In association with


Jane Pendlebury


We did a 12-part series on social media about the suppliers and the new dishes coming onto a menu inspired by 10 years of working with our suppliers. The whole intention of that cam- paign was how we embed our company culture and messaging into audiences, who probably don’t know Pizza Pilgrims as well as our Lon- don audience.” The series got an astonishing two million


views on TikTok and Instagram, twice the target. “And looking at the stats when you see


“Now is the time for businesses to get creative and stand


out from the crowd” Jane Pendlebury, HOSPA


who was a paid or an organic viewer, it goes without saying that the paid social spend was well worth the money we invested,” she says. Kieran Corbitt, brand and social manager at cocktail bar chain the Alchemist, says opera- tors need to look beyond traditional platforms. “TikTok is overtaking Google as the most-used search platform. The largest audience on there now is 25- to 35-year-olds. People will use it to search for a martini recipe instead of Google – because everything is so visual now,” he says. “We mainly do comedy on TikTok, which


does really well. Obviously you can relate com- edy to hospitality. Most people have worked in hospitality at some point in their life and you can make jokes, for example, about the man- ager calling you on your day off to see if you can come in… So, you can always get those into those trending comedy sounds.” However, while social media is important, businesses shouldn’t forget less ‘sexy’ chan- nels, such as the humble email, for exam- ple. “Effective email campaigns can also help operators nurture customer relationships and drive repeat business, with some hotels employing specific talent to focus on email marketing,” says Jane Pendlebury, chief exec- utive of HOSPA. “If you have a good database, a tailored, per-


based, it means we can do marketing offers and tactical offers at different times of the day when the reservation office isn’t open. And by driving it all online, it just makes it more of an efficient process.” Direct bookings through the website also


don’t incur third-party commission – putting more money in the operator’s pocket. “The hospitality industry needs to make it easy and convenient for people to book their products,” she says. Her advice to operators is to make sure the


website is easy to use and visually appealing. “We have quarterly photography and videography. So, we seasonalise the look and feel of the website,


www.thecaterer.com


in line with what it looks like outside. Which means it always looks fresh and new.” Mollie’s Sweetland agrees. Its website is designed so guests can easily manage the details of their stay, while the site itself is a dynamic, ever-charging source of information for guests, with “constant” updates multiple times a day. They’ve also introduced a webchat feature – to make it easier for guests and prospective guests to get instant answers to their queries. “The web is the public advertisement


before [guests] arrive. It’s not just your external customers, it’s your careers page. It’s everything,” he says.


sonalised email can be very effective at encour- aging repeat custom and attracting new guests. Just remember, it's crucial to segment email lists and provide customised, valuable content. You could consider dropping a merge tag into your email, and using customer data to pull in content specific to each of your contacts, making your marketing feel more personal.” She believes as operators are increasingly realising the importance of online visibility, there are numerous ways to innovate on these platforms. “With advancements in AI [artifi- cial intelligence] the opportunities for unique marketing material are endless, so now is the time for businesses to get creative and stand out from the crowd.” Whatever stage of their digital marketing


journey, operators have nothing to lose by try- ing new channels and experimenting with the new formats. Doing so could help energise the brand and bring in vital new audiences.


Technology Prospectus 2024 | 15


SHUTTERSTOCK/WEE DEZIGN


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