DIGITAL MARKETING:A RESORTʼS TICKETTO FILLING ROOMSYEAR ROUNDThe highly competitive hospitality industry faces unique challenges—a short busy season, followed by long periods of less travel—and with those challenges comes a unique need for effective marketing campaigns.

But travelers research and book vacations much differently than they used to. At the center of modern travelers’ booking process? Digital media.

SO

URCES USED IN TRAVEL PLANNIN

G

SO

URCES OF TRAVEL INSPIRATION

Travel Agents

10%

Travel Groups

7%

800 or Toll-Free Number

3%

Radio

6%

64%

Magazines/Newspapers

Informational Brochures& Books

44%

TV

31%

22%

Here’s a look at some digital marketing tools and how they can helpreach today’s travelers:

87%

10%7%4%

28%Magazines/Newspapers

use search engines to �nd information.

recall travel ads they’ve seen online.

68%of Smartphone Users

71%of Smartphone Users

63%of Desktop Users

59%of Desktop Users

Monitoring review sites, building community through your social media sites, and respondingpositively to all comments and questions is important to shaping an online reputation that willencourage travelers to book with you.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND REVIEW SITES

VIDEO MARKETING

Social media is key to building brand awareness. Use your social media pages as a way to buildup your online presence and inspire people to come stay with you.

PAY PER CLICK MARKETING ANDPAID SEARCH

61%

16%

62%of people say family, friends, or colleagues inspire them to travel.

say their inspiration comes from the Internet.

of a�uent travelers say a social media ad in�uences their booking decisions.

Travelers check online reviews to round out their perceptionof a travel destination.

read reviews from other travelers.

check reviews from friends and family.

90%

of a�uent travelers take some kindof action after viewing an online

travel video.

of a�uent travelers take some kind ofaction after viewing an online travel video.

make watching a travel video a regular partof their planning.

Make videos that appeal to travelers in all areas of the booking cycle.

MOBILE MARKETINGAs Google puts it, “A multi-device strategy is no longer optional”to your digital marketing plan. Today’s traveler frequently starts planningon one device and finishes on another.

55%

30%

60% 64% 67%

watch videos when thinkingabout taking a trip.

watch when choosing adestination.

watch when deciding onaccommodations.

Make your videos available across multiple channels.

70%

65%

56%

watch videos from hotels and other hospitality brands.

watch expert video reviews.

watch videos from travel-related channels.

OF TRAVELERS WHO WATCH VIDEOS:

Still not sure whether you should use videos in your marketing?

44%

44%

62%say a video has in�uenced where they decided to travel.

46%say video inspired them to plan a vacation.

say a video inspired them to visit the advertiser’s website.

41%say video introduced them to a travel brand they were not aware of.

47%

look for destinations and vacation ideas, talk about the trip on social media,

or search for travel info.

45% 43%

40% 36%

look up maps and directions. compare price info or read reviews.

look for deals. look up booking or itinerary info.

Some key stats to understand about digital media and how itdefines the way people choose vacation destinations:

More on the pervasive nature of online travel planning:

35%

67%

55%41%

56%

33%30%27%14%

read a travel-related blog.

look at travel content or reviews byfriends and family.

watch a travel video.

post reviews of places they have been.

comment on a travel review.

of people begin researching onlinebefore they decide where or how to travel.

of travelers book travel directly on company sitesmore often than through online travel agencies.

of consumers trust peer recommendationsover advertisements.

of a�uent travelers use the internetto plan their trips.

www.peppergang.com

1. Google Think Insights, January 2014. “The 2013 Traveler’s Road to Decision: Affluent Insights”

2. Google Think Insights, November 2013. “The 2013 Traveler.”

PEPPERGANGDigital Media With Spice

Given the proliferation of travel-related multi-screening, it’s clear how important it is that your web-site and other elements of your online presence are optimized for a variety of devices. Key to mobile sites are: • Speed: How fast your site loads across devices • Design: Larger fonts, clearer, streamlined design with no extraneous info to better suit smaller screens • Action: Large, easy-to-click links, clear and relevant calls to action

Use digital marketing to appeal to travelers, create opportunities to engage with people, and con-vert visitors into regulars. You’ll see your hotel or resort fill with loyal guests who come back every year and tell everyone they know to stay with you, too.

REFERENCES

68%

65%65%

78%

88%

By 2016, 72 millionAmericans will research traveloptions with their smartphones.

So, clearly, the landscape has changed. Travel marketers need to understand the habits of today’s travelers in order to effectively market to them. At the heart of the new ways people travel: digital media—particularly online digital media, including online search, display ads, social media, review sites, and more.

Digital marketing can help hotels and resorts reach travelers by meeting them in the very sources they use to look up travel info.

Top activities vary per device, with computers, tablets, and smart-phones each being well suited to different parts of the booking cycle.

Internet + Family,Friends, or Colleagues

comes from the internet

Family, friends, or colleagues 48%

13%TV

24%17%

who have seen travel ads take relatedaction (researching or contacting

the advertiser, etc.)

Informational Brochures

Travel Agents

Books

800 or toll-free number

Travel Groups

Radio

AFFLUENT TRAVELERS WHO RATE SOURCES OF TRAVEL INSPIRATIO

N

AS “EXTREMELY IMPORTANT” OR “VERY IMPORTA

NT

”:

ON

LINE TRAVEL ACTIVITIES AMONG AFFLUENT TRAVELERS

43%of leisure travelers

have researched a destination, �ight, hotel, or vacation as a result of seeing an online ad.

+ 54%of business travelers

Leisure Travelers

Business Travelers

Leisure Travelers

Business Travelers

36MILLION

will use their smartphones to book travel this way.

25%

read reviews from other travelers.

of A�uent Travelers

60%66%of Leisure Travelers of Business Travelers

research a destination, �ight, hotel, orvacation as a result of seeing an online ad.

brainstorm or start thinking about a trip.

request more information related to anupcoming trip.

80%

research an upcoming trip.

53%

of a�uent travelers say onlinedisplay ads in�uence bookingdecisions, and say paid searchin�uence bookings.

24%

55%42%

27%39%

68%

65%

75%

76%

72%

Internet

Family, Friends, or Colleagues

Travel Agents

800 or Toll-Free Numbers

Travel Brochures

Books

Informational Brochures

Radio

Magazines/Newspapers

TV

58%

51%

47%

45%

39%