The market for a boutique bed and breakfast is tougher than ever. Marriot and Hilton have a major share of the hospitality market. Then, you’ve got Airbnb dominating the bed and breakfast industry.
You think, “How can I compete when every room becomes my competition?”
Don’t worry about competition because you’ve got local marketing on your side.
Put Your Boutique Bed and Breakfast on the Map
A bed and breakfast has an opportunity to differentiate itself through unique traits:
- Personalized experience
- Unreplicable environment
- Town history and reputation
Let those competing on Airbnb saturate their market. Let them race to the bottom with pricing and smaller margins. You’ve got work to do.
Local Marketing Tip #1: Blog about Local Events and Activities
Start a blog and write about these subjects:
- Local news
- Popular outings
- Business reviews
- Guides
Become the expert by being a go-to source for local guides. Include geo-specific keywords throughout each post to increase search traction for those terms.
You could also:
- Hold and publish interviews with locals
- Share photos and videos of local happenings
- Create a “must-see” ebook
- Use an email list to share updates and deals
Google will pick up each blog post. It creates entry points for people searching for your area. A well-placed offer can convert visitors into customers.
Local Marketing Tip #2: Create a Community Hub
Community media captures extra keywords and attention for your boutique bed and breakfast.
Do this:
- Encourage and allow visitors to share reviews on the website
- Create a hashtag for visitors to use with social media shares
- Track brand keywords, find off-site reviews and ask for a link back
- Ask and record video reviews or experiences to post on YouTube
Loyal Dog Marketing service makes the case for online reviews. They confirm reviews as a leading marketing tactic due to trust and authenticity. A response rate under 24-hours is what they recommend for the highest impact.
A Facebook page is the easiest option for creating a community hub. There, you can share experiences and encourage discussions/reviews. You can reuse those snippets on your site for an added boost to organic traffic.
Local Marketing Tip #3: Partner with Relevant Businesses
Think of what goes hand-in-hand with a boutique bed and breakfast:
- Tour guides
- Concerts and events
- Restaurants
- Shopping
Co-market the business by creating a referral network with other locals. The local referral chain gives an opportunity to gain backlinks. Ask for keyword-rich links for main terms coming from local, authority sites.
Local Marketing Tip #4: Take it to the Streets
Get outside and do promotions:
- Attend town meetups and events
- Have employees hand out flyers
- Sponsor a local team or group
- Get featured in the news by offering expertise
- Run print ads, signs, or billboards
The presence creates extra opportunities to have parties contribute media and reviews. Each review is a quality social signal. Or, a backlink.
Doing These While Running the BnB
Local SEO is an on-going strategy. Results vary based on techniques or who you’re working with. The important thing is to keep doing it.
Do these each day:
- Dedicate 5-10 minutes responding to online feedback
- Write 50-100 words for an article or guest post
- Take and share a dozen new pictures of the BnB and location
- Try to get one extra review or social share
Airbnb may have the edge on the market. Marriot and Hilton may have massive ad budgets. But, they don’t have that special experience only you can provide.
Use your unique offering to its advantage. Start by applying these tips. Then, explore more SEO strategies found on our site.