Overview of the Best Tools

For a hotelier to be well positioned digitally, a coordinated and functioning online marketing system is of great importance. A strong web presence and a comprehensive hotel marketing strategy are essential for hotels to increase brand awareness and generate reservations. A variety of software solutions are available to support and (partially) automate hotel online marketing, including content creation and distribution. This simplifies not only the daily work of the hotelier, but also that of the marketing manager.

Some of the most helpful online marketing software for the hotel industry include:

NEWSLETTER SOFTWARE

Hotel newsletters are customizable, measurable, efficient and easy to combine with other marketing activities such as hotel voucher marketing. Furthermore, a newsletter software like ADDITIVE+ NEWSLETTER can be automated and the creation of emotionally appealing content is very intuitive.

VOUCHER TOOL

Voucher marketing is recommended for more up-selling or to better market internal hotel offerings such as spa, hotel restaurant or activities. ADDITIVE+ VOUCHERS can be linked to the hotel software so that the hotel reception knows immediately which guest has received which voucher, which voucher has been redeemed and how much revenue has been generated. Voucher marketing can also be partially automated through integration with marketing automation software.

CONTENT CREATION

Content marketing can be used to directly address different target groups and inspire them about the hotel. Blog or journal tools help hoteliers to use emotional storytelling and create fascinating, informative and entertaining content. This way, hoteliers can increase their reach and achieve better guest loyalty.

GRAPHICS TOOL

A graphic tool can be used to create consistent content that matches the corporate design that hoteliers can use to market their hotel. Canva or Creatopy, for example, are considered very intuitive and easy to use.

SOCIAL MEDIA PLANNING TOOLS

Tools such as Hootsuite, Buffer, Falcon.io, Sprout or Later allow hoteliers to plan their social media marketing. Depending on the tool, many different social media channels can be integrated, including Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn and YouTube. Hotels can be specific about their social media marketing goals and plan the posts and videos that will be posted. They can also track interactions and engage with their own community.

CRM (CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT) WITH PMS INTERFACE

A hotel CRM is not only used to manage all guest data and relationships. With a CRM, hoteliers can evaluate exactly when which guest from which country generated how much revenue for the hotel. In addition, all employees have an overview of the current and past occupancy of the rooms at all times. An analysis can be used to make a forecast for the coming months. ADDITIVE+ CRM simplifies the daily work at the reception and in marketing. To fully utilize this data for marketing automation, an interface to the hotel's own PMS (Hotel Property Management System) is highly recommended.

MARKETING AUTOMATION

Marketing automation software is useful for sending the right message to the (potential) guest at the right time through different channels. In this way, the visibility of the hotel to the guest is best achieved at the very moment when the guest is considering booking a stay at the hotel. ADDITIVE+ MARKETING AUTOMATION simplifies personalized communication and advertising to (regular) guests and is fully integrated with the hotel software and other ADDITIVE software. In combination, hoteliers achieve successful up- and cross-selling, strong guest loyalty and an increase in hotel revenue. In addition, all results are directly traceable thanks to 24/7 live reporting.

ANALYSIS TOOLS

In order for a hotel's marketing staff to be able to effectively evaluate the data from the hotel's website and thus gain important insights from the website's visitors, an evaluation tool is highly recommended. Google Analytics 4, for example, provides usable data in accordance with the GDPR, providing information on how and whether marketing activities are working. ADDITIVE+ MARKETING INSIGHTS also offers comprehensive campaign and sales reporting with evaluations according to different advertising channels, whereby not only inquiries but also concrete bookings and sales are evaluated.ADDITIVE supports hoteliers in the area of cross-channel online marketing activities. Find out more in a free consultation: