When we are thinking about the topic of “personalization” we can be very sure that across almost all industries management is wondering how to apply it or improve it, this is so due to the high potential that personalization has for any business.

Loyalty programs are no longer the best solution, they are an improvement but not the key to success.  Did you know that only 8% of guests would stay at the same brand hotel and only 14% of participants fly with the same airline (according to Deloitte Loyalty Study)? Having so much information available online for the guest now, “brand-switching behavior” is more common than ever.

Using personalization is the best way to engage consumers based on their preferences, lifestyles and specific interests. Personalization is a “must” on a website lately and 74% of users get frustrated when websites are not tailored to their needs.

Talking about hospitality and tourism, the goal of every website is to transform lookers to bookers, which requires extensive work especially when it comes to visual content. Visuals are highly important when booking a lodging or hospitality product, as it is one of the main factors that drives the consumer to make a purchase. So much so that 63% of consumers value the quality of a product’s image as more important that the product’s specific information.

Here are some pointers to follow I order to excel at your strategies in attracting more customers through marketing:

• Adding contextual relevant meta tags will allow to determine which groups of visuals will convert highest with which personas
• Make all your experiences authentic and engaging, online users seek more personalized, community-inspired holidays
• Be on top of your social media game Outlets such as Facebook and Instagram are becoming impressive marketing tools as well as sale platforms
• Customize email distribution – customers are willing to share information on social media if it is within their range of interest
• Find different ways to engage with your guests even after their holiday experience was done

Personalization has become a necessity within digital marketing for the travel industry. The travelers are demanding these personalized services and if they do not receive them they will switch to a different provider, as they have from where to choose. You should be up to speed and ahead of the game in order to succeed.