As we delve into the heart of hotel marketing, let’s agree on the purpose of your current marketing strategy… a) to drive the intention for potential guests to visit your destination and b) for them to book a stay at your property, right?
I’m also sure you are familiar with the effectiveness of incorporating storytelling into your marketing to generate connection that stops the scroll and gets potential customers to engage.
As the sociologist Peter L. Berger said, “human life is rooted in narrative”. We are hard-wired to prefer stories and they serve as a bridge to the emotions of your potential customers. A Nielsen study reinforces this, revealing that when we read stories, our brains activate various regions as if we were experiencing the narrative firsthand. To truly capture attention, engaging customers emotionally is key and stories can help with that, but this is not the crucial element to elevating your hotel positioning, we will come to that soon 😊
You have probably already crafted compelling content around the unique selling points of your destination, your locally produced amenities, the local ingredients in your signature dish, a cultural celebration unique to your location or a behind the scenes snapshot of your most vibrant staff member. If you haven’t, those are some great ideas to get you started.
Most people jump straight to social to share these mini stories, but as driving organic traffic to your website is a free way to get better visibility online, consider the power of an integrated approach. Adding a blog or an “inspiration” page to your website serves as a central hub for your original content. You can then link back to it from everywhere you place short form versions such as social snippets, shorts on YouTube, mentions in your newsletters, or updates to tour operators.
However, in the ever-evolving landscape of hotel management and marketing, there's a game-changer – social purpose. Hotels, once viewed solely as accommodation providers, are now embracing a broader role in contributing to positive social impact. It's not just about offering a comfortable stay; it's about making a meaningful contribution to society. This is the key to elevating your marketing in 2024 and into the future.
We find ourselves at a pivotal societal juncture where the status quo is no longer acceptable. To stand out and survive, hotel owners and managers need to ask profound questions about their purpose, values, and impact.
What is the purpose of your business?
What do you value beyond revenue?
What are you passionate about?
How can you make a difference in your destination?
In this extended post-Covid period, you might be enjoying a comfortable flow of bookings, but the dynamics of travel consumption are changing. Millennials and Gen Z, now planning and paying for their own travel, are driven by ingrained values such as environmental care and social equality. This shift in consumer behaviour is coupled with the mounting pressure of ESG reporting.
ESG reporting, focusing on Environmental, Social, and Governance factors, is becoming increasingly important. While small and medium-sized businesses may be currently exempt, if you host corporate clients or sell rooms to international operators, their own legal requirement to report on their ESG action and results means they must also analyse their supply chains. That is you. Even if you are not located in the EU, if you do business with people who are, you also need to get ready for what comes next.
Defining your social purpose now provides a head start for when you are asked to detail your contribution to social well-being. Your social purpose can encompass community engagement, philanthropy, local partnerships, workforce welfare, and diversity and inclusion initiatives. However, passion is the secret sauce that guarantees sustained success.
Choosing an initiative driven by genuine passion ensures its functionality, sustainability over time, and measurable results. It's not about opting for the easiest or most socially appealing action; it's about selecting an initiative that resonates with your core values and mission. Imagine the pride and sense of accomplishment when you share the trajectory and results of your initiative – your "stand-tall moment."
When it comes to sharing this values-based approach with the world, we can use the term “purpose-driven marketing”. This combines the art of storytelling with the tangible results of effecting real change.
So, let’s ask those questions again?
What is the purpose of your business?
What do you value?
What are you passionate about?
Where do you see the need for improvement in your destination
What can you do about it?
Imagine the transformative impact when your hotel becomes a guiding light of positive change, not just offering a stay but contributing meaningfully to the world. Your "stand-tall moments" will not only captivate your audience but will resonate and stand out as best practice examples of social purpose and real change in the industry.
So, what is your next step?
To take action, right?
To guide you through this transformative process, I have crafted a self-paced course that empowers you to define your own social purpose. In just 90 minutes, this course will give you all the tools you need to confidently define your unique brand values, and to continue on to align them with your unique social purpose initiative.
What the course includes:
Three concise and engaging videos:
Video 1: Defining Your Brand Personality (12 minutes)
Video 2: Defining Your Brand Values (14 minutes)
Video 3: Defining Your Social Purpose (13 minutes)
Designed to be immediately actionable, these videos talk you through the why and the process to get this work done efficiently. The accompanying slides are yours to refer back to.
A comprehensive workbook with example answers
A ready-to-use Social Purpose Execution Plan template.
Affordable, accessible, and effective, this Defining Social Purpose self-paced course is your key to elevating your hotel positioning, generating lasting impact in your destination, staying ahead of the game, and creating those stand-tall moments for your hotel.
Ready to embark on the journey? Click here or the image below to discover more and redefine the purpose of your hotel today.
