How can a digital marketing agency with specialized hotel marketers help my hotel?
Selecting a new hotel marketing agency is a massive decision and sometimes it's hard to figure out in a sales pitch whether you're talking to a top hospitality agency who can ramp your online presence or an amateur. Not only are retainers high but digital agencies are the stewards of your hotel's paid media budget (digital advertising). Agencies who are skilled at website design will drive increased RoaS with higher conversion rates and better messaging. Digital marketing services in hotels go beyond SEO, SEM (PPC) and web design though, a hospitality marketing agency should be effective with social media marketing, understand key e-commerce fundamentals, and deeply understand the latest industry specific trends like Google updates and metasearch bidding strategies. Hospitality brands will require completely different tactics and partners than independents who's digital marketing strategy must drive brand awareness from scratch to build trust with consumers.
Digital marketing agencies that specialize in hotels understand the great benefits of channel distribution, namely the diversification of budget and brand control that such a strategy gives. However, their goal is always direct bookings and limiting the number of large commissions being paid from clients to the OTAs.