6 Travel Marketing Must-Reads to Kick Off the Year: Hospitality Marketing Link Digest

Happy New Year, Big Thinkers! Hope you had an outstanding holiday season and that you’re ready for an amazing year ahead. To get you started on a fantastic January, take a peek at these 6 travel marketing must-reads to kick off the year. Enjoy:

1. According to Mobile Commerce Daily, travel sites consistently lose bookings with their lack of mobile optimization. This should hardly be news to you, given past coverage around these parts including this explanation of why it’s time you take mobile seriously and a separate look at why mobile matters for hotel marketing. Definitely check out the Mobile Commerce Daily article, though. You’ll be glad you did.
2. Curious about how last year ended up? Well, eMarketer projects 2015 worldwide digital travel sales will total more than $533 billion, which is, y’know, a lot. Let’s hope you got your share.
3. If you’re looking for more ways to get your share, by the way, Hotel News Now talked to a group of experts (including our own Tim Peter) on how to cut through the SEO clutter: 5 myths explained. Really good stuff.
4. Another great article to help you get ahead here in the new year is this look at content marketing for hotels, 2016’s must-watch trend.
5. Of course, according to Econsultancy, the biggest risk facing hotels is the lack of data-driven marketing skills in the travel & hospitality industry. Definitely a situation you’re going to want to keep your eye on in the New Year.
6. Finally, as you’re gearing up for the week, month, and year ahead, you’ll want to check out these 7 travel trend insights: the top travel marketing posts from November, 2015 to catch up on anything you might have missed.

If you’re interested in more insights and information about travel marketing and distribution to hold you over until we return, you’ll definitely want to check out these “8 Great Posts About 2016’s Top Trends,” this list of “4 Tremendous Travel Marketing Trends From the Past Week,” a great set of “7 Key Insights: The Top Travel Marketing Posts of August, 2015” and a terrific round-up of “7 Brilliant Insights into Mobile Travel E-commerce” from our hospitality marketing link digests (part of the ongoing E-commerce Link Digest series).

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