Just when you thought you could catch your breath after the heady rush of Christmas and New Year, there’s yet another holiday knocking at your door: Valentine’s Day.
Since 17% of adults on average plan to celebrate the holiday with a romantic getaway, that means it’s time to roll up your sleeves (again) and start marketing your property for the sweetest holiday of the year. Here are our top tips to help you get the ball rolling.
Love is in the air
To make it easier for travelers to engage with content that’s tailored to them, the personalization of your offers is the way to go. The more relevant and meaningful they are, the greater the chance you’ll see the desired results. What’s more, you can target potential guests with your Valentine’s Day offers along the customer journey, from the planning stage to check-in.
If you aren’t sure what to promote, take a look at the strengths of your property, especially its location. Obviously, it isn’t an option for every property to offer guests a spa treatment or dinner for two, but collaboration with local business owners who provide those services is an option. B2B connections across industries in your area not only foster mutual development, but they’re also good marketing outlets for your property.
But, of course, simple is also beautiful. You can easily delight guests with goodies baked with love, a complementary beverage at check-in, or even free use of the mini bar—the possibilities are endless. All you have to do is let your imagination run wild to create a memorable guest experience.
Promote your website rates to drive direct bookings
Promote the love
Once you’ve settled on your Valentine’s Day offer, social media is most likely your go-to platform to promote them.
When you reach out to your past guests online, your remarketing activities can remind them that Valentine’s Day is the perfect reason to book again. But why stop there? Expand your audience by also targeting people who are similar to your previous guests. It’s easier than you think.
Facebook, for example, can help you set up a lookalike audience that’s based on your fans, with a focus on demographics, interests, and location to name a few. Facebook will then promote your ad to the lookalike audience who could be interested in your property, too.
If you’re on Instagram, try your hand at Instagram Reels; they have a 22% higher engagement rate than standard videos on the platform. Since Reels are discoverable on Instagram, you also have the opportunity to broaden your reach among the Instagram community. It’s possible to share Reels in your Instagram feed, add them to your Stories, and post them on your Facebook page, too.
Don’t forget an email marketing campaign, either. The delivery of a Valentine’s Day offer to your past and repeat guests’ inbox can inspire them to head your way again in February.
And since we’re on the topic of promotion, let’s also talk about timing. When you advertise your Valentine’s Day offer online, you may very well reach potential guests who are experiencing what Google dubs the “I-want-to-get-away moments.” The individuals at this stage are just beginning to imagine where they could go and what that trip could look like. What’s more, 82% of these leisure travelers don’t have their accommodations yet. Will your personalized offer influence them to book their stay with you?
Although it makes sense to start advertising Valentine’s Day offers in early January, you could also try at the beginning of the Christmas season to give your occupancy rate for February a little boost.
Since men tend to spend more on Valentine’s Day, you could promote your special offer as the perfect Christmas gift they can give to their significant other. After all, who wouldn’t love to unwrap a romantic getaway for two on Christmas morning?
Love at first sight
Once you’ve sparked interest on social media, you know potential guests are going to start searching online to learn more about your property. No matter where they land, be it your website or your trivago profile, you need to help them visualize their stay with you.
The findings from a neurological study by Michigan State University revealed that our brain’s visual cortex, which is responsible for interpreting and processing visual information our eyes receive, “is more powerful than previously believed” and can influence our decision-making. Therefore, the higher the quality and the more relevant your photos are, the more persuasive you can be.
What should your photos be?
- Clear. Avoid elements that can easily date photos and distract travelers from the main purpose of the photo.
- Crisp. A resolution of 2,000 pixels is ideal, otherwise photos with a low resolution will appear blurry.
- Perfectly lit. Take advantage of natural light by following what photographer’s call the ‘golden hour;’ it’s the time shortly after sunrise and just before sunset.
For your profile on trivago, we recommend showing 30 high-quality photos that project your property at its best. Yes, that includes Valentine’s Day and other holidays, too. That way, potential guests can see how your property transforms from one season to the next.
To complement your Valentine’s Day photos, also use the space for your description to add details about the celebration of it at your property.
And finally…
Are you planning to advertise special website rates for Valentine’s Day, too? Then you’ll definitely want to get the word out on those. For example, you can promote yours on trivago with Rate Connect. As soon as potential guests click on the website rates you advertise, trivago will send them straight to your website. What’s more, guests’ first-party data is yours to keep with each direct booking. How can you not love that?
Photo by Prostock – Studio on Adobe Stock
