Advertisers are quite happy to pay huge prices per column centimetre to be in a magazine; to feature in the “wall paper” section at the back of a travel magazine. There was one leading player in the industry some years ago, there are now many, often more than one publication in the same stable or publishing house. No doubt using their best efforts to persuade you that their publication will bring you more bookings or will fill your empty beds.
As a Guest House Owner, perhaps a Game Lodge; a Bed and Breakfast or the owner of a privately owned holiday house who would like a little rental when you’re not using it, you are faced with innumerable marketing choices but a limited budget.
The simple answer? There actually isn’t one. If the print media is really working for you and provided you have measured this and can prove it to yourself, stay with it, if it’s not broken don’t fix it. However, if one is well read, you will have picked up that that over 70% of all travel arrangements are now made using the internet. Assuming this is accurate and you are only in print media, you are not sending the correct message to a potential market double the size of the one you are currently marketing to, it makes little sense.
Add this to the fact that internet marketing is less expensive, most top accommodation sites charging between R800 and R1200 for a full years advertising as compared to a one column by two centimetre advert in a magazine for only one month!
Here are some guidelines associated with internet marketing:
1. It is very difficult for a single establishment with their own web site to feature within the first five pages of a keyword search in one of the better search engines such as Google or MSN. You need a pay-to-list partnership with at least a few if not up to ten or more of the larger; professional pay-to-list sites.
2. There are many free listing sites available, these sites rely on banner and other advertisers for their income, often prejudicial to you as an owner. There is a well known adage in life, it is often true….you get what you pay for.
3. Measure; measure and measure again. Your reception staff should be recording the information source from each and every booking by asking the customer if they wouldn’t mind giving you the detail of how they found out about you.
4. Good sites should ensure effective and regular communication. They should keep you informed as to the number of page visits to your own page and/or the number of e-mails sent to you from their site at the very least.
To coin marketing, a little like fishing is about having as many lines in the water as possible and more importantly to be in the correct dam. The internet is without doubt the best dam to be in, now count your lines.
Send in your marketing tips to us and allow us to share them with others.
Brought to you with compliments from www.staysa.co.za, your one stop accommodation solution.
Partnering with South Africa’s newest accommodation portal: www.holidayhomesa.co.za
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