Beat your competition in 2017
Are you ready to beat your competition during your busy season this year? Instead of just beating them by lowering your rates and potentially lowering your revenue, try these 10 tips instead!
10 ways to beat your competition:
1. Know your competition
We bet you have a good idea of who your competition is but you really need to know them in order to come out ahead. Whether that’s their pricing, their customer service, or enhancements they offer. Find any areas that you’re offering more and make sure those topics are prominent on your website, OTA listings, and other directories.
2. Use value pricing
Of course you want to factor in your value and experience your guests have when they stay with you when it comes to pricing. Your price might be higher than the inn down the street but if your rooms are all renovated, include luxury amenities, and breakfast, of course your offerings are more valuable and thus should be priced higher. Price isn’t the only thing potential guests are looking at, but it is important to make sure they’re getting a good value for what they’re paying per night.
3. Offer specials/packages
Another way to keep your rates in line with the competition but attract more guests is to offer specials or packages. Everyone loves a discount when they’re shopping and packages are great ways to add value to a guest’s stay without discounting your room rates.
4. Use professional photography
Photos tell travelers more about your rooms than a text-based description so make sure your photos are stunning and professionally done to really show how special your property is. While iPhone photos work for social media posts or blogs, your room detail pages should really have professional quality photos to paint the picture of the experience they’re going to have.
5. Have an optimized site
Since you’re both trying to attract travelers in the same area, chances are your sites are showing up for similar keywords in the search engines. Make your site rank higher and look better in the search engines with continual optimization or working with a digital marketing agency to optimize your site, your PPC ads, and social media presence.
6. Be social
Use social media to your advantage to stay in touch with your guests and be top of mind when they start making travel plans. You can also share exclusive discounts on your social channels to encourage direct bookings and repeat visits at your property.
7. Highlight local events and activities
Use your website to share information on local events, activities, and attractions to not only boost your rankings in the search engines but also build up trust in these researchers who may want to book with you after reading about an upcoming concert.
8. Tout your food and drinks
Everyone loves a complimentary and fresh breakfast each morning so make sure you have a dedicated page on your website discussing the menu and showing photos of your dishes. Your specialty pancakes and quiches will sound better than your competition’s standard breakfast buffet. You should also call attention to any social or happy hours you offer as an additional amenity.
9. Showcase associations and accolades
Display logos from associations you’re a part of or any awards your property has won to build trust with travelers and make them feel more comfortable booking your property.
10. Have a loyalty program
Finally, an easy way to beat out your competition is to make it rewarding for your guests to be a repeat guest at your property with a loyalty or rewards program. You can offer smaller incentives as they return to your property or make them build up to a free stay.