How Online Engagement Could Benefit Hospitality Businesses

It’s a tough time for all of us at the moment, businesses and members of the general public alike, but while some sectors have seemed to have fared relatively well, there are others that have been badly hit… like the events and hospitality industry, which have all had to shut up shop completely since March 23rd and lockdown restrictions were first introduced.

Finding new ways of working is now a must for the time being and some companies are showing true innovation in this regard. Some restaurants and eateries, for example, are now offering food kits so that people can make their favourite meals from their menus at home – a really brilliant way of keeping customers engaged with a product and keeping brand names alive.

One company that has turned to the internet to help sustain themselves over the coming weeks and months is The Cocktail Service, a mobile cocktail bar business that provides immersive drinks experiences and provides bars and bartenders for hire for a range of different events.

Its evolution over the last few weeks has involved prioritising online engagement and digital marketing and has increased its expenditure in this regard, focusing on newsletters, SEO, running a global Instagram cocktail competition and building up the resource section on its website.

Director of the business Tom Bronock spoke to Verdict to explain the impact the coronavirus crisis has had, saying: “We have had to furlough 16 members of our team, do a huge amount of damage limitation in reducing costs and financial modelling and try and plan for the future.

“Unfortunately, due to the function we provide the events and drinks industry our revenue has gone to almost zero and will be at this level for the foreseeable future.”

The internet has been many a brand’s answer to the current crisis, transferring services online as far as has been possible, but it would be wise to focus on digital marketing as well, much like Mr Bronock and The Cocktail Service so that you can be ready for when business does pick up again.

Because everyone is doing everything online at the moment, it’s important that you make sure your branding is consistent, your website runs smoothly, that your site itself is optimised for both desktop and mobile, and that you provide amazing descriptions of your products, along with any good quality photos and videos you have.

It could also be worth running a targeted digital ad campaign on the likes of Instagram, Facebook or YouTube to bring in some custom from local casual scrollers. And, of course, SEO can really help increase your rankings on search engines, helping to make your site more visible and in the minds of potential customers.

For help with digital marketing in High Wycombe, get in touch with us today.