What investments have you made specific to digital reputation management within the last 12 to 18 months and what are your goals and strategies to that end in 2020?
When we've asked hoteliers these questions at trade shows, the answer heard time and again was that the hotel subscribed to a reputation management software dashboard and that the teams on property made operational adjustments to elevate the guest experience based on the feedback within guest comments. When asked about goals and strategies pertaining to digital reputation management, the answers were less revealing. While most hotels might have a target in mind, the First Page on TripAdvisor being a prime example, few were able to communicate how they planned to achieve that goal.
What Software Does and Doesn't Do for Your Digital Reputation Management
Digital reputation management software is a tremendous tool that has been around for many years. Revinate or TrustYou are wonderful examples and we in fact work with them quite often. If your teams use the available data, this provides a wealth of information. This however is a reactive approach, just as responding to reviews is a necessary reactive action item. With that in mind, what can be done proactively today, to impact your digital reputation management for the current month? What can be done today to ensure your hotel earns more reviews than the property next door?
According to a TripBarometer study, reputation management is anticipated to experience the biggest growth in investment, outperforming line items such as renovations, advertising, Search Engine Optimization and staff training. With hotels realizing that digital reputation management is more than just reading and reacting to reviews, the playing field is going to become much more competitive. If the management team at your hotel lacks bandwidth, expertise and knowledge on how to execute an effective reputation management strategy, it’s time to explore outside solutions.
How Our Team Fills in the Gaps
Hoteliers often ask us how The Reputation Lab differs from a software company. The answer to that question is three-fold:
We are a strategic partner, in that we will partner with the leadership team to set a goal and implement a strategy on how that goal can be achieved;
We act as an extension to the management team, in that we lead this task with property champions on a daily basis and we train, recognize and motivate team members to work towards these goals;
We relieve the team of the countless man-hours they would be spending responding to reviews so that they can do what they do best: engage with guests, drive revenues and lead and develop other colleagues within the business;
If you are interested in learning how a digital reputation management strategy can benefit your business, we invite you to email us via our secure contact form to set up a no pressure consultation or call us at 855-979-6800.