Consumers are looking to get back on the road again. Pent-up travel demand is alive and well, and hotels and resorts must take a hard look at their marketing and communications strategies to ensure they are maximizing potential.
WHY AFFILIATE MARKETING MATTERS FOR HOTELS AND RESORTS As hotels and resorts reexamine their reopening strategies, affiliate marketing should be at the top of their lists. While earned media relations, digital marketing, and social media are the pillars of a plan, affiliate marketing is a proven supplement to drive site traffic, reservations, and revenue. However, most properties don’t know where to start, and others aren’t quite sure how to build-out efforts to generate more coverage and sales. While many e-commerce businesses leverage affiliate marketing, most hotels and resorts either don’t have a program or know how to use it. By not engaging an affiliate program, hotels and resorts are simply missing out on the opportunity to put more heads in beds.
Still not convinced? Here’s what you need to know:
What is affiliate marketing?
Why is it important?
Are brands using it?
How do you get started?
WHAT IS AFFILIATE MARKETING? Affiliate marketing is a type of performance-based marketing in which a business rewards affiliates (and their partners—influencers and media) for transactions and sales. This system allows affiliates/partners to promote a brand’s products or services and earn a commission from the sales, actions, or clicks they generate. It typically involves four main players: the brand, the affiliate network, affiliates (influencers/publishers/partners), and the customer.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? Most brands view affiliate marketing as a tactic strictly for influencers and/or bloggers. However, the target audiences go far beyond that to include members of the platform, travel agents, media outlets, and more who can all use affiliate links to generate revenue.
In many ways, your affiliates are your new sales force. They are on the frontlines pushing your brand to their audiences. The best aspect is that there are real-time metrics behind their work. Our team can see who’s driving referral traffic, conversions, and beyond.
ARE BRANDS USING IT? According to recent studies, 81% of brands rely on affiliate links because they involve very little investment. Brands are using it because it WORKS. Even amidst COVID-19, clicks and orders across top global affiliate networks continue on an upward trajectory. The trending rise of clicks and orders showcases that despite retail reopening in many countries, there is a healthy consumer appetite for online shopping that shows no signs of abating.
Read the complete blog post here on Zapwater's blog.
