SEO, SEM, Social Media & Mobile Marketing for Hospitality, Travel and Tourism Companies and Properties.

Many Hospitality companies engage in SEO, Search Engine Marketing and Social Media Marketing services as the technology is presented to them.

Today’s business and leisure travelers are more savvy than ever, using Search Engines on computers and mobile devices, leveraging Social Media applications to research, book and review properties as they travel the globe.

Traveler booking data reveals how vital it is for every hospitality, travel and tour destination or organization to reach travelers using  search, social and mobile media, on it’s own power if it is to compete.

Integrated Strategy for Corporate Brand to Local Results

A strategic approach and deliberate execution can make a tremendous difference for new or established hospitality, travel and tourism companies. The Internet and mobile devices have made a Corporate Brand to LOCAL Social Media and Search Engine Strategy more powerful than ever, when leveraged together.

Organic Search Engine Optimization

• The Internet was used by 90 million people to plan travel in the past year.
• 76% of Leisure Travelers use the Internet to plan some aspect of upcoming travel.
• 34% of travelers visit Search Engines first (Google Yahoo/Bing, etc.) when planning travel.

More than 55% of travel bookings and up to 40% of hotel bookings in North America will be generated from
the Internet in 2009, a double-digit growth over 2008.

By 2010 the Internet will contribute over 45% of all hotel bookings in North America.

- eMarketer

Search Engine Marketing

Studies show that travelers are more likely to click on organic search engine results over paid or sponsored links.

Companies that rely upon Paid Search as a primary source of traffic are at a disadvantage, and slave to bidding wars, frequency rotating ads and conversion. When used for specific purposes, however, PPC campaigns on Google Adwords, Yahoo Paid Search/Microsoft (merger pending) and other networks can be strategically integrated with other digital marketing efforts for an effective and cost effective acquisition of each visitor/customer.

Social Media Marketing

Hospitality companies are embracing social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, YouTube, etc. However the return on time, money and energy in building a social media strategy is greater when optimized to leverage Google’s “real time search” and the influence of travelers and their social circles online.

As of October 2009, almost six out of 10 (59 percent) of active travelers have visited a social networking site. Since social media platforms have grown exponentially since that time, these numbers can be expected to be much higher and continue to grow.

Mobile Marketing

Mobile marketing makes social media and search engine activity more local than ever.

A Google survey in Fall 2009 revealed:

• 52% of business travelers who booked hotels on their mobile device did so through a mobile browser, rather than a mobile application.
• 51% of leisure travelers used mobile browsers over mobile apps.
• 44% of business travelers planned cruises using mobile devices.
• 31% of  leisure travelers used their mobile devices to research cruises.
• 18% of business travelers used their mobile device to book a cruise.
• 9% of leisure travelers used mobile devices to book a cruise.
• 21% of business travelers used mobile devices to “check-in” to social media geolocation apps Foursquare and Gowalla.
• 8% of leisure travelers used mobile devices to “check-in” for their cruise using social media apps Foursquare or Gowalla.

It is vital for Hospitality, Travel and Tourism companies and properties offer a mobile-friendly web presence, or a mobile website that is search engine optimized to be found via keyword search as the #1 website accessed from mobile devices is Google search.

Hospitality, Travel & Tourism Digital Marketing Specialists

We have worked with Hotels, Resorts, Luxury Travel Operators, and a variety of Hospitality Companies and Properties over the years to leverage the internet to compete, build loyal audiences and promote dominance in local marketplaces.

We help organizations integrate their mobile strategy, optimize mobile marketing assets and deploy strategic mobile marketing solutions that scale according to consumer behavior, performance and ROI.

We deliver results with best practices, emerging technology and methods PROVEN to deliver results.

Our many years of experience in creating cost-effective, strategic marketing initiatives that deliver results for properties of all sizes, include:

• Hotels/Inns/Restaurants
• Resorts
• Travel Destinations
• Wedding / Event Locations/Tourist Destinations
• Tourism / Tour Operators – Domestic and International

Is leveraging social media, search engines and mobile mediums part of your marketing strategy for your organization?

Contact us!
We will be happy to open a dialogue on how we might assist  you in achieving your immediate and long-term goals.

Hospitality, Travel and Tourism Search Engine, Social Media and Mobile Data Sources:

Travelers Use of the Internet, 2009
Travel Horizons Study, 2010
Google US mobile traveler survey, Fall 2010

5 Responses to “Hospitality, Travel & Tourism SEO, SEM & Social Media Marketing”