Happy New Year!
These are the Hotel Online Marketing Trends 2013

The general outlook for the tourism industry is still positive. However, The World Travel and Tourism Council  thinks that the change in economic outlooks suggest a potential weakening of Travel & Tourism growth in 2013 in Europe and parts of Asia. The key hotel online marketing trends 2013 might help you to stay on top of things.

Photo Sharing
Last year photo sharing tools  and platforms like Pinterest and Instagram were booming. The trend continues because people want to show their friends and family where they are. Invest in high quality photos and make sharing them as easy as possible for your web visitors. Photo sharing is a great opportunity for you to profit from word-of-mouth. 

Direct Bookings First
Online bookings are still increasing. Saving commissions by encouraging direct bookings will be a very important part of a hotel marketing. Promote your website and make sure it has fresh appealing content, an online booking system and updated promotions.

Content Marketing
One of the marketing megatrends is content marketing. Blogs, Twitter and Facebook let you engage in conversations with customers and potential customers alike. On Pinterest you can generate appealing curated content through images. Social media supports your SEO efforts. You do not need to engage in all – choose the tools that suit you and your business.

Online Reviews
Reviews will continue to be one of the most important factors in travelers decision-making-process. Try to reply to every review. When answering negative reviews make sure your tone is positive – an aggressive response to a negative review makes a hotel look even worse. Think about showing reviews or a guest book on your own website.

Marketing Videos
According to Google 66% of video viewers watch travel videos when thinking about a trip. 43% watch videos when deciding on accommodation. With growing numbers of people viewing and sharing online video is an effective marketing tool. And videos can have a positive effect on organic SEO. A hotel video does not have to be a candidate for the oscars. Most importantly it should capture the look and feel of your property and maybe show attractions in the area.