Stories in Hospitality Marketing

One of the marketing industries most respected voices and teachers is Seth Godin and his book “All Marketers Are Liars Tell Stories” isn’t written for the hospitality industry specifically, but there’s a lot of lessons this industry can and should take from it.

Starting with the first part of the title “Are Liars” being crossed out. Unfortunately a lot of people believe that marketers are liars, saying whatever is needed to get the sale, the booking and the revenue.

Those are bad marketers. Same with sales. If you’re saying whatever is needed to get the sale, you aren’t making an ideal sale.

An ideal sale occurs when the vendor and the customer both feel happy about the transaction – leading to a happy customer who shares their story. A sale made from any type of lying – from incorrectly listing resort amenities to leaving out important product details or fees is practice that likely leads to short-term value and long-term harm.

So, don’t lie.
Tell stories instead. Stories that illustrate the accurate picture of your resort or product. Stories that will make your ideal customer coming running to you, ready to hand over money because it’s so clear that you’re the perfect fit for their need.

Hospitality marketers must realize that not everyone is their ideal customer. A group of 6 does not want to put 4 of their travelers on small pull-out sofas in the shared living room. So don’t market your 1 bedroom listing to 6 and think that by jamming two twin beds in a closet you are making people happy by increasing the accommodation maximum.

The reason so many people read reviews before booking a resort is because reviewers typically write better, more accurate stories of the properties than the properties themselves.

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Too many resort listings and company bios tell the story of who the resort wants to be and not who they actually are. Reviewers tell the story of who you actually are.

The following are a couple examples from Blue Tree Resort in Orlando. Two reviews, tellingl two different stories about staying in Orlando…

The story of a budget conscious family wanting to explore Orlando’s Parks
“If you want a base with easy access to the parks without staying on site – this is the place. I booked the Blue Tree as part on a last minute summer trip to Disney. The hotel is situated 5mins from Disney springs & is a $7 to $14 taxi ride from the Disney parks. (Way cheaper than hiring a car & paying the $25 parking fee each day). Our taxi to universal was slightly more expensive $18 it’s further as it’s further away – but still a dream to get to in comparison to some of the villas he have had before.”

Most resorts detail things like “nearby the parks” or “easy access to the parks.” This review showcases what people actually want to know though – what’s the actual travel time and cost associated with reaching the parks when staying here. By using specifics, this review paints a true picture of what it’s like to stay here and venture to Orlando’s major theme parks.

The story of through travelers uninterested in the nearby parks
“We’re an older couple nearing 50. We’ve only been to Orlando a couple times and its usually just passing through. This is a whole resort. Our room was AMAZING. It had a full size couch and loveseat, kitchenette, bedroom, walk in closet, and a lanai (porch). We both got to our room and were blown away. Not sure how we found this place, but I’m glad we did. The place has 4 pools and a couple hot tubs. We came in for the LSU/FSU football game. Neither of us are too much into Universal or Disney so we were a little worried about how we were going to spend our extra time- that was answered quickly. We had absolutely zero reason to leave the property. We ran to the grocery store picked up food, drinks, and proceeded to RELAX.”

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Resorts typically list their amenities, leaving it to the traveler to determine if those are the amenities they seek or not. This review explains the benefits of the property and how it actually impacted their trip. In a place where Disney and other attractions are the main draw, this review is a reminder that what interests the majority does not interest the whole.

Becoming a Storyteller

So, how do hospitality companies actually use storytelling in their marketing? Here’s some tips:

● Review ALL your online listings

Starting with your website and then every single platform and website that mentions your resort. Google search and resort and visit every link that appears. Find out if they are accurately representing your property. If anything is wrong, from an amenity to room descriptions, start chasing the root of the information (like a channel manager providing incorrect information) or reach out to the site for a correction.
Ignoring inaccurate information and just handling it as “well you didn’t read that on our site” to an angry guest should be an unacceptable solution. Resorts and businesses should own their entire online reputation.

● Incorporate reviews in your website and social media content

You have the power to drive visibility to the positive reviews your property receives. Use positive reviews embedded in your website or craft social media posts that show them visually. The more you promote it, the mire likely it is for a shopper to see it and connect.

● Don’t assume you know what people like most about your resort, ask them

Surveys should be more than numbers. Yes, tracking average ratings and reviews is beneficial to reporting and keeping a thumb on your reputation. However if you are only looking at numbers and data, you are missing the stories and use cases these reviews are telling. Read your reviews for understanding, not just responding. Responses to negative reviews often get more effort than positive reviews, but both should get equal attention.

Related: Online Marketing – A Review

● Take action on negative reviews

If all you do when a negative review comes in is respond, then it’s likely you’ll get a similar negative review in the future. Take action – whether that’s editing an online listing or correcting the problem that occurred, customers can see the authenticity in how reviews are handled. You’re response is your dialogue in the story, write it with care and action-backed details.

● Outsource content creation

There’s affordable ways to batch create loads of website and social content that tells the story of your property or business. If you’re internal resources don’t have the bandwidth or experience to create truly engaging content, don’t force them. Just because your general manager has a personal Facebook account doesn’t mean you should force them to manage a business one. Operators may be storytellers, but if you’re operators aren’t hire them some storytelling help.

1 ACCURRACY ABOVE ALL ELSE

There’s no outrage quite like the outrage of an angered customer who has been lied to. If amenities are embellished, photos doctored, room descriptions wordsmithed into oblivion, you are only causing long-term harm.

Create stories that SHOW the benefits of your property, but don’t lie. Don’t embellish. Be honest and the visitors who are a right fit for your property will find you. You aren’t for everyone, and everyone is not for you, so focus on your right customer and things like negative reviews and angry customers will decline.

Kelley Ellert is a marketing consultant and strategist who helps resorts of all sizes implement custom marketing strategies. Look her up on LinkedIn @kelley-ellert.