Dec
4
Every business is different, yours is no exception.
What is it about your business that makes it different?
What is it about your business that means people should buy from you instead of any other business?
Often, we don't work hard enough to demonstrate why we're different and why people should buy from us.
This is an essential marketing task - when it is done well, a business can flourish. When it is done poorly (or not at all), a business continues to plod along, or down.
Uniqueness is a difficult concept to grasp and communicate - so it's not easy...
...but you can do it if you try.
And it can pay dividends!
The main problem most hotels have is that they try to differentiate using price alone. This is very silly.
You see, there is nothing unique about price. Every business has one.
Trying to differentiate on the basis of price is default behaviour for a lot of hotels - largely because they don't communicate the true value of what they do for people. Price competition can only go in one direction and it's not a healthy one for your business.
Of course, your price needs to reflect market conditions and none of what I'm saying here will have the effect of instantly doubling the price you get for each sale. But it could make the difference between making a profit and making a loss.
So - what is unique about your business? The location? The way it is run? The design of the building? The people? The suppliers you use? Your "quality"?
The answer is none of these and all of these: Uniqueness is no longer just one factor - it is the combination of everything you do that results in the experience the customer experiences.
Once you've worked out what all that means, you need to tell prospective customers about it!
How many online hotel listings have you seen where the information given to the buyer is boring?
They tell you all about trouser presses, irons, "locally sourced" produce and everything else the hotel "boasts" (including my favourite "rooms have carpets"). But they tell you nothing about what it is really like to be there.
Pictures on websites with no people in them. Dull, boring copy focused on the hotel owner or manager.
None of these things help you to convey a sense of what it's like to be one of your customers.
Some businesses have got a handle on this and they do very nicely thanks very much.
They've made the effort, despite it not being easy. Good luck to them.
What is it about your business that makes it different?
What is it about your business that means people should buy from you instead of any other business?
Often, we don't work hard enough to demonstrate why we're different and why people should buy from us.
This is an essential marketing task - when it is done well, a business can flourish. When it is done poorly (or not at all), a business continues to plod along, or down.
Uniqueness is a difficult concept to grasp and communicate - so it's not easy...
...but you can do it if you try.
And it can pay dividends!
The main problem most hotels have is that they try to differentiate using price alone. This is very silly.
You see, there is nothing unique about price. Every business has one.
Trying to differentiate on the basis of price is default behaviour for a lot of hotels - largely because they don't communicate the true value of what they do for people. Price competition can only go in one direction and it's not a healthy one for your business.
Of course, your price needs to reflect market conditions and none of what I'm saying here will have the effect of instantly doubling the price you get for each sale. But it could make the difference between making a profit and making a loss.
So - what is unique about your business? The location? The way it is run? The design of the building? The people? The suppliers you use? Your "quality"?
The answer is none of these and all of these: Uniqueness is no longer just one factor - it is the combination of everything you do that results in the experience the customer experiences.
Once you've worked out what all that means, you need to tell prospective customers about it!
How many online hotel listings have you seen where the information given to the buyer is boring?
They tell you all about trouser presses, irons, "locally sourced" produce and everything else the hotel "boasts" (including my favourite "rooms have carpets"). But they tell you nothing about what it is really like to be there.
Pictures on websites with no people in them. Dull, boring copy focused on the hotel owner or manager.
None of these things help you to convey a sense of what it's like to be one of your customers.
Some businesses have got a handle on this and they do very nicely thanks very much.
They've made the effort, despite it not being easy. Good luck to them.
0 Trackbacks