2023’s biggest marketing challenges and how to overcome them
The biggest marketing challenges facing hospitality and hotels in 2023 include getting your brand onto TikTok, keeping your content supply feeling fresh and understanding what you really offer, not just what you think you offer. Here are some tried and tested solutions to help you navigate the incoming year.
1. Keeping great content flowing
Oh look, another picture of a lobby! And wait, is that a... wine glass? Keeping your social media posts plentiful, fresh and innovative is a challenge. Especially with short-form video becoming so popular as a medium, you’re relying on the team to keep supplying great content but without inspiration and guidance things can get a bit... samey.
A way to support this is to keep the communications channel wide open and lively. Using group chats on WhatsApp will encourage collaboration and you can help teammates or clients by sharing prompts, ideas and suggestions to spark those moments of inspiration.
2. Finding the spark of inspiration
...And if you’re stuck for inspiration, try recreating something new from something you’ve already used. It’s a shame to use great video or an image only once. If something worked before, would it work again in a different way? Or can you replicate something you’ve seen elsewhere with a different twist? Also, user-generated content can be a great source of ideas so search and see what others have posted. Squeeze as much out of excellent content as you possibly can and you’ll keep that creative tap running nice and hot all year.
3. The unignorable power of TikTok
Many in hospitality are still hesitant to use TikTok. But those who don’t participate may end up being left behind as the trend for video continues to burgeon and more people join the platform. It was the most downloaded App in 2021 (up to 30 billion downloads in total) and has more than 38 million active users.
If “sort out TikTok” has been written on your list all year, make a start by familiarising yourself with it. See how other similar businesses use it and what sorts of video they’re posting. Do some research. Look at the comments. Be creative and use humour. Maybe take your TripAdvisor reviews and turn them into something creative? Use previous posts as inspiration or jump on the latest challenges (there is always something doing the rounds on TikTok so you won’t be short of ideas). Even collaborate with influencers on a video and... if all that doesn’t convince you...
4. Adapting to change
...A new study has shown that 40% of Gen Z use TikTok to search for information over Google Search. Instead of looking up a recipe on Google for example, those aged up to 23 will search the recipe on TikTok and watch a video rather than read an article. Things have dramatically changed and you need to keep up if you’re going to hook in those customers of the future. Create video content that answers the questions people might ask about you. And remember to have fun with it. TikTok is far from serious but it’s certainly to be taken seriously.
5. Building authenticity and trust
61% of consumers trust recommendations from influencers as opposed to 38% who claim to trust in-house produced content. Put simply, you can make the slickest content in the world but it would sound much better coming from someone else. Therefore, it’s worth investing in partnerships with influencers and building authentic relationships which will translate to authentic content. Inauthenticity is always easy to spot especially on social media.
6. Making it a two-way street
Like making a real friend, a two-way discussion with your audience does more to build a relationship than just you talking at them all the time. Read comments, have polls, ask questions and get to know your audience. This will help you tailor your content and make your social media more interactive and engaging.
7. Knowing what you really offer
The pandemic caused many traditional lines to blur, especially in the workplace with hybrid working now a *thing* for many people. Think about your hospitality space - is just a place to stay the night, have a drink or something to eat? Or is it now also a workspace? Does it have good internet? Is it a quiet place to meet clients? Be aware of these nuances and how customers are really using your services. Then use this knowledge to enhance your content and really grab the attention of your potential customers.
