5 Hotel Marketing Posts You Must See This Week: Hospitality Marketing Link Digest

I’ve got an amazing Thinks hospitality marketing link digest for you this week, Big Thinkers. So, pardon me if I skip any lengthy setup and instead get you right to the 5 hotel marketing posts you must see this week. Enjoy:

1. In an absolute must-read, Rafat Ali of Skift advises travel brands to stop hate-selling to your customers. Even as someone who has continually argued in favor of A/B testing and conversion rate optimization, I also completely agree with Rafat that marketers must first “be human.” Great stuff. Don’t miss it.
2. This list of “6 Key Hotel E-commerce Tips: A Cheat Sheet to Drive Direct Business” blew up on social channels this past week. Well worth your time.
3. You like checklists? Cool. Then be sure to check out Tnooz’z Four point check-list to take hotels into the hyper-connected world. Very useful information.
4. Another fantastic Skift post looks at the numbers behind TripAdvisor’s evolution into the next booking giant. I’ve cautioned hotels to remain aware of TripAdvisor’s increasing shift towards working as an OTA. Skift adds some brilliant context and insight to help you do just that.
5. Finally, how about we wrap up this list with the top five hotel marketing posts of July from here on Thinks? All good stuff to prep you for the week ahead.

If you’re interested in more insights and information about travel marketing and distribution, be sure to check out these “6 Super Hotel Distribution Strategy Posts,” these “5 Amazing Mobile Hotel Marketing Stories,” a great set of “8 Exceptional Hospitality Marketing Posts from the Past Week: Hospitality Marketing Link Digest,” a terrific round-up of “7 Remarkable Posts about Mobile Marketing in Travel” and these “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 2015: Three 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