7 Travel Trend Insights: The Top Travel Marketing Posts from November, 2015

Following up from yesterday’s top mobile marketing, e-commerce, and digital strategy posts from November, it’s time once again to take a look at what your fellow Big Thinkers most liked this past month. So without further ado, let’s do just that with a look at these 7 travel trend insights, the top travel posts from the past month. Enjoy:

1. Leading off, we’ve got a whole heaping mess of “Mind-Blowing Mobile Stats for Hotel Marketers from Google.” Absolutely great stuff, well worth your time.
2. This collection of “6 Digital Travel Trends You Need to Know” from our Hospitality Marketing Link Digest series rolls in at #2 on this month’s list. Really worthwhile reading as you prep for 2016.
3. Another entry in the Hospitality Marketing Link Digest is up next, this one a remarkable round-up of “4 Tremendous Travel Marketing Trends From the Past Week” you won’t want to miss.
4. The next most popular entry created quite a bit of controversy over on Twitter, with some folks feeling we were a bit harsh towards OTA’s like Expedia, Booking.com, and others. Actually, we’re all big believers around here that OTA’s represent an important component of your fair, balanced distribution strategy. At the same time, you definitely want to grow direct business, which is why you should understand “The Hidden Factor OTA’s Use to Get Between You and Your Guests”, which enters the list at number four this month, too.
5. The last Hospitality Marketing Link Digest in this month’s list of top posts gathers 6 Spectacular Marketing and Distribution Insights to help you plan for 2016.
6. One of the key factors helping hotels connect with customers revolves around developing a deep, meaningful relationship with your guests (though, to be fair, that sounds a bit like a Match.com ad, doesn’t it?). That need to improve relationships helps explain the popularity of this next post, “Driving Brand Intimacy in Hospitality.” Check it out to see how to grow that relationship with your guests.
7. And, finally, we took a look at “Why Priceline Believes in the Death of Search Engine Optimization” and found it’s not quite so simple as it seems. Take a look for yourself to understand what’s really going on here—and why it matters to your property.

And there you have it, folks, the top travel marketing posts from November, 2015. Be sure to check out the whole set.

And if you’re looking to learn even more about how changing guest behavior shapes hospitality marketing, e-commerce, and distribution, be sure an register to receive a special report I’ve produced in conjunction with hotel marketing firm Vizergy, “Digital Hotel Marketing in a Multiscreen World.” While it’s targeted specifically at hotel and resort marketers, the lessons apply to just about any business. You can get your free copy of the report here.

You might also want to take a moment to review the slides from my recent webinar, “Digital Marketing Directions 2016: The Key Trends Driving Your Hotel Marketing Next Year” here:

Finally, you will definitely want to check out some of our past coverage of the mobile, local, social web and how to make it work for your business, including:

• 10 Key Posts about Millennials and Mobile: E-commerce Link Digest
• The Secrets Behind “It’s All E-commerce” for 2014
• Should Marketers Really Trust Google in 2014?
• The Zen of Digital Marketing Strategy
• 7 Steps to E-Commerce Heaven
• Today and Tomorrow: Mobile and The Changing Customer Journey
• Mobile Makes E-commerce Even More “Frictionless”
• Your 2014 Internet Marketing New Year’s Resolutions – Thinks Out Loud Episode 56