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Branded content vs. Content marketing. Examples in the hotel sector.

Do you need examples of content marketing and branded content to decide which strategy best suits your hotel's objectives? We explain it here.
Picture of Salvador Galindo

Salvador Galindo

Soy consultor de marketing especializado en tecnología y mercados internacionales. Mi enfoque se basa en ofrecer respuestas originales y estratégicas que se adaptan a las necesidades específicas de cada cliente. Con una profunda comprensión de las dinámicas del marketing global, he ayudado a numerosas empresas a aumentar su presencia y competitividad, ofreciendo resultados tangibles y sostenibles.
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Nowadays, in an environment where technology and the digital world is fundamental, we find the need to work more and more on our hotel’s website to try to attract visits, convert them into users who frequent it, and try by all means (with all the online strategies at our disposal) to convert them into direct bookings. And this is something we can only do with content. Content is the fuel of the engine we call the Internet.

Faced with the need to create this content, we find ourselves with several strategies at our disposal, but sometimes we do not know how to assess which one may be important for our objectives at any given time. Strategies such as the content marketing and branded content are based on content creation.While we always recommend including them within an Inbound methodology (which includes more content-based strategies), these two stand out for their usefulness and efficiency in generating value and achieving engagement.

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Similarities and differences.

The line between content marketing and branded content is quite thin. Since both are based on the creation of content, it is sometimes difficult to differentiate which is which and at what point one or the other can be used to achieve one of our hotel’s objectives.

How are they similar?

Both strategies, in addition to being based on content, aim to reach potential customers in a non-intrusive way, that is, in a natural way through different content formats that provide value and are related to travel and tourism, in this case. Content marketing and branded content are intended to elicit a response from users, attracting them to other forms of content and educating them about your hotel brand. But there is more…

How do they differ?

On the one hand, content marketing is a more traditional online communication strategy that we know mainly from the blogging actions of our business. The main objective of content marketing is to educate the consumer on all aspects related to the industry, i.e. travel and tourism options available. This strategy gives power of decision to the users on our website.

And while it is essential for our hotel, we recommend that content marketing is linked to an Inbound methodology that also favors conversion. With the creation of Inbound content campaigns, we start with the distribution of content offers (eBooks, guides, downloadable infographics of interest to our users) that they reach through our blog posts. Once we get your
contact information
 with the exchange of these downloadables, we can implement email marketing actions (also based on content) that support the whole campaign. In addition, social media strategies that promote the content. By adding value in this way, we gain the trust of these contacts, which will ultimately lead to more direct bookings.

On the other hand, branded content has a more playful objective. Part of the creative content is not only to provide value, but also to entertain and leave an impression in the user’s memory. It appeals to feelings to excite our potential customers, which is why it promotes storytelling (the story) mainly in audiovisual formats (not advertising), but also gamification, for example.

This strategy is useful to publicize the values of your hotel brand and improve the image that users have of it. However, although it is halfway between branding and content marketing, branded content has the peculiarity of not directly associating the brand with the content that is created. In other words, if you produce a video (we already know that video is one of the most attractive and memorable content formats), your brand is only a circumstantial element within the storytelling.

 

2. What strategy is best at any given time.

Content marketing

As we have already mentioned, content marketing within an Inbound methodology can allow you to get more visits to your hotel’s website and gain more quality contacts. So, if your goal is to increase your database with contacts more likely to make a direct reservation at your hotel, this strategy is the best.

However, keep in mind that in order to generate content you have to think about where your contacts are in their buying cycle as a consumer. This cycle is the famous traveller’s journey(dreaming, planning, booking, experiencing) on which you should base when planning, creating, publishing and distributing the right content.

Get inspired by the Kimpton Hotels blog:

Kimpton Hotels blog.png

 

 

And on the Mr & Mrs Smith Hotels blog:

Mr & Mrs Smith blog.png

 Branded Content

On the other hand, this strategy, being linked to branding, is more effective when your objective is to generate a good impression among users and appeal to their emotions so that they associate your brand with the values you want to transmit about it. For example, the Marriot chain has already made two short films that follow the adventures of two bellboys at its hotels. They are stories full of humor, but mainly entertaining for their potential consumers:

 

 

For more information on how to work with branded content click here.

 

3. Practical example.

The fact that these strategies have different objectives does not mean that you have to choose between one or the other, as you can use both simultaneously to support a specific campaign, for example, a campaign to boost bookings for Valentine’s Day. In this case you could:

  1. Make a guide on the most romantic places and activities for couples near your hotel.
  2. Devise posts in the different states of the traveler’s journey that support this guide and follow SEO criteria: best destinations for romantic getaways for dreaming; what to do as a couple in such and such a place for planning, etc.
  3. Support this campaign by posting Valentine’s Day offers and recycling the content of your social media posts.
  4. Motivating your contacts (interested in this type of information) to move towards direct booking by sending emails with related content.
  5. Producing an experiential video (it can be short) in which the protagonists are a couple (similar to your target) enjoying the destination and in which your hotel brand is secondary.

As you can see there is work to be done, although you can decide which of the content strategies is in the best interest of your hotel.

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How to improve hotel loyalty with the customer database?

1. The main challenge: your hotel needs more direct bookings

A few years ago, hotels relied heavily on OTAs and tour operators to establish an objective occupancy rate and drive guests to hotels. Until then, hotels enjoyed partnerships with travel agencies and tour operators, and guests enjoyed booking package tours.

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However, over time, trends have been changing and travelers, now and more than ever, are looking to make their own choices and book all elements of their trips on their own. Travelers are not only ready, but also willing to book a hotel directly on your website, as long as the sales conditions are similar to those of the OTAs and the booking can be made as simple as possible.

For hoteliers, direct bookings bring huge benefits. Among them, saving on commissions, improving online marketing strategy, increasing profitability and having total control over customer communication. With such promises of direct bookings, it is no wonder that more and more hotels are now pushing their marketing efforts towards the goal of increasing the number of direct bookings on the hotel website.

2. Gain a competitive advantage

It is clear that an increase in the rate of direct bookings would be beneficial for your hotel. But how to achieve this goal

In order to compete with OTAs and tour operators, your hotel must have a competitive advantage. There are two ways to have it: offering a cheaper deal, or offering more value and increasing customer loyalty. While it may be difficult for your hotel to compete with OTAs on the basis of price, offering a customized offer and establishing a trusted relationship with customers would be the best way to attract travelers.

 The key to adding value to your hotel offer is to know your customer and offer them what they need. Attracting them through the emotional factor is essential, and you must establish a genuine connection with your potential customers, conveying your beliefs so that your guests can relate to them.

When customers observe that a hotel brand really cares about their experience and tries to find the best solution to make their vacation experience unforgettable, it is easier for them to make the decision in favor of booking directly with your hotel.

A common way to add value and personalize communication with your guests is to implement a loyalty program. With a loyalty program implemented in your establishment, you will be able to tailor your messages to the needs of individual customers, understand their preferences and meet their expectations.

customer-database-hotels

3. How can your customer database help?

So, a hotel needs a loyalty program to offer valuable and personalized services to customers, and thus gain a competitive advantage. To shape your loyalty program, you must have a database of your customers with personal information about them. Hoteliers should create a customer database with basic contact information and more elaborate personal information about guests’ preferences and interests.

Acquiring this personal information will give you the ability to tailor your messages to each potential or existing customer, and offer them content, products and services that meet their particular needs. This will undoubtedly surprise them by the degree of personalization and the measures your hotel takes to provide them with the best possible vacation experience. You would be able to establish a lasting relationship with your customers based on trust, thus ensuring the most satisfied customers, who would be happy to promote your hotel brand.

4.

1. The biggest challenge: Your hotel needs more direct bookings

A few years ago, hotels relied heavily on OTAs and tour operators to achieve an objective occupancy rate and bring guests to the hotel. Until then, hotels enjoyed partnerships with travel agents and tour operators, and guests were happy to book package tours.

{{cta(‘bb2971b9-bf36-4c36-8edc-75223dba5208’)}}

Over time, however, trends have changed, and now more than ever, travelers want to make their own choices and book all elements of their trip themselves. Travelers are not only ready, but willing, to book a hotel directly on your website as long as the terms of sale are similar to those of OTAs and the booking process can be made as simple as possible.

For hoteliers, direct bookings bring huge benefits. These include saving commissions, improving online marketing strategy, increasing profitability, and full control over customer communications. With such promise of direct bookings, it’s no wonder that more and more hotels are focusing their marketing efforts on the goal of increasing the number of direct bookings on the hotel website.

2. Gain a competitive advantage

It’s clear that increasing the direct booking rate would be beneficial to your hotel. But how do you achieve this goal?

To compete with OTAs and tour operators, your hotel must have a competitive advantage. There are two ways to do this: offer a cheaper deal or offer more value and increase customer loyalty. While it may be difficult for your hotel to compete with OTAs based on price, the best way to attract travelers would be to offer a customized offer and build a trusting relationship with customers.

 The key to adding value to your hotel offering is to know your customer and offer them what they need. You need to build a genuine connection with your potential customers and communicate your beliefs in a way that your guests can relate to.

When customers perceive that a hotel brand genuinely cares about their experience and tries to find the best solution to make their vacation memorable, it is easier for them to choose to book directly with your hotel.

A common way to add value and personalize communication with your guests is to implement a loyalty program. With a loyalty program in place at your facility, you can tailor your messages to each customer’s needs, understand their preferences and meet their expectations.

customer-database-hotels

3. How can your customer database help?

So, a hotel needs a loyalty program to provide valuable and personalized services to customers to gain a competitive advantage. To design your loyalty program, you need a customer database with personal information about your customers. Hoteliers should create a customer database with basic contact information and more detailed personal information about guests’ preferences and interests.

Capturing this personal information gives you the ability to tailor your messages to each potential or existing customer and offer them content, products and services that meet their unique needs. The degree of personalization and the actions your hotel takes to offer them the best possible vacation experience will undoubtedly surprise them. You will be able to build a lasting relationship with your customers based on trust, securing the most satisfied customers who will be happy to promote your hotel brand.

4.

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