In this digital age, the quicker you can capture your clients' attention and provide them with relevant information, the more likely you will win their business. This article will review the following features in Tripleseat that will help you put your best foot forward when engaging with potential clients:
- Lead Forms
- Email Templates and Signatures
- Tasks
- Venue Marketplace
Lead Forms:
While your lead form is most likely already embedded on your website from your time in onboarding, you can create separate lead forms to be placed on various pages of your website. For example, if your property does a lot of weddings, you can create a wedding-specific lead form and place it on the Wedding info section of your website.
Beyond having multiple forms on your site, you can create specific lead forms for the various social media platforms or use them in targeted email marketing campaigns. The important thing to note is that for each unique form you create, you will want to create a corresponding dropdown option within your Settings to set as the Lead Source.
You can quickly share lead forms by copying their URLs and pasting them where needed or making hyperlinks. When viewing the Live Page of your lead forms, simply copy the URL of the page and paste it where needed.
Another unique way to utilize your Tripleseat Lead forms is to turn them into QR codes.
This will allow you to capture trackable leads quickly without your guests having to navigate a website.
The fastest way to create a lead form QR code is by using your browser options.
In Google Chrome, for example, you will navigate to the live page view of the form you want to share.
- From here, right-click anywhere on the page
- Select ”Create a QR code for this page”
- Then Download. Once you have your QR code saved, you can add it wherever your potential guests' eyes are.
If you are not a Chrome user, there are plenty of free QR code generators online that you can use to create QR codes.
How can you utilize QR codes?
- Business Cards
- Each salesperson can have their own individual lead form. The QR code for that form can be printed on their business card for quick trackable requests.
- Lobby and Bar Display
- You can print the QR code to display it at your Front Desk, in guest rooms, at the bar, or anywhere else guests might see it.
- Guest room Display
- Holiday or promotional bookings can be displayed along with other amenities in guest rooms
- Company Swag
- Add a lead form QR code to company swag or or branded complimentary item
Now that we have reviewed some creative ways to market your hotel using your lead form let’s review the Auto-Response Email associated with each lead form you create. Because the Auto-Response Email is the first contact you have with your guests when they submit a lead via the form, it is important to customize this section.
Go to Settings > Lead Forms > Booking Forms > Edit > Scroll down to the Auto-Response Email section.
Here, you can add links to menus, packages, a photo gallery, or other vanity sites to keep your guests interested and informed.
Be sure to include information and photos specific to the lead form type you have created.
Discussion Email Templates
Now, let’s examine how to market your hotel and its amenities effectively through email templates. We recommend creating specific templates for your different marketing efforts and forms.
Lead discussion templates should communicate as much information as possible while enticing your client. It is also a good idea to clearly lay out any questions or basic info your guests need to help you move forward on deciding if this is a qualified lead and a good piece of business.
Tasks
You can also create automatic follow-up tasks to ask groups for repeat business. When your booking closes, you may send a post-booking survey and then create a task to follow up in 3-6 months to touch base with a customer and ask if they have any future business they are considering booking at your property. You can ask, “Are you hosting the same event at this time next year? We’d love to have you back!”
Venue Marketplace
So now that we have reviewed Tripleseat Lead Forms and some creative ways to utilize them, let’s talk about Venue Marketplace. Venue Marketplace is Tripleseat’s complimentary marketing platform, where potential clients can browse venues in their area.
Your Venue Marketplace Listing may have been created during onboarding, but it is always a good idea to check out the form settings and customize it to impress potential clients. To edit or create your Venue Marketplace listing, you will navigate to Settings > select Venue Marketplace > then click Edit.
Required Venue Marketplace fields
- Description textbox
- Include hyperlinks to give potential clients additional information
- Photos
- Use high-quality photos
- Address
While the Description, Photos, and Address are the only required fields, you will see there is a lot of extra information you can include in your listing to try and earn new business. Under Location Details, you can add various tags that correlate to search engine filters on the Venue Marketplace website. You can also include information regarding Pricing, Hours of Availability, and specific room information so that the lead is well-informed before submitting their inquiry. Beyond these details, you will have the option to upload floor plans, address FAQs, showcase accolades, and more!
Including this information in your Venue Marketplace listing will give your potential clients a better understanding of your property and all you have to offer, which in turn will allow you to win more business.
Discussion Email Signatures
Your email signature when communicating through Tripleseat discussions is another way to market to your guests for repeat business.
Navigate to My Profile from the left-hand toolbar or by clicking on your name at the top of the screen. Go to the Email Signature tab. Using the hyperlink option from your toolbar, you can create links to specific lead forms, files, and sites.
For example:
- "Start planning your next experience"
- This can lead to a specific lead form that can be reported on
- "Book your Holiday Party"
- Keep your Holiday clients rebooking every year
- Group and Meeting Packages
- Having a direct link to your guests' options will keep them informed and speed up the sales process.
- Social Media Links
- A direct route to your social platforms is a great way to display your venue quickly.
Reporting for repeat business
While running reports in Tripleseat, filtering to Market and Booking types will help you identify what business is doing well and where to focus your efforts. Focus on annual bookings like birthdays, anniversaries, holiday parties, and conferences.
You can also run Most Booked Contact reports and sort by revenue to see who your best clients are.
Build a Data Base
- Always add notes to the Notes tab on your booking to reference during and after the booking cycle.
- Utilize internal discussion emails for specific communication about bookings
- Attach any relevant files used during the booking
This information will only be visible to the Tripleseat user. As you market to past clients, quickly knowing their history and details will give you an advantage in winning repeat business.
I hope you find these tips and tricks helpful in marketing your hotel and venue!