Blogging for Innkeepers
Blogging is one of main ways of optimizing your website and helps drive new traffic to your website by targeting more keywords and phrases. Blogging keeps your website updated with fresh content which is a major factor in beating competitors in keyword rankings.
The value?
Leveraging one piece of content such as your blog, across three key channels maximizes your marketing reach and impact:
- Blogs make guests excited to visit by providing a captivating local perspective
- Email newsletters drive revenue – generating $36 for every $1 spent on average
- Social media boosts brand awareness and bookings while connecting you with guests
It’s a simple content repurposing strategy, but the results are powerful for independent properties looking to compete online.
You Need to Start Blogging to Improve Your Search Engine Ranking
Beyond the content repurposing benefits, blogging remains one of the most effective tactics for improving your website’s SEO and search visibility. Here’s why:
- Search engines reward inn websites that have fresh, value-added content. This should be consistently added. Innkeepers usually know what kind of things their guests are looking for. Regularly producing blogs provides a steady stream of fresh content to get indexed and ranked.
- HubSpot recommends that you publish 2-4 blog posts per month.
- Enriched Keyword Targeting: Each blog post is an opportunity to naturally incorporate location-based, long-tail keywords that potential guests are searching for like “weekend getaways in [your town],” “[your area] hiking trails, dog-friendly inns” etc.
- Local Optimization Signals: Writing about local events, attractions, insider travel tips, and more sends relevance signals that boost your local search rankings. This visibility is critical for attracting guests researching your destination.
- More Indexed Pages & External Links: Each published post creates a new indexable page on your site! This gives search engines extra content to rank.
- Improved User Engagement Metrics: If your local area content keeps visitors engaged, it can decrease bounce rates and increase dwell times – signals that get factored into Google’s rankings.
The data backs this up. Sites with an active blog tend to have 434% more indexed pages and 97% more inbound links on average.
Produce High-Performing Local Content With These Tips
To maximize the SEO boost and guest engagement from your blog, you need a consistent stream of relevant, high-quality local content. Some proven approaches include:
- Area Guides & Roundups: “Top 10 Things to Do in [Your Town],” “Best Kid-Friendly Activities,” “Can’t-Miss Fall Walks,” etc. These listicles cover top draws and make great evergreen posts.
- Insider Travel Tips & Itineraries: Share insider recommendations only locals would know – hidden gems, self-guided tours, underrated attractions, etc. These differentiate you as a destination expert.
- Spotlight Local Businesses: Interview local artisans, chefs, brewers, shop owners etc. Everyone loves discovering new hot spots and these posts are highly shareable.
- In-Depth Guides & How-Tos: Get detailed with hiking trail breakdowns, DIY craft ideas, local recipes, and more. These posts provide encyclopedic value.
- Current Events & News: Keep a pulse on upcoming concerts, exhibits, festivals and highlight them on your blog with insider POVs. This establishes you and your inn as a local tastemaker.
- Behind-the-Scenes Storytelling: Share the personal stories, history and amenities that make your property one-of-a-kind. This helps forge personal connections with potential guests.
According to OmniCore Agency’s research, the top three types of content that drive the most bookings for hotels are blogs & articles, videos, and visuals/graphics. So write diverse, insight-driven local content that checks those boxes.
Getting A Lot More Value From Your Blog
Amplify your blog’s value by repurposing snippets and visuals across other digital marketing channels:
- Email Campaigns: Use compelling sections or travel tips from your blog posts to create engaging email newsletters each month. Include relevant call-to-actions to drive direct bookings or package sales.
- Social Sharing: Share attractive photos, headlines, quotes or video clips from your blog content across Facebook, Instagram, etc. Make sure posts link back to the full blog URL.
- Content Collaborations: Working with local partners like tour companies, restaurants or tourism boards? Pitch co-marketing collaborations by repurposing and cross-sharing relevant blog content.
- Video Content: Breathe new life into evergreen posts by filming video versions to share on YouTube, social media, and even ad campaigns promoting your area’s top attractions.
With some creative thinking and an editorial calendar, your blog can fuel an entire cross-channel content marketing strategy attracting new guests.
Social Media Posts
Share snippets and images from your blogs onto your Facebook page, in newsletters and on Instagram. It’s worth the work. Inns good at social media marketing have 62% more bookings.
How This Will Help Your Inn
In today’s crowded hospitality landscape, a strategic inn blogging program centered around providing authentic, helpful local expertise can help you:
- Appear higher in search rankings
- Build brand awareness and trust with motivational destination storytelling
- Showcase your unique identity
- Stay top-of-mind with engaging, shareable social content
- Turn website visitors into subscribers, fans, and ultimately, guests
So whether you tackle your inn’s blog yourself or outsource to PillowChocolate start leveraging the power of quality content marketing to energize your SEO, social reach, and revenue simultaneously.
Call 949-481-7276 or Email Info@PillowChocolate or DRingler@iloveinns.com
