10 Tips to Increase Online Bookings
Companies are having difficulty attracting customers and keeping them. There are always new deals, offers, or companies that offer something unique for the same customer. To keep your business viable in this highly competitive market, you need to increase your online bookings.
Email or SMS marketing campaigns
A marketing CRM allows you to easily create bulk marketing campaigns via SMS or email. You should make sure that your booking software has integrated marketing features. Sending links to your online book page to the audience will help you to track who is visiting it and what percentage are booking. This will allow you to determine the return on investment for your SMS or Email marketing.
Using Social Media platforms effectively
You can take your business to new heights by making good use of social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook. Like all good things it will take time and effort. It will require patience and steady action on your part. There are two methods to increase followers or likes on your social networking page. The first step is usually to grow organically. It is a good idea to ask your customers and those in your network to follow you page. The next step is to create a small marketing campaign for your page/service with a limited budget and a more targeted audience and then try to grow the following over the next few week. It would be great to integrate an online booking platform with your Facebook page, so your customers can book directly from there. A better way to measure the effectiveness and efficiency of your marketing campaign is to have “numbers booked” be the end goal of your calculations. This is different from having “clicks or Likes” as an end goal. If your return on investment is positive, you might consider increasing the budget or price of the campaign.
Specials and Discounts
If you are able to offer the right discounts and offers, customers will be attracted. Discounts and deals should always be considered long-term investments, taking into account the customer’s average lifetime value (also known by LTV). To be effective, you must consider the timing of your discounts. Timing of discounts or deals is crucial. Your time is well spent studying the market and deciding when to launch your discount program to attract customers. You will also want to make sure your online reservation system is up-to-date so that all your prospects can easily book their tickets.
Referral or viral campaigns
Many businesses have an inherent viral factor built into their business models. Facebook’s growth is an example of this. People need friends to chat with, so they will automatically invite their friends to the platform. WhatsApp is no different. WhatsApp allows you to chat with other people, and you need to invite all your friends to WhatsApp. These businesses are very viral. Referral discounts can also be used to add virality to businesses that aren’t viral. Referring a friend to your company may result in a discount. With proper attention and care, the discounts should be established. An example of a similar business might be helpful.
Follow ups and reminders sent to decrease No-Shows
It is important to follow up on booked bookings and remind customers about their booking time and whereabouts in advance. This will reduce no-shows. Queueme’s online booking system can be customized to automatically send reminders. This will reduce no-shows and save you time.
Directory Listings
This may seem old-fashioned but it is very effective. Directory listings increase your business’ credibility and visibility. By listing your business on various online directories, you can reach new markets. Make sure that customers who visit these listings can make bookings online easily, via your website or your social media pages.
Payment options available online
It can help reduce friction when customers book online. Customers will have multiple payment options online. It helps reduce cancellations at the last minute. Secure payment gateways are essential to ensure that customers feel comfortable making payments. It is also a good idea to get the customer to pay in advance. This will decrease cancellations and thereby reduce no-shows.
A loyalty program
Customers are more likely to return to your site if they know that their spending will lead them to save more. Online customers will be more satisfied if they have a loyalty program.
Advertising campaigns that pay per click
Each platform or directory that you are listed on will offer some type of marketing campaign feature. You may also be able to hire an agency to manage your Google Pay per Click advertising campaigns. These campaigns must be managed carefully as they can lead to high-cost business expenses if they are not properly optimized. Be sure to budget for social media marketing campaigns. You should also have a method of measuring the return-on-investment before you spend more. Expert advice is a good idea if you are not seeing positive results right away. Similarly, giving up on digital marketing campaigns early without making informed decisions can lead to your business’s decline.
Your customers deserve the best
Although having an excellent online presence, including ad campaigns and offers, and impressing customers by using online booking software, are all important steps in increasing your online business bookings, nothing can compare to a positive customer experience. A great customer experience will naturally increase your word-of-mouth and can even spread to the web with positive reviews. Softwares can also be used to enhance customer experience, such as tablet software that allows for walk-in management or customer feedback. Queueme also provides a waitlist management or walk-in software that can be used to manage both customers with bookings, and customers who come in without making a booking.
