Some Best Practices to drive more Direct Bookings to your Hospitality Website | Direktbuchungen Homepage Ferienwohnung Ferienhaus Kurzzeitmiete
I. Give Travel Shoppers what they want:
- Show the right content which is tailored to the target audience.
- Focus on what the consumer cares about most: 1. They want to know what makes your hotel different and what experience can they expect, when they arrive at your property . – 2. They want to know what your rooms look like (beds, washroom, amenities, the view out the window). 3. They want to know, if they can get a deal. – 4. They want to know, what other people think about your property.
II. The Future of Digital is Visual Storytelling:
- We are visual people in a visual world.
- Use visuals that are relevant to your target guests.
- Create an emotional connection with travel shoppers.
- It’s not just about pictures and videos, that we create, now it’s snaps, vines and tweets, that convey who you are and what you can offer to the travel shopper.
- When you appeal to your guest emotionally, your pricing power will increase.
III. The Social Proof is in the Pudding:
- What others think matters – pull in user-generated content and reviews to keep travel shoppers on your site.
- Consumers trust recommendations more than advertising.
- Independent 3rd party feedback (reviews, ratings, awards) gives travel shoppers the confidence they need to book your property.
- If 2 accomodation providers are priced the same, shoppers are nearly 4 times more likely to choose the one with the higher review score.
- Many consumers are worried to make online transactions – calm those fears by adding 3rd party certification.
- Your guests will see social proof whether you like it or not, the key is to provide it to them on your site, so that they don’t have to go elsewhere to find it.
IV. Make it Easy to Book:
- Make sure, that the BookNow button is prominently displayed throughout your website.
- Optimize your booking process – 8 Keys to Optimizing Your Checkout: 1. Only ask for information you need (you lose 10 % of your bookings per every unnecessary field) – 2. Explain why you need the information you’re collecting – 3. Ensure travel shoppers can book with minimal clicks and pages – 4. Have clear call-to-actions (don’t make them guess where to click!) – 5. Don’t add calls-to-action that distract from check-out (like registering for an e-newsletter – that can be displayed after the check-out is complete) – 6. Assure customers that their check-out is secure – 7. Assure customers that they’re getting the best deal possible – 8. Add a sense of urgency to ensure they book now.
V. Mobile is a Must:
- If you don’t have a mobile website, you’re losing business today and will so increasingly in the future.
- It’s predicted that this year, 52 % of travel bookings (accomodation and airfares) will be made on mobile devices.
- Make sure they can do everything they would on a desktop, on a mobile device too.
- Mobile isn’t a trend, it’s here to stay.
(via @Sojern – Get the full story at https://youtu.be/yR4fGkpru5k )