The way the world and businesses work is that not all relationships are made in heaven. While some succeed against adversity, others fail even if everyone involved has good intentions. As a hotel owner, it is crucial to collaborate with the right people and stay vigilant on whether the relationship remains symbiotic.
Working with a professional hotel marketing agency is undoubtedly the right step when planning to promote your hotel. You should, of course, take your time deciding on the agency.
However, sometimes the realization that the marketing agency is unsuitable for your business comes a little later. Thus, watching for signs telling you it’s time to start looking for a new marketing agency is essential from the very start.
When should you start looking for a new hotel marketing agency?
Several factors play a part in developing and implementing a successful marketing strategy.
As a result, you need to monitor and be aware to know for sure that the hotel marketing agency you have chosen is the right one for your business.
Poor communication
Seamless communication between the management, sales team, and marketing agency forms the trifecta that can make or break any hotel promotional plan. Thus, if the marketing agency is not on board with your ideas, brand value, and ethos, maybe they are not the best to represent your hotel.
Moreover, marketing often requires quick thinking and action. Therefore, your marketing agency should be easily reachable, flexible with changes, and able to respond with speed.
If you feel there is a communication gap between the hotel team and the marketing company or delays that lead to missed opportunities, it’s time to start looking for a new hotel marketing agency.
Lack of strategy
One of the biggest red flags to look out for from your marketing firm is a lack of strategy and transparency. A good hotel marketing agency will always share a short and long-term plan with you while working with the sales team to modify it as and when required.
This also includes transparency when it comes to implementing various promotional techniques. Whether updating your hotel website, interacting on social media, or doing email marketing, they should always keep you in the loop. If not, then go with someone who does.
Analytically incompetent
A vital part of any hotel marketing strategy is the analysis of data. A professional hotel marketing agency will always try to determine how a campaign did quantitatively. How many leads did every individual promotion generate? How many direct bookings came from a social media advertisement?
Marketing involves trial and error. Not all promotions will work equally. Some might produce surprisingly positive results, while others might not. It is, therefore, the job of a hotel marketing agency to analyze and share these results with your sales team and alter the overall marketing budget and strategy accordingly.
If the company assigned to your digital marketing fails to analyze the data it is collecting or doesn’t use it properly, it’s recommended that you start looking for a new one.
Uses Black Hat SEO techniques
Like most “get rich quick” schemes are never to be trusted, a hotel marketing agency that promises instant results is not someone to work with.
Often, in an attempt to impress a client, a digital company might implement Black Hat SEO techniques such as keyword stuffing, comment spam, article spinning, buying backlinks, hidden and duplicate text, and the like to show quick results. Sadly, the long-term effects of these practices on your website and online brand value are catastrophic.
SEO is a slow and thoughtfully planned element that leads to organic traffic for your hotel website over time. If an agency is risking the integrity of your hotel’s online presence just for a quick turnaround, then one must avoid working with such an agency.
Takes shortcuts
While assigning your hotel’s online marketing to an agency allows you to focus on running the business, you should nevertheless keep a watch on what’s happening on the digital side of work.
For instance, an agency might plagiarize the content they post on your blog. Or else they might use photos without a license, which can lead to legal issues affecting your brand.
When an digital company takes such shortcuts in the name of cost-cutting or, worse, to fool you, it is best to part ways with them as soon as possible.
Guarantees results
We’ll mention it again: marketing for any product or service involves trial and error. There are hardly any guarantees in this volatile and highly competitive world, especially when hospitality trends change regularly. Moreover, every hotel is unique and requires individual marketing plans.
Now, a hotel marketing agency that guarantees results might come across as confident. But then they should be able to back it up with performance and results.
So, if an agency continuously promises results but fails to deliver, it is time to change.
Unsatisfactory performance
Poor performance by a hotel marketing agency can be due to several reasons;
- breakdown in communication
- different viewpoints
- lack of professional skills
- unable to show results
Whatever the issues, sometimes the agency just doesn’t match up to the goals you’ve set for them, even if they have good intentions.
Replacing the hotel marketing agency might seem harsh, but remember, ultimately, it is your money, hotel, and brand. So, it is okay to go ahead with a change if you are not getting what you want.
Unable to cope with growth
You should also start looking for a new hotel marketing agency when they cannot cope with your growth.
Over time, your business will expand with possible hotels in different locations and countries. Maybe you will add more facilities and services that require upgrading your promotional strategy significantly.
Occasionally, a marketing company might not have the staff and infrastructure to support this change. Since it is better to work with one agency for all your needs, you might start to think about changing your present one in such a case.
