Midweek Matters: Getting to know your audience

We are FLOCC, a digital marketing agency specialising in hotels and dining. We've noticed the major gap in the market when it comes to midweek direct bookings and how many hotels are keen to boost their sales during the weekdays. Over the next 12 articles we'll be giving you tips and tricks on how to increase these bookings with a number of targeted marketing strategies, after all, midweek matters! Our first article is about getting to know your audience - an essential part of all marketing, as the more you understand their needs and habits, the better you can market your services to them. Successful hotel businesses are able to attract guests during the week because they take time to get to know their target audience. Knowing who your customers are is important for any type of business, but it's especially important in the hospitality industry where competition can be fierce and customer loyalty hard won. Knowing your target demographic will help you better market to them and tailor your product or service offerings accordingly. Who are midweek audiences, and how do they differ from weekends? Many people tend to stay in a hotel over the weekend, this is because during the week they are working and will use the weekend as their time to take a break in another city and relax. If people are busy working during the week, what kinds of guests will be staying midweek? This can be determined by a range of different factors. Popular midweek audiences often include: solo travellers, business travellers or even families and couples with time off from school or work. When getting to know your target audience, it's important to consider a few key points. First, understand what type of traveller is most likely to visit your establishment during the week. This can be based on a variety of factors, such as their age, occupation, or travel habits. It can be largely dependent on the location of your hotel, is it close to a city or by the beach? Understanding why guests would be visiting the area is key in getting them to book with you during the week. For example, a solo traveller stopping by to see the local historic sites in your city would be more inclined to stay at your hotel if you're offering a traveller’s deal or discounts on entry at these places. Secondly, understand your target demographics habits. Where are they coming from? What do they typically like or dislike about their accommodation during these types of trips? Business travellers may regularly visit your location due to its reputation as a growing business hub. These guests will want a stay that is quick and comfortable - if you find that they are the main demographic of people visiting your hotel during the week, focus on what they'll be looking for in their stay and tailor it to attract their interests. The more you know about them, the better chance you have at reeling them in. Finally, make sure your advertising and marketing materials are clear about the fact that your establishment is open for business during the week. This will help to set you apart from other hotels that may be trying to attract guests for vacation or long-term rentals. If you want to increase midweek business, get to know your target audience. Considering all the factors will help you tailor your marketing campaigns specifically towards them, thereby increasing midweek bookings. As you can guess, this is just the first step, check out our article next month for the next technique in your midweek matters strategy - campaigns. For more hotel marketing tips, take a look at our website: https://flocc.co/insights/