While SoLoMo, the multichannel marketing combination of Social, Local and Mobile has been greatly discussed and in practice for several years, it’s rare to hear hoteliers refer to the “Lo” when it comes to attracting and engaging local residents as part of their loyalty program outreach.
In a recent Hotel Business Executive column, How Hotels Can Improve Guest Loyalty Through SoLoMo Marketing and a Locals First Focus, Bram Hechtkopf, Kobie’s VP of Business Development and Marketing makes the case for why hotels should include the largely-untapped market of area residents in their loyalty program efforts.
Some of Bram’s key points include:
- Hotels should shape their marketing-to-locals strategy by looking through the lens of what Kobie calls the “5 Es” – Enterprise, Experience/Engagement, Economics, Enablement and Execution.
- Hotels can greatly benefit from mobile marketing to locals, who can easily travel to a nearby hotel, for offerings such as on-property events and restaurant or bar specials.
- Data gathered through local mobile marketing can yield business insights to help inform the hotel’s overall loyalty strategy.
How else can hotels engage with guests who live close to their properties and why is it so important not to overlook this guest segment? You can read Bram’s article here and we encourage you to share your views with the Kobie community below.
