Personalization is all the rage in the travel industry, right now. Today's marketers have plenty of opportunity to personalize their customer's online experience. For hotel properties, website personalization is a simple step to improve direct conversions.

Vizergy's platform makes it easy to personalize content and travel suppliers must do so because consumers now expect it. Current Vizergy clients who use this easy to deploy functionality are seeing much higher website engagement and conversion rates.

The Importance of Personalization

Speaking directly to a visitor's interests on your property's website creates a more meaningful experience for them and increases their likelihood of converting. According to New Epsilon research, 87% of consumers say they are more likely to do business with travel websites and/or apps that offer personalized experiences but say only 64% of travel sites are doing it well.

Website personalization can also enhance brand loyalty. A recent consumer report by Harvard Business Review found that two-thirds of consumers remain loyal to a brand because they feel they share similar values.

Creating Unique Experiences for Hotel Website Visitors

Creating unique experiences for website visitors using personalization tactics starts with determining target audiences.

Mapping audiences by similar attributes such as new or return visitors, visitors from a specific campaign, from social networks, mobile visitors or a visitor from a certain geographic location will help craft content that speaks to each audience best.

Considering where visitors are coming from and what actions they've taken prior can help you deliver content they're looking for. For example, a visitor who lands on your website from a direct campaign link included in a recent anniversary special campaign may be looking for more information on an anniversary trip. Delivering anniversary specific content such as images of couples, free room upgrades, and other enticing offers to visitors potentially looking to book for an anniversary celebration will only increase the chances of conversion.

Mapping Targeting Audiences to Personalize Hotel Websites

Knowing who your target audiences are allows you to speak specifically to them.

Categorize visitors into different audiences by similar attributes and set parameters for personalization rules. These rules will be applied in the personalization area within your content management system (CMS).

When creating multiple audiences, it is important to prioritize them by rank in the event a site visitor can be categorized as more than one audience. Decide which target audiences rank highest in priority so when a visitor can be categorized as more than one, they will default to the highest-ranking audience/personalization campaign.

For examples of target audiences, their attributes and the personalization rules tied to them, you can download Vizergy's Website Personalization Guide. Then, use the blank templates provided in the guide to map your own audiences. Although the guide provides several sample audiences, we recommend starting with 1-3 target audiences when building personalization campaigns.

Crafting Personalized Campaigns for Target Audiences

Once your target audiences have been determined, you're ready to map personalization content to deliver to each unique audience.

Since the home page is a major landing spot for most visitors, this is where a lot of the personalization will happen. Things such as custom headlines, specific images and promotional offers can be delivered to visitors here to provoke an action.

Remarketing to return visitors could include things like loyalty program offers, room upgrades, return discounts, etc. Engaging consumers with remarketing tactics require content that is attention grabbing and urges them to convert.

Research from New Epsilon showed that the top motivator for consumers to do business with travel and leisure brands were offers or coupons based on consumer's physical location and past trips or preferences.

Overall, website personalization is a huge opportunity for hoteliers to drive more direct bookings. For more information about personalization, contact the experts at Vizergy or download Vizergy's Website Personalization Guide for helpful tips and templates.

About Vizergy® 

For more than 20 years, Vizergy has served the hospitality industry with leading marketing technologies, knowledgeable talent and exceptional service for clients worldwide. The company deploys complete travel life-cycle marketing solutions from conversion-optimized website design to award-winning digital marketing programs, reservation solutions, media planning and execution. Vizergy's platform is touted as the #1 digital marketing system – easy to use, turnkey and SMART, and continually enhanced with tools to help hotels compete and maximize revenue. At Vizergy, hospitality marketing is not only our mission, it's our sole focus.

Visit our Blog and Connect with Vizergy on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.