OTAs, or Online Travel Agents, are a key part of the travel industry today. They allow you to advertise your inventory across the internet and can be a great way to reach new customers. But if an OTA is taking away your direct bookings, it might be time to look at ways of getting them back on your website. Here are 6 tips that will help increase customer loyalty and get more direct web traffic:
Encourage Direct Booking
Direct booking is the best way to get customers. It means that the customer books a room on your site and checks in directly with you, rather than using an online travel agent (OTA). While direct bookings have declined over time, it's still an important source of revenue for hotels. The reason why is because when a customer books directly with a hotel they feel more comfortable with the booking. This makes them more likely to return to that hotel again later on down the road when they need another reservation made.
A good way to encourage direct booking is by offering discounts when people book directly through your own website. You can also ask them why they chose not too use OTAs and then do something differently next time around so as not only attract more customers back but also improve their overall experience if at all possible as well
Creating a community is one of the best ways to get customers back on OTAs. Why? Because it gives you the opportunity to build relationships with your customers and get them talking about your brand. Here's how you can do it:
Start by creating an account on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter. Then create a username that reflects the name of your business or product (like "Blanket_Basket_Workshop").
Next, post updates regularly, whether they're videos of your product being used by other people or testimonials from happy customers. As long as there are relevant things happening in your industry---and especially if it's something that's going to interest your followers---posting updates will keep their attention coming back again and again!
Offering personalized service is an easy way to make your customers feel like they are getting a special deal. If you offer personalized service, your clients will feel that their experience with your business is worth sharing.
To make it easy for your customers, you need to make sure the subscription process is smooth. You should:
Offer a discount or a free gift. This will entice them to subscribe and help you build up your database of subscribers. If you offer something like this, make sure that it's clear how long it will last and how much money they're saving/what gift they'll receive. For example, if someone signs up with an account from Airbnb on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving), they may get some sort of discount for booking within their first week on Airbnb.
Make sure the subscription is clear and easy to understand. People don't want to read through pages of text before they can start using the service; they just want what they came here looking for! So be sure not only that there are no hidden fees but also everything else about the service is laid out clearly so people know exactly what's happening when signing up (such as how long their email address will stay active). This way no one feels cheated by being misled into creating an account without realizing what would happen once making an account became mandatory (i.e., having their credit card information stored).
One of the best ways to keep in touch with customers is through social media. Some of the most popular platforms are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. You can use these platforms to connect with your customers, provide customer service and share your brand story. Social media is also a great way to share photos and videos.
Social media allows you to connect with your customers on a personal level. It's a great way for them to share their experiences with friends and family members as well as other like-minded travelers who might be interested in booking an OTAs property through you!
It's important to be polite and helpful. Make sure you greet guests when they arrive, and check in with them often. When your guest is being hosted by someone else in your company, make sure that person knows how to reach you if they need a question answered or need help with anything at all.
If you have an extra moment at the end of the day (or before starting), send a quick email thanking your guests for staying with you. Thanking customers is an easy way to make them feel special!
It's good practice for employees to take care of each other too---if an employee does something nice for one guest, encourage him or her to do the same for other guests as well!
Here are some steps you can take to increase customer loyalty and get more direct website bookings:
Provide a more personalized experience. Building a positive brand image is key, which means making it easy for customers to know you in an authentic way. How can you do this? Through personalization! Giving each person who visits your site a unique experience will help them feel connected with your company as an individual entity instead of just another person booking their stay at the hotel. This will encourage guests to return again and again, strengthening their loyalty towards your brand along the way.
Make it easy for customers to book directly on your website (without OTAs). If we've learned anything from this blog post about how OTAs work against small businesses, it's that they don't give users any incentive whatsoever when it comes time for choosing where they want their next vacation! Even though many travelers might prefer using an OTA due its convenience factor - after all, who wants go through all those different websites just searching around trying figure out which one has availability or best price? - not everybody has accesstothese types platforms(duetocosts)or doesn't know how use them properly (since they aren't designedfor everyday consumers). In order words: if someone wants make sure they're getting good deal then most likely will stick with what they know best (i..e., Google search engine results page where only few options available too). It's important keep this fact mind while creating content strategy because if site visitor's needs aren't met then there's no point even trying build relationship with them."
You may have heard the saying, "the customer is always right." But what happens when they're not? Sometimes, customers can be difficult to deal with, and it's important for you as a business owner to know how to handle their complaints. In this article we discussed some of the most common types of customer complaints and how best to respond. We also looked at how to make sure your employees are equipped with the resources they need in order to solve any issues that arise during their interactions with customers. With these tips in mind---and some practice!---you should be able take care of any problem that arises on your end as quickly as possible so everyone involved can move forward happily ever after."