Using Bookassist to Maximise Your Own Price Lead Promotions
The increase in “Flash Sales” sites has changed the dynamically priced room promotion dramatically over the past six to nine months.
It’s not that price lead promotions are anything new; it’s just that the delivery mechanism – most commonly email marketing - has become quicker and more efficient. The result however has been that the customer is now seeking a deal and many hotels feel it necessary to compete on price at the current time.
As part of an overall marketing strategy this need not be a bad thing but basic principles must remain – the best route for any hotel to generate business is direct with the customer and therefore developing your own “flash sales” is in many ways better than developing it with a third party.
If you’re going third party anyway you should most certainly consider making sure you create your own onine promotion alongside the one you are running with the third party. If you give the customer the opportunity to book a similar limited availability deal directly through your own website they may well switch – booking direct can be more trusted – and save you substantial marketing costs. One thing is for certain if it’s twice the cost of the promotion price there is no chance of switch selling.
The Process
A simple price lead offer can be easily managed and costs reduced by using your booking engine’s tools.
A Six Step Approach
- Set up the new room package and pricing in your Bookassist administration system
- Allocate the number of rooms available for each night of the promotion
- Decide on whether the package will be seen by all visitors to your site or just those you contact
- Use a Promo Code or a Price Group to direct customers direct to the promotional offer
- Add the link or promo code to your email campaign or Facebook pages
- Track the click through rates and conversion using the Bookassist application in Google Analytics
The Benefits?
- The customers are your customers and you can then nurture them for repeat visits and other services.
- The cost of sales is reduced by not having phone’s requiring answering
- You can sell valuable secondary spend add ons through the system to every booking – wine, dinner, golf, transfers, flowers and the rest.
If done systematically the following process could be completed and ready for distribution in under an hour.
- Create the sales proposition - £20.12 per person B&B available January through March for bookings made in January 2012.
- Add the package and description and terms into your booking engine for each room type you are offering
- Create add ons specifically linked to the promotion – they will not be seen for any other room type
- Create a promotional banner on your website and social media with a direct link to the packages if you are selling it fully publicly.
- Open up your availability as required for each room type
- Create a “Price Group” or Promo Code if you wish the offer to be limited to those you contact and then Publish the link or promotional copy to your Facebook, Twitter and email marketing campaigns with the direct link to the package on your booking engine page.
(On Line Example http://www.celticlinksdemo.co.uk/booking.php?price_groups=131072 )
- Track click throughs on your Facebook, email and website statistics. Your Bookassist reports and Google Analytics Goals will give a direct measure of promotional success – compare on and off line conversion rates.
Tel 01292 521404
Scotland@bookassist.com
www.bookassist.org/sco
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