How Today’s B&Bs Are Booking More Guests
You’ve done the hard work of purchasing a bed and breakfast, designing it with care and thoughtfulness, and creating a menu that caters to your guests. As a result, you have beautiful landscaping and gorgeous rooms, and you are in the perfect location.
Now, how do you get the word out and book lodgers all year long? We uncover the details as we look at how today’s B&Bs are booking more guests and increasing their repeat guests, too.
Understand Your Niche
Before you can market your B&B and book more guests, you need to understand your target audience and, more importantly, your niche. (tweet this) Ask yourself some of the following questions:
- What kind of guests do you want to attract? For example, are you looking for families, couples, or single travelers?
- What would attract a guest to your B&B? Would it be the décor, the food, the surrounding area? For example, are your potential guests looking for a home base for a day hiking trip, do they want to lounge by the pool or the beach, or are they families looking to take advantage of area parks?
- Who do you want to cater to? For example, is your food a draw? What about the “theme” of your B&B? Is this what draws people to you?
- What do you want to offer your guests? Will you offer a full breakfast, afternoon snacks, or even dinner?
- What area attractions would attract your guests? Is there a specific clientele you are looking for?
Once you can answer these questions, you will know how to tailor your marketing. You will also know how to encourage guests to book with you instead of a local hotel chain.
Your niche helps you stand out in a crowd. You might think of some of these things:
- If you are a family-friendly B&B, market some of your kid-friendly amenities. This might be a pool or a play area in the backyard.
- Do you want to cater to a more luxury clientele? If so, consider upping your breakfast game and harnessing the skills of a top chef. If luxury is your focus, it should also apply to all of your décor and even include the quality of your linens and towels.
Once you know your audience and your niche, you can create the marketing strategy.
Focus on Your Website
The next way today’s B&Bs are booking more guests is to really fine-tune their websites. So, you want to take a long hard look at the usability and customer experience on your website. Your overall customer service plan really starts with your website.
You know that anyone looking for a place to stay in your city will look at your website first. You want them to immediately experience your B&B when they land on your site. Your website should be an extension of the ambiance and feel of your in-person bed and breakfast.
Your website should also be optimized for SEO, have an active blog, videos, a virtual tour, photos of each of your rooms, beautiful images of your food, and even an insider’s look at each of your staff members. Let your potential guests know exactly what to expect when staying with you. (tweet this)
In addition, pay particular attention to your booking process on your website. Is it easy for guests to book on your website, or is it a frustrating experience? If you don’t know, involve some friends and family to try it out for you.
Your booking process should be simple and intuitive, so you can get as many guests as possible. There should be no hassle for your guests.
Create Offers for Your Guests
Sometimes it takes a special offer to get new guests and even returning guests to book with you again. Here are some ideas:
For new guests, offer them a discount for booking multiple days.
- If you are encouraging new guests, partner with a local business or attraction to offer your new guests a discount at the establishment. For example, you might offer free beach parking, a discounted park pass, or a discount at a terrific restaurant.
- For new and returning guests, create a loyalty program. This has the power to get more bookings for both sets of guests. You can offer discounted rates, a free bottle of wine, a free night’s stay after a certain number of days, and more. The key is to offer rewards your guests want.
Leverage Social Media
Nearly everyone today uses at least one social media platform. That means it’s a place where you want to be as well.
You want to choose a couple of platforms where your target audience is. Instagram and Facebook are also great options.
Create a posting strategy that includes posts, stories, and reels. Use beautiful images and engaging videos to grab your audience and book more guests.
This is your chance to answer questions and engage people. Your goal here is to build relationships and create reasons people should stay with you.
Post every day, keep your social media platforms up-to-date, promote any specials, and highlight the inside and outside of our B&B, as well as your team members.
Get Noticed by More People
As the owner or manager of a B&B, you know it can be quite challenging and, at times, frustrating to get noticed by potential guests.
You may feel the squeeze from local hotels as their marketing budgets are often larger and their resources more ambitious. But you have something local hotels don’t, and that’s personalization, charm, quaintness, and a homey feel. By leveraging these things, you can stand apart in a crowded lodging industry.
You can give people an experience that feels like home. You can show people that staying with you is anything but bland. Staying at your bed and breakfast is like staying at home but better because they don’t have to do anything!
Use these marketing tips, and you’ll soon be one of those B&Bs booking more guests and staying busy year-round.
We are your bed and breakfast digital advertising specialists, and we can help you market your B&B for success by leveraging the power of your digital marketing. We can create a website and a winning social media marketing strategy that also ties back into your website. As experts in website design and redesign, we can also create a new or refreshed website accessible to all. And we can also help with search engine marketing, online booking, online listings, and social media marketing. We are here to help. Contact us today for your consultation!
Image: Maddi Bazzocco and Sasha Kaunas on Unsplash
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