Do you know people that only wear Nike as their workout or athleisure attire? Or maybe they only drink coffee from Starbucks, even when they’re traveling in a new city or country. Or how about someone who wouldn’t be caught dead with anything but Apple products?
They (or maybe it’s you!) might be a brand loyalist.
A loyalist makes a brand or product their first choice time and time again, even when other companies or products might be cheaper or more convenient. But beyond being just a return customer, a loyalist is formed through having a personal connection with the brand. They might love the product, but something about the brand itself—maybe its values, customer service, or commitment to their product—inspires total devotion from customers to not only continue returning, but engage with the brand online, promote the brand to friends and family, or view the brand as a personal relationship in their life.
Hotels and restaurants, too, can have brand loyalists.
It won’t necessarily happen overnight, and it’s crucial for a hospitality brand to know every detail of who they are and who their ideal loyalists are before beginning this work. But capitalizing on brand loyalists is a powerful tool to heighten the impact of your hotel or restaurant while improving your chances for long term success.
In this blog, we’re touching on three simple hospitality-focused marketing strategies to begin the process of transforming your one-time guests into lifelong loyalists.
Tailored Touches
Personalized service is the number one key ingredient for creating brand loyalists. By training your staff to anticipate guests’ needs, pay attention to their preferences, and even remember their names, establishments can make visitors feel truly valued and seen.
Before guests even arrive at your business, put anticipating their needs into motion by gathering information through pre-arrival emails. For hotels, this could be asking guests for their preferences on pillows, room temperature, room location, or if they would like local recommendations. For restaurants, it could be a simple survey asking for allergies, preferred table location, or if there is a special occasion to celebrate.
Then before they arrive, make it a high priority to actually read their responses and prepare their personalized visit. Nothing will sour an after-taste like promising a customized experience and not following through.
Loyalty Perks
Implementing a loyalty program can provide tangible incentives for repeat visits. Exclusive perks for frequent customers not only reward their loyalty but also make them feel part of an elite group. Even naming the rewards program with language that conveys an exclusive tier (think American Express Platinum or AMC A-List) will boost their sense of devotion to your hotel or restaurant.
But then you have to make the rewards actually worthwhile. Guests and customers are tired of signing up for programs where the only perk they receive is yet another email to spam their inbox. Choose a reward or tier system with incentives that will inspire guests to keep coming back, like complimentary treats for hitting visit milestones, exclusive access to discounts and sales, premier room choices based on tier level, free room upgrades, complimentary breakfast, birthday freebies, and more.
The options are endless for curating ways so that guests can return again and again. But choosing perks and reward levels that are true to your brand and speak to your ideal client are the most essential to making a loyalty program effective and sustainable.
Continuous Customer Service
One of the best ways to humanize your hospitality brand is to maintain your customer service long after guests have checked-out or paid the bill.
Regularly responding to reviews on Google, Yelp, or your website by thanking guests for their kind words or feedback continues the conversation after they leave and keeps you at the forefront of their mind. If guests expressed a negative experience, replying with a genuine apology or solution for a future visit is a powerful move to get them back through your door for another chance to wow them.
Same goes for social media. Responding to comments and messages in a timely manner shows that you care about communicating with guests even when they’re not currently spending time or money at your business. Small interactions have a huge impact on how you make guests feel, which leads to a greater chance of them remembering your business when the time comes to book another stay or reservation.
