For a small and growing hotel brand, competing with OTAs, MetaSearch engines, and big hotel chains is a hard nut to crack. Scaling an in-house marketing team requires conviction and budget.
As a content marketing leader in hospitality, I’ve faced these challenges too. However, with basic AI tools and marketing platforms, small hotel chains can turn things around. Here are some effective AI marketing practices that worked for me:
1. Optimize Website Content with AI Tools
Tools Used: Yoast SEO & ChatGPT
Result Achieved: 30% jump in organic traffic and a 40% increase in direct bookings YOY.
AI can significantly improve your website’s content and SEO performance. Yoast SEO is a powerful tool that helps optimize your content for search engines. It provides real-time feedback on readability and keyword usage, ensuring your content is both engaging and SEO-friendly. By integrating Yoast SEO into your content strategy, you can attract more organic traffic to your website.
ChatGPT, on the other hand, can assist in content creation. This AI tool can generate high-quality, engaging content tailored to your audience. From blog posts to website copy, ChatGPT helps maintain a consistent and vibrant online presence. By leveraging these tools, we saw a substantial increase in organic traffic and direct bookings.
2. Create SEO-optimized Captions and Copy
Tool Used: HubSpot Marketing’s AI Feature
Result Achieved: 20% hike in organic social traffic and 30% follower growth on acquired accounts YOY.
Social media is a vital channel for engaging with potential guests and promoting your brand. HubSpot Marketing’s AI feature can generate SEO-optimized captions and copy for your social media posts. This tool analyzes trends and suggests content that resonates with your audience, ensuring your posts are not only engaging but also optimized for search engines.
Using HubSpot’s AI capabilities, we noticed a significant increase in organic social traffic and follower growth. By creating compelling and optimized social media content, you can enhance your brand’s visibility and reach.
3. Boost Email Open Rate and Conversions
Tool Used: Stampede’s Generative AI Feature
Result Achieved: 10% improvement in open rate and a 7% increase in click rates for deals-related email marketing campaigns.
Email marketing remains a powerful tool for driving bookings and engaging with past and potential guests. Stampede’s Generative AI feature helps create, plan, and execute effective email marketing campaigns. This tool can generate personalized email content, craft attention-grabbing subject lines, and optimize send times to increase open and click rates.
By using Stampede’s AI capabilities, we saw a marked improvement in our email marketing performance. Personalized and timely emails can significantly enhance guest engagement and drive conversions.
Takeaway
If your current marketing methods aren’t delivering the expected growth, consider integrating AI into your strategy step by step. It’s all about the intent and timely inclusion of AI in your marketing ecosystem.
By embracing these AI-driven strategies, small hotel brands can significantly enhance their digital presence, drive direct bookings, and compete effectively in the crowded hospitality market. AI tools like Yoast SEO, ChatGPT, HubSpot Marketing’s AI feature, and Stampede’s Generative AI feature can help you optimize your content, improve social media engagement, and boost email marketing performance. Start small, measure your results, and gradually integrate more AI tools to transform your hotel’s marketing strategy.
