Services for accommodation-providers and travellers

Issue #013

The Myths of Marketing

Unravelled for the Small Business

by Pamela Carvell,
Chairman of the Hotel Marketing Association

Marketing is key to any business' success. But, that is even more relevant in this economic downturn. Previous recessions have shown that those companies that continue marketing not only survive the recession, but also come out of it much quicker.

Marketing is traditionally defined as the four P's i.e. Product, Price, Place, Promotion.

Product includes not just your tangible product, but your service. Brand is also part of the product.
Price or pricing is increasingly complex with the advent of so many internet booking sites, with customers shopping around from the comfort of their computer to find the best deal.
Place, in marketing terms, is where your product is available ‘to buy’. This is typically your own website and the many web-based booking sites. Or, at most basic it is by calling you!
Promotion is what most people think of as marketing. It includes advertising, PR, attending exhibitions, brochures, newsletters, emailings and all other forms of digital marketing.

In this series of 3 articles you will discover the relevance of each of these to a B&B and be given tips on how you can implement some cost-effective marketing for yourself.

The starting point of marketing is product. And your product has to be relevant to your target market. With the very rapid growth of the budget hotel chains, customers' expectations of what to expect on a night's stay away from home have changed. Many of you will have watched the ‘Hotel Inspector’ on TV and been horrified at the state of some of this country's B&Bs. It may be worthwhile you taking the time to walk through your own bedrooms, bathrooms & public areas wearing the ‘Hotel Inspector’s hat’ and see everything through an outside expert's eyes.

At a most basic level every customer expects everything to be spotlessly clean. Up a level and things should be smart and up-to-date. Take it to the next level and everything should be in perfect condition and luxurious. The level of your product determines the price you can charge. At least the guest expects a good night sleep on a quality, clean mattress with clean linen, soft fluffy pillows and appropriate soft duvet or blankets.

A big challenge for the privately-owned B&B is provision of en-suite facilities. These really are a must. And the good new is that there are now plumbers eager for work and bathroom suppliers keen for business. There has never been a better time to upgrade your product. But, before you do, calculate a payback i.e. how much more can you charge per room, how many additional bookings will you get and so how long will it take to recover the investment? Conversely, analyse how many days each year your rooms without en-suite sit empty. This may be a sobering figure.

Now may also be a good time to upgrade all of your linens. Guests love soft, fluffy towels and fresh new bed linen.

An area where a B&B can really excel, or, as we saw too often on the Hotel Inspector fail dismally, is the breakfast. A great breakfast before someone departs your establishment can create a fantastic lasting memory. But, you need to make a profit, so don't overcomplicate things. You should know how much profit you make per breakfast!

Local produce is very much ‘in’ at the moment, for a variety of reasons. Guests like to think you are part of your local community and supporting it, everyone is conscious of food-miles and people want something different. They don't want bacon & eggs that you have bought from Asda!

You may want to serve a different type of breakfast at different times of the year. You may want to vary your offering, depending on the nationality of your guests. And don't forget the increasing number of vegetarians. Not everyone is keen on having black pudding for breakfast!

The most important thing with your product is to identify your USPs (unique selling points). Why would your target market want to stay with you rather than another B&B or hotel? What are you offering that is different? Is it your views? Is it your location? Is it your warm friendly welcome?

Which brings us to the service component of your product. Most B&Bs claim to offer a warm, friendly welcome. And yet in the ‘Hotel Inspector’ we saw that so many B&B owners are so stressed, that is the last thing they provide. And yet in so many cases, that is their biggest single USP. The B&B's I have personally enjoyed staying in are those run by people who are passionate about what they do and care lovingly for their establishment. This is something that no chain hotel can offer.

With the economic downturn and poor exchange rates many Brits will stay in Britain for their holiday this summer. Also, we can expect a serious influx of overseas visitors taking advantage of how much more their Euros and Dollars can buy them in Britain. So there is potential for British B&B's to have their best summer ever if they get their marketing right.

In the next 2 newsletters this article will continue to address the other 3 Ps of price, place and promotion.

Article submitted by Pamela Carvell.

Pamela Carvell is long-standing Chairman of the Hotel Marketing Association. She has a degree in Marketing and has run sales & marketing consultancy Pampas for over 17 years. Clients range from multi-national companies to small private hotels. She is happy for you to publish this article, so long as she is given credit for writing it, and the copyright remains with her.

Pamela Carvell
Pampas Training & Marketing
Tel: 01628 488335
www.pampastraining.com