Target Practice

Aligning the message with the medium can make marketing more effective and encourage owner loyalty.

Websites and social media are two of the primary channels resorts employ to disseminate information to owners and guests. Yet the same medium or message may not be equally effective when it comes to reaching two different people. Determining travelers’ particular interests and deciding what information to share on each platform can be challenging, but tailored content can have the greatest impact on prospective and existing owners. According to the Content Council’s Consumer Attitude study, 61 percent of consumers say they feel better about, and are more likely to buy from, a company that delivers custom content.

“Targeted messaging shows an owner or guest that you know who they are and that you care about them,” says Giorgio Bentrovato, content strategy director at RCI, who suggests resorts adjust their online content according to information about the user. “It is important to offer personalized experiences to those visiting your website, and one way to do so is to display dynamic content.” Software such as VWO (Visual Website Optimizer) can help identify key behavioral and transactional data, such as the user’s location, referring URL, search keywords, visitor frequency and device. Based on that information, the software prioritizes content when populating the landing page to reflect what will most likely interest the user.

Different audiences may be more drawn to content on social media than on a website, or vice versa. Resorts can pinpoint their key demographics on social by monitoring engagement and testing a range of posts. “It’s important to use a good mix of communications to ensure you are [reaching] your guests when and where they are,” Bentrovato says. Because different users are tuned in to different channels, Bentrovato recommends sharing information on multiple platforms but varying how that information is packaged in order to reach the largest audience. For instance, to market a promotion, consider posting an image on Facebook with a short description and publishing a longer article with the details on the website. He also points out that the same user may employ different channels depending on where they are in the vacation cycle: “Social media can be used to inspire and inform before the trip; e-mail to promote and inform about activities and amenities before the trip; and SMS to promote amenities while on-site.”

Using the demographic data gleaned from software and social media testing can help streamline a resort’s content strategy and determine what performs best. And tailoring messages directly to a property’s demographic, Bentrovato says, “will help build loyalty to your brand and resort.”

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