy. You have unlimited text on the Guide, so all the space you could possibly want to sell your services. The key points and features of your business should be at the top of your display as attention spans are limited and you only have a short time to make an impact on a potential booker (8 seconds on average). If you put yourself in the position of an enquiror what information might they like to know to make a booking?
2) Choose good photos. You can display up to 4 colour photos of your Hotel, and you can change these as often as you wish. Remember that people buy with their eyes so photos are your most important selling tool. You don't have to use a professional photographer - just find someone with a digital camera Ideally chose well lit, bright and clear images, preferably taken on a sunny day. And it's a good idea to include interior and exterior shots, a shot of a bedroom, and shots of your food if you're promoting a restaurant. If you use a digital camera email the images to us at the office so that we can reduce them in size - otherwise they take a long time to download, by which time visitors have clicked away. We'll reduce the pixels and add the images to your display.
3) Quote realistic rates. It's always worth knowing what others are charging so that you remain competitive. People are very value conscious at the moment, looking for deals, so try to make your offer as attractive as possible without necessarily reducing your rates eg offer a free upgrade subject to availability etc
4) Double check your contact details - you don't want to miss any leads. When you've uploaded your advert we check it and make it live on the Guide, and send you a link to it. We suggest that you then send yourself an email through the Guide (click on Send Email) to make sure that your details are correct.
5) Consider listing in appropriate extra categories – the more categories your business is listed under the more exposure you’ll get. eg Pet Friendly Hotels, Family Friendly, Venues for parties, Corporate Events, Health Spa, Golf Courses etc
B Maintaining your display Unlike an advertisement in a paper or magazine which cannot be changed after it's been published, to get the maximum from your online display it should be kept up-to-date. Also this means that you can experiment with your online advert, using different images and copy to see what works best and attracts most enquiries.
1) Keep your display current with your password access eg in the summer use bright images and outside shots eg if you have a conservatory or terrace at your Hotel and image of that: and in the winter swap these for cosey inside images, open fires etc. Or, if you’re promoting your restaurant, change the images of your food from salads to stews! Just use the Customer Login button on every page of the Guide to login to your display with your unique password.
2) Use Special Offers to cover periods when bookings are quieter and you want to drive more business. Special Offers are listed on the homepage which will increase your exposure. This feature doesn't cost you any extra so use it is often as you can.
3) Add events to your display that might encourage tourists to visit your area eg events that you’ve organised at your Hotel, or events in your area such as Festivals and Fetes. Your display will go on the homepage, and information you've added will be copied and pasted into other relevant parts of the Suffolk Guides, such as
What's On In Suffolk, Half Term Activities in Suffolk etc etc. If we can help you to get more people to your event or to your area then your business will benefit.
Please contact us at anytime if we can help or you want to talk through any aspect of your online advert. Just send email to [email protected]or call 0845 362 7855. We are here to help you!
