Guest Booking Process - Step One Of The 5-Step Series

Podcast: Getting Future Customers To Book Directly Via Your Website

 

How To Get Customers To Book Directly

Getting customers to book directly through your website instead of online travel agents can be difficult. However, keeping a few things in mind will help you to accomplish just this. Remember, direct booking will be beneficial for not just you, but for your customers, too!

I have released this new six-part series to go over the five of the easiest ways you can boost your direct bookings. Each episode is under 10 minutes long, so you can easily consume as you get on with your busy day. You can download all six episodes right now via iTunes.

For this episode, I am going to talk about Your Website!

So here are a few tips on how to increase your direct bookings by improving your website.

Have you heard of the grunt test? The grunt test was developed by Donald Miller from Storybrand.

The test goes like this: find a random person and show them your website for 5 seconds. After 5 seconds, this person should be able to tell you everything there is to know about your property. If they can't, consider following these steps to improve your website:

1. Add a nice, big, bright, welcoming image!

Make sure all images are up-to-date and are clear. Images go a long way toward getting that booking.

2. Add a clear message of why they should be staying with you!

This is your U.P.S. (unique selling point), and it should be clearly written, right in the eye line, and located on your home page. Examples could be that you offer vegan or vegetarian breakfasts or that you have amazing sea views.

3. Have a big “BOOK NOW” button!

You want this to stand out clearly. Put it right at the top of your web page. A big “Book Now” or “Check Availability” button makes booking directly with you as easy for customers as possible.

Improving these 3 points will surely help you in the grunt test. But there are also a few other factors to keep in mind too. They all go toward increasing your direct bookings.

Firstly, make sure that your website is mobile-phone friendly. The majority of customers use mobile phones to do bookings, and if your site is not compatible, they may just log off!

Also, make sure your phone number is clearly visible. This is an easy way to avoid having your customers make bookings through online travel agents. You can even consider having a message such as “For the best rates, for the best availability, call us directly at…”

We hope you found these tips useful and you enjoyed the podcast. We would also love to hear your feedback and whether you have implemented any of these tips in your online market.

Send an email to me at [email protected] and let us know!

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