OK. I'm here. Now what?

 I came. I saw. I'm leaving.

Your website's bounce rate is the percentage of visitors who don't actually make it past your home page. Obviously, you don't want a high bounce rate. 

A tech-oriented company will have reasons for this and ways they’d address it, but we don’t think it’s strictly a tech issue. We see three possible reasons for a high bounce rate: 1) You're attracting the wrong people to the site. 2) Your home page isn’t very interesting. 3) A little of each.

Getting the right people. How are you attracting people to your website? Are you depending on SEO and a site heavy with keywords? Are you advertising? And if so, what are you saying about yourself? Is what you have to offer and what sets you apart clear? 

Sure, we're in the ad business, but it seems to us to be a fairly simple formula – minimize the “stumble-on” traffic with things like advertising or public relations that deliver a Brand message. Which would you rather have, a bunch of SEO visitors who may or may not be qualified, or fewer, but more qualified, prospects? Certainly (and we didn't make this part up, it's an actual Real Thing) branded searches yield more conversions than blind ones.

Your home page. This is a strategic and a creative challenge.

Take a hard look at your site. What – exactly – is there that will entice a visitor to keep going? Does that first page feature some sort of hero shot - perhaps happy people doing happy things or listening intently while someone points at a white board? Or a couple smiling at one another as they enjoy the amenities of a senior living community?

Or does it tell a visitor what distinguishes your company from your competition? Does it make it clear what you have to sell and what makes you special? 

Be honest. If you didn't work there, would you hang around your site very long? 

This is not to say you don’t open with a photo or a gallery. Just don’t get into the Lookalike Boat with so many other websites. Human beings are curious by nature, but we don’t necessarily want to read through your website just because you have one. So give us a reason to dig in. Be creative, intriguing and entertaining.

Think of your home page the same way you might think about those first few minutes on a blind date or in a singles bar.

You know, critical to whether or not things go any further. 

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Creativity is a Swiss Army Knife.

 

When you think of “creativity” in marketing, you probably think about ads, websites, commercials and logos.

The thing is, creativity — the defeat of habit by originality — can solve almost any problem and smart money doesn’t just use it for, well, for ads, websites, commercials and logos.  Actually, there are a number of other spots in the marketing loop where creativity and innovation can — and should — be applied.

Brand.
What is it about you that differentiates you from the hotel down the street? What can you say that most of your competition cannot?  Hint: It’s not your people, free parking, flexible meeting space, a sandy beach, or the lowest rates in town. Don't default to What's Expected. That's just a starting point. Read more about Brand here.

Target.
Ok, you know what sets you apart, now who cares? Who will that difference appeal to the most? Dig a little deeper, think about it sideways and throw out preconceptions and assumptions. You might find some hidden treasure. Another hint: It’s never just anybody with a bank account.

Message.
That is, what do you want to say? The more specific you are about your target, the better you will be able to craft a message that will appeal to them. Assuming you get your target’s attention (see below) what point do you want to make? And that point really should be built around benefits, not features.

Execution.
So you know what you want to say, now how to say it in a way that will demand attention? Avoid “me too” and lookalike messages and delivery executions. What gets you excited when you watch Super Bowl commercials? Wallpaper spots? Nobody really notices the wallpaper. Just be sure to avoid gratuitous creativity. You know, like the Liberty Emu.

Channels.
Maybe instead of relying on emails or social media posts for people who already know about you — or crowded channels packed with your competitors —  go elsewhere. For example, got a high-end resort? What other things are important to people who can afford a high-end resort and where are they exposed to them? Go there.

It’s not hard to see opportunities for creativity once you start to think about it. But a general rule of thumb could be to simply resist the usual. It’s a way of thinking.
Remember, creativity can solve almost any problem. It's not just about ads, websites, commercials and logos. 

Not by a long shot.
 

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What do you call a business without a Brand?

 

 A business without a Brand is a commodity.

And commodities compete on price. You’d probably rather not live in that world.

Your Brand is not your logo, ad campaign or tag line. It's a supportable differentiation around which you deliver a unique value. And the moment you stop being just "a business in town" and start to tell the world that you're "a business that is unique for these reasons," you narrow your competitive set.

Three critical elements of success in business are Brand, reality and marketing. And they need to work together.

Reality is what you really are. Objectively.

Your marketing is how you go about telling the world what you are — the content and appearance of your messaging as well as the channels you use to reach your target.

Your Brand is what connects your reality with your marketing. Brand Development is how you identify that reality and express it as a benefit that will appeal to your target. And it should govern your strategy for delivering the message.

A Brand can keep you from competing on price. Without one, you may just be a commodity.

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Social media should have a split personality.

Whatever the industry, it seems like everybody is hot to use social media as a major part of their marketing communications.

That’s cool. It's an affordable channel for sure. But it’s important to recognize that social media — like any other marketing tool — works best when it’s a blend of art and science.
"Art" being "creativity."

Thing is, the medium may have changed, but creativity is just as important in a social media campaign as it ever was in a print or television campaign. Maybe, given the size and limitations on the executions, even more so.

Which is to say your posts should do more than just be there and highlight your employee of the month or your latest offer or promotion.

That’s because people pay attention to things that interest them, things that pique their interest and hold it. Sometimes, it happens to be an ad or a social media post. And if your post isn’t interesting, they’re going to blow right on by.

So it’s critical that your social media campaign is built on as much creative thinking as any Super Bowl commercial.

That means you’d better have some bona-fide creative professionals involved somewhere along the line. In other words, your social media campaign should have an idea behind it. A strategy. A string of posts won't get the job done.

We’ve said it before and we’ll no doubt say it again: creativity is the last unfair advantage we're legally allowed to take over our competitors.

Actually, we didn’t say that first. Ad legend Bill Bernbach did. But you get the idea.

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Looky, looky . . .

A website is a visual medium.
Make the most of it.

Sure, people read copy, but it’s often the pictures or illustrations that capture their attention and keep them looking around.

More, actually, than the techno-gizmos web designers sometimes overdo. It’s what we in the ad biz have for years referred to as concept versus execution. A great photo that just sits there is better than an ordinary one surrounded by bells and whistles. 

This is especially true in the hospitality business. You want your site visitors to have an emotional reaction to what they see. Want images that will stand out and speak to potential guests? Turn your photographer loose. 

Of course, there are things you need to show — sleeping rooms, the pool, spa, restaurants and so on — but there’s nothing that says you have to duplicate the photography everybody else is using. Just scan a few hospitality websites. For the most part, you’ll see the same shots over and over again. It’s one thing to want a room shot. It’s another thing to settle for a room shot without life or spirit to it. 

Photographers are creative animals. For years, we’ve always paid the most attention to the “personal work” sections of their websites to see how their minds works. That’s where you’ll find out their real creative style. 

We’re not trying to hustle anybody in particular, but our favorite photographer for years has been Ira Wexler, who sees things the rest of us don’t see and sees the things we all see in a way others don’t see them. Whenever we’ve been on a shoot, he just keeps shooting during setup and downtime. And some of the best shots we get are those that he got when he sort of wandered off the reservation. 

So don’t tell your photographer that you want precisely this, precisely that and precisely the other thing precisely this way or that. Make sure they know what they need to shoot — sleeping rooms, bar, restaurant, spa, and so on. Then let them do what they do best. Maybe send an art director along if it makes you feel better.

It makes no sense to hire a creative soul and then overmanage their work. Let them do what they do best.

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Three-legged stools

Three-legged stools and silos 

Consider these three elements of success in the hotel business. Reality. Your Brand. And your marketing. Ideally, they’re in sync, with none of them out of step with the others. This is how you get your best marketing ROI. 

Here’s how it goes:

Reality is what you really are. It can be hard to objectively see yourself as others see you. But it’s important that you do.

Your Brand is what you tell the world what you are — what distinguishes you from your competition. And it needs to be based on reality, not wishful thinking.

Your marketing is how you go about telling the world what you are. The content and appearance of your messaging as well and the channels you use to reach your target.

A couple of potential problems arise. Like what if your brand and your reality don’t agree? You’d be surprised how often reality doesn’t deliver on a Brand promise.

And even if they do, what if your marketing doesn’t convey your Brand accurately? Or doesn’t target the right people? Or doesn’t stand apart from your competitors’ marketing?

There’s more, but you can see how the three are intertwined. Which is why it’s best to consider them holistically.

There’s a really good argument for bringing someone on to do that for you who is in a position to take an objective look, with no preconceived notions, axe to grind or ownership to protect.

We can do that for you.

See more about what we will do and why we’re qualified to do it at www.hotel-thinking.com.

It may not, for example, be ideal for a firm with a more narrowly defined mission — like your web design firm or your graphic design firm. 

But however you approach it, it’s critical that you take a hard, hard look at whether your reality, your professed Brand and your marketing are working together — or fighting one another in silos.

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How to make your emails work harder.

(Email-A-Palooza, Part Two)

There’s a lot we can say about how to make emails more effective. Here is some of it.


On beyond emails. If someone clicks your email, don’t just dump them out onto your home page or booking engine. After all, they are saying “tell me more.” So tell ‘em more.

We like the idea of taking them to a landing page that expands on your message. It’s also a gateway to get them to poke around the site itself. You know “as long as I’m here . . ."

The subject counts. People read things that interest them. Sometimes it happens to be an email. So make your subject line interesting and intriguing. It’s like the headline of your ad. Remember, you’re competing for attention with everybody from Home Depot to HBO Max to local pizza shops and every “your rich uncle died” scammer who ever lived.

Creativity counts, too. This should go without saying, but we’ll say it anyway. When you do send out that “third night free” email, make it creative. Differentiate yourself right here, right now. Again, people read what interests them. You watch Super Bowl commercials, right?

Have a reason to be. Although your emails – like everything else you say about yourself – should reflect your Brand and what is unique about you, please don’t send out emails that just sort of say “we’re a hotel in town.” That’s like mumbling. Give your readers a reason to go a little further, like to your website. A little urgency never hurt, either.

Do it and do it and do it some more. You don’t want to send anybody too many emails too often unless your goal is to see how many people you can get to opt out and how fast. But you do want to do it on a regular basis. Again, (we never get tired of saying this) your email is advertising, and advertising works best when you do it on a consistent basis.

Here comes the self-serving part. The best way to accomplish all this – and more – is to hire a professional creative firm to do your emails for you. A "digital marketing firm” that has a complex email delivery program is more of a tech firm than a creative firm. Their delivery systems are usually top-notch, but they’re also not usually in the creativity business.

And “creativity is the last unfair advantage we're legally allowed to take over our competitors.” 

Even in emails.

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