The Hotel Industry Is Spending More Than Ever On Mobile Marketing This Year

By Author: Kirsten Gross
Total Articles: 91
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Although it may be apparent that the retail industry benefits significantly from mobile marketing, another new industry is emerging onto the scene and taking advantage of the many benefits of mobile advertising. Hotels are willing to spend more than ever for mobile marketing companies to place their advertisements on some of the most popular sites on the web. With the growing popularity of smartphones, iPhones, Blackberries, and other web surfing-friendly mobile devices, it only makes sense for any industry which thrives on service to the public to get in on mobile advertising. With the rapid popularity growth of these devices, the hotel industry is shoveling out funds just as rapidly to ensure that they keep up with the times and preferences of the customer.

Aside from paying more attention to mobile marketing companies, hotels are also working to provide more user-friendly and captivating mobile websites in an attempt to entice more business. TravelCLICK, the leading provider of hotel business process management solutions, reported that half of the hotel industry is planning to distribute even more money in the near ...
... future toward mobile websites and marketing than ever before. For the year 2012, approximately 43% of hotels plan to increase their marketing budgets from all angles—mobile advertising included. Additionally, 34% of the industry report that they will keep their budgets the same in 2012 as they were in 2011. That last statistic may sound like a few members aren't convinced, but many of the hotels surveyed were already shoveling out top dollar for mobile marketing companies to begin with. With that being said, only 3% of hotels are planning to decrease their spending on marketing overall.

Apparently, the trend in mobile web use is growing in popularity beyond just the states. Studies by Nielsen Media Research have shown that the dominance of smartphones compared with alternative mobile devices accounts for 40% of Western Europe and 38% of the United States. Since nearly half of the consumer base is accessing information from a mobile device, it is crucial for all companies to accommodate these growing trends in order to stay on track with the competition. For the hotel industry specifically, they must optimize their current websites for convenient mobile use to increase direct bookings for travelers on-the-go who prefer to use their mobile device to select and book rooms. From the consumer's viewpoint, travel plans and changes are regularly made while on-the-go, which is why the hotel industry should feel more pressure than other industries to accommodate this lifestyle.

Hoteliers are certainly aware of this growing need to accommodate the consumer's lifestyle, which is why they have even increased the staff of their companies and have hired more members who manage social media and other related aspects of marketing. The industry is quickly recognizing how important both mobile advertising and social media marketing are to maintaining steady business flow and appealing to the customer, which is why these changes have occurred at rapid and dramatic rates. Overall, the hotel industry is just doing what any smart and savvy industry would do: adapt to the times and appeal to the consumer. The consumer has certain standards and expectations for convenience that have heightened as the digital age progresses. These standards must be met or the consumer will simply go elsewhere. For hotels that haven't caught on to this growing trend yet, action must be taken soon before the competition becomes too overwhelming.
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