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More and more hospitality operators are looking to take advantage of AI-driven marketing solutions as an opportunity to streamline their operations and support their staff.



In this guide, we will explore how hospitality operators can utilise AI to strengthen their marketing efforts, increase the visibility of their brand and drive growth at every stage of their customer journey.&nbsp;



From gaining AI-driven customer insights, and leveraging marketing automation, to in-depth data analytics and predictions. There are plenty of ways AI can be implemented in various areas of the business.



Now is the perfect time to jump on board with integrating AI into your hospitality business’s marketing plans.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ai-in-hospitality-marketing">AI in hospitality marketing</h2>



Artificial intelligence (AI), is the ability of computer systems to perform tasks that would usually require human intelligence.



In recent years, AI has revolutionised the hospitality industry, providing ample opportunities for businesses.&nbsp;



For instance, AI can quickly analyse large amounts of customer data to gain insights into preferences and behaviour. This can be used by staff to tailor the service and marketing campaigns. I.e. greeting a hotel guest with his favourite cocktail upon arrival or treating a customer with a restaurant voucher for their birthday.



In addition, AI can adapt the pricing strategy depending on the current market situation and provide future predictions. Managing and responding to online reviews also becomes much easier with AI tools. To name just a few, we will have a closer look at those and others in this guide.



Overall, by using AI in marketing, hospitality operators can create a seamless guest journey from the moment the customer first interacts with their brand, to the point they come back to the venue. This all leads to higher revenue and customer satisfaction.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-ai">Advantages and disadvantages of AI</h2>



It is important for operators to weigh the pros and cons before deciding to incorporate AI into their business operations. We have summarised the most relevant ones in this short list below. 



You can find a more extensive list <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/the-pros-and-cons-of-using-ai-in-hospitality">in this article</a>.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-main-advantages">Main advantages:</h4>



<ol>
<li>Increased operations efficiency and productivity. AI can streamline and automate repetitive tasks.</li>



<li>Cost reduction. AI allows for data-backed decision-making.</li>



<li>Tailored customer experience. AI provides insights that support personalised marketing and service.</li>



<li>Accurate forecasting. AI can identify revenue opportunities.</li>
</ol>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-main-disadvantages">Main disadvantages:</h4>



<ol>
<li>Impersonal service. AI lacks the human touch that many guests desire.</li>



<li>System failure. Operators are highly dependent on their digital tools to work seamlessly.</li>



<li>Technical limitations. Not all AI tools are able to cater for the needs of the hospitality industry.</li>



<li>High investment costs. Implementing AI is often a major investment.</li>
</ol>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ai-as-a-growth-tool-for-hospitality">AI as a growth tool for hospitality</h2>



AI technology is undoubtedly a growth tool for the hospitality industry, and those who successfully embrace it will thrive in the long run.&nbsp;



<a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/4-ways-to-optimise-your-hospitality-business-with-ai">Here are 4 ways</a> it can support different areas of the business.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-1-operations">1. Operations</h4>



AI technology has vastly improved the way hospitality operators conduct their daily operations and provide service.&nbsp;



Chatbots are a great example, as they can scan common customer queries and answer them in real time. This relieves staff of tedious, repetitive tasks, while still ensuring customers receive an excellent level of service around the clock.



Hotels are also increasingly leaning on AI for contactless check-ins and virtual concierges, making sure guests get the most out of their stay. Self-service kiosks in restaurants on the other hand allow customers to place orders more quickly and efficiently. Again freeing up staff time for other duties.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-2-marketing">2. Marketing</h4>



AI can massively improve the way hospitality businesses communicate with guests and market their services. It can gather a multitude of data points in one place, coming from tech tools such as Guest WiFi, table booking platforms or loyalty scheme.&nbsp;



Marketers can use the data to better understand customer preferences, habits and needs. This then allows them to provide a more personalised experience, offer relevant promotions and optimise their marketing campaigns for maximum results.



With AI automation, tasks such as uploading data are made simpler and faster. This frees up time and reduces human errors. Trigger-based campaigns based on previous customer interactions can also be easily automated. Such as sending discounts to customers who haven’t been at your venue for a while.&nbsp;



Lastly, AI can power up digital advertising by helping with audience and campaign optimisation. On top, it can monitor social media channels for brand mentions and engagement.&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-3-sales-revenue">3. Sales &amp; revenue</h4>



There is promising potential for integrating AI to improve sales too.&nbsp;



AI can analyse customer data to predict their preferences and suggest personalised recommendations. Equipped with these insights staff can better upsell and cross-sell when customers are in the venue. Marketers as well can take advantage of this with highly targeted campaigns that lead to higher conversion rates and ultimately create more sales opportunities.&nbsp;&nbsp;



AI can further be used for improved revenue management for hotels and restaurants. It creates accurate forecasts by analysing past data as well as external factors such as market fluctuations.&nbsp;



This enables operators to adjust their pricing in real time. So they can take advantage of peak periods while still remaining competitive during off-peak times.



For hoteliers, this also means that they can ensure guests always get the best price when booking direct.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-4-data-analytics-reporting">4. Data analytics &amp; reporting</h4>



By using AI to generate accurate reports hospitality businesses can become more successful in the long run through leveraging data-driven insights into customer behaviour. So that they don’t rely on guesswork anymore.



A lot of, usually manual, tasks can be automated as well. Such as the creation of monthly reports or the building of customised dashboards with the metrics that matter.



AI can present the data in a way that is accessible to the entire team and that also facilitates performance analysis from relevant KPIs.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-3-ai-use-cases-for-hospitality">3 AI use cases for hospitality</h2>



There are already examples of hospitality businesses successfully implementing AI and it&#8217;s likely that more will follow suit in the coming years.



We’ve summarised 3 <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/4-revenue-driving-ai-tools-for-hospitality-operators">popular use cases for AI marketing</a> and operations below.



If you’re a hotelier you can find more relevant examples <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/3-clever-ai-tools-to-support-your-hotel-operations">here</a> and we also got some, especially for restaurant operators <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/3-restaurant-specific-ai-tools-that-drive-sales">here</a>.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">1. Personalised service</h4>



AI enables hospitality marketers to create a personalised customer experience with ease. Through the smart analysis of customer data, AI can segment customers into small groups according to patterns, demographics and historical interaction.



This empowers businesses to deliver targeted marketing campaigns that resonate with individual customers, helping them feel appreciated and increasing loyalty.&nbsp;



AI also helps to <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/another-5-step-recipe-how-to-easily-win-back-lost-customers-part-2-of-5">detect and retain lost customers</a> through automated campaigns that are triggered by pre-defined conditions.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">2. Content creation</h4>



AI technology can be used to quickly generate various pieces of content. This ranges from email campaigns to social media posts and website copy. Plus, it can translate content into multiple languages so you can reach wider audiences.&nbsp;



AI algorithms can also analyse the most engaging social media posts and create similar ones. Plus, it can also determine the best posting schedules, hashtags and content for various platforms to grow engagement and followers.



When it comes to website content, AI can improve SEO rankings and develop search engine-optimised content by incorporating relevant keywords.&nbsp;



Another example is restaurant menus. They are often seasonal and need to be changed on a regular basis. AI can support operators to come up with enticing menu descriptions and iterations to speed up the process.



<a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/how-to-speed-up-content-creation-with-ai-in-hospitality">Check out this article</a> to find out more about how you can create more hospitality marketing content in less time with AI.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">3. Chatbots</h4>



As already mentioned, hospitality operators are now discovering the value of AI-powered chatbots in providing better customer service that is available for customers&nbsp; 24/7.



Chatbots can be used for a variety of tasks. Common examples are answering FAQs, taking orders in restaurants and helping with general service requests.&nbsp;



Plus, they can act as a concierge and support customers with their travel planning by making personalised recommendations based on past interactions.



With the ability to integrate with voice assistants like Alexa or Google Assistant, hospitality operators can further create a more human experience and eliminate the typing for customers.



With these advanced capabilities, hospitality operators can enhance their services while also improving staff efficiency. All without ever compromising on guest satisfaction.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-ai-can-improve-reviews-management">How AI can improve reviews management</h2>



Online reviews play a crucial role in attracting customers. However, managing these reviews can be a daunting and time-consuming task for busy hospitality operators. This is where AI comes in to lend a <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/how-ai-can-facilitate-reviews-management-for-hospitality-operators">helping hand with your reputation management</a>. 



For example, it takes over previous manual tasks done by staff. So instead of analysing each review platform separately and dealing with spreadsheets, AI can automatically gather all reviews in one place. This allows for quick access and a multi-channel overview. Reviews can be dealt with more efficiently and progress on each response can be tracked easily.



To avoid further complications, operators have to react to reach review in a timely manner. This way they can retain unhappy customers and show that their opinion matters to the business.&nbsp;



Depending on the number of reviews flooding in it can be challenging to keep up. With automated response generation, AI can help operators to better handle their to-do lists. Based on keywords AI can generate a personalised reply in no time.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Further, AI-powered sentiment analysis can provide operators with valuable insights into customer feedback. It can detect common themes and tag them accordingly. This enables businesses to quickly identify areas for improvement to enhance their service.



With AI, hospitality operators can better stay on top of their online reputation, and improve their overall scores and customer satisfaction.



If you want to find out how AI can also make it easier for customers to leave a review, check out this article.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-summary">Summary</h2>



AI is a very beneficial tool that hospitality operators should look to explore and utilise to back up their marketing strategy.&nbsp;



AI technology has tremendous potential for increasing speed and accuracy in data collection and analysis. This allows operators to provide more tailored services for their customers based on what they&#8217;ve learned from past engagements. But also to make accurate predictions and more informed decisions which will save them time and money.



Moreover, AI can be used to aid in developing marketing content, automating and supporting daily service operations and improving reviews management.



There may be valid concerns around its adoption cost and potential impact on losing the human touch. Though, when leveraged correctly, AI can have significant positive impacts on your hospitality business.

post

AI In Hospitality Marketing: A Complete Guide

Vertical: The Future of Video Content for Digital Marketing

Infographic Buying Behaviour Social Media

Infographic: The Influence of Online Reviews and Social Media on Customers’ Buying Behaviour

All aboard the hype-train, it’s time to take a ride into the near future and show you what we’ve got coming up in our wonderful platform. So, get excited and have a little sneak peek of our upcoming features. Here comes the&nbsp;Stampede Spring/Summer product look ahead.



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Stampede Digital Voucher Codes</h4>



A nicely segmented audience, a tailored offer and….what’s missing to make that campaign really sing? How about a&nbsp;unique voucher code&nbsp;for each member of that audience. Make them feel really special and drive those repeat conversions.



Our first new product feature will allow you to send voucher codes in your email and SMS campaigns. Once the voucher is redeemed in-venue it will&nbsp;automatically get logged&nbsp;to the campaign it came from.



As always with Stampede you’ll be able to track the results of those campaigns with supreme accuracy. Granular level conversion tracking will show you exactly how many people came back and whipped out their voucher.



No more matching codes and campaigns, no more rough ideas of what worked (or didn’t). Just easy digital marketing.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-stampede-bookings">Stampede Bookings</h4>



The second exciting addition we’re currently building is a&nbsp;fully integrated table booking system&nbsp;for venues.



Stampede bookings will include all the important features you’d expect:



<ul><li>Manage reservations, walk-ins, waitlists and table allocation</li><li>Get notified on reservations, cancellations and dietary requirements</li><li>Send automated email and SMS booking confirmations as well as review requests post-visit</li><li>Control your cover capacity and no-shows</li></ul>



… and much more



This adds another data capture string to your bow. But it can also&nbsp;take away a lot of hassle.&nbsp;



Many hospitality operators depend on a variety of connected platforms from different providers for their technology. Our integrated bookings system will take away lots that complexity. Everything will be in one place, one tab, one login, one monthly bill.



Keep an eye out for more updates on these features over the next few weeks.



If you’d like to be an early tester of any of these new product features (with a little incentive of course) then&nbsp;<a href="https://stampede.ai/company/#contact" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">get in touch.</a>

Stampede Spring/Summer Sneak Peek – More Tools To Help You Grow

Over the past few years, hospitality businesses have been in a rush to get up to speed with all the tech tools the market has to offer.



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>



Many businesses, therefore, have ended up with a stack of technologies that all serve individual purposes. Most of these are haphazardly interconnected or worse not integrated at all.



What’s more, those digital tools each come with costs which can add up quickly.



With budgets being tight this year, time to review your tech solutions and find ways to reduce excess costs whilst growing your business.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-find-tools-fit-for-the-industry">Find Tools Fit For The Industry</h5>



It’s tempting to go for the big household names we are familiar with. If it’s working for other businesses, it clearly has to work for yours as well, right?



However, contemporary online businesses, such as e-commerce, come with different tech needs compared to offline i.e. brick-and-mortar ones.



Most of the time those tools are not designed specifically for industries like hospitality. They are there to satisfy the mainstream online market.



How do you find industry-specific tools?



<ul><li>Ask for referrals within your industry</li><li>Be specific in your Google search terms &#8211; ‘for hospitality/restaurant/hotel…’</li><li>Do detailed research and compare tools on tech directories like <a href="https://www.g2.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">G2</a> or <a href="https://www.capterra.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Capterra</a></li><li>Check testimonials on the websites &#8211; are those from companies similar to yours?</li></ul>



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">Save Money With An All-In-One Solution</h5>



Think about how many repeat customers you would need to pay for your monthly subscriptions and how much effort it takes to generate those visits.&nbsp;



Another important cost factor to consider is time. Syncing and managing multiple data sources from various integrated systems is often inefficient, as well as a potential GDPR risk.



Instead, industry experts are now advocating for multi-function smart tools and technology that can pay for itself.



Simplification is the way forward here. Rather than custom building a mix and match solution from different providers, choose one platform that can do everything you need in one place.



This way you’re no longer relying on costly and complex integrations and can focus on bringing more customers back.



Looking for a <a href="https://stampede.ai/how-it-works/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">smart all-in-one solution</a> to grow your business? <a href="https://h.stampede.ai/meetings/stampede/demo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Get in touch</a> to find out more.

How To Save Money On Your Digital Tech Tools

Keeping on top of your marketing whilst running a hospitality business can be tough. Let marketing automations do the heavy lifting for you. 



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They&nbsp;make your&nbsp;marketing easy and free up your time&nbsp;to focus on driving sales.



Check out our most popular marketing automations that you can send via email and SMS.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-4-quick-win-marketing-automations-campaigns">4 Quick-Win Marketing Automations Campaigns</h5>



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Drive repeat visits



Want to send out personalised campaigns that drive sales?



Send customers a&nbsp;birthday offer&nbsp;via SMS.



Data: Date of birth



<a href="https://stampede.ai/customer/bar-tonic">Read Success Story</a>
</div>
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Retain your customers



Haven’t seen some of your customers for a while?



Create a&nbsp;win-back email&nbsp;campaign to bring them back to your venue.



Data: Last in-venue visit or booking



<a href="https://stampede.ai/customer/cocktail-embassy">Read Success Story</a>
</div>



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Get more and better reviews



Need to boost your reputation online?&nbsp;



Activate the&nbsp;reviews automation&nbsp;to start pushing those numbers up.



Data: Recent in-venue visitor



<a href="https://stampede.ai/customer/montpeliers-group">Read Success Story</a>
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Nurture your loyal customers



Want to build a loyal customer base?



Reward your loyal customers with a&nbsp;‘thank you’ voucher&nbsp;and turn them into fans.



Data: Frequent loyalty card user or customer



<a href="https://stampede.ai/customer/atis">Read Success Story</a>
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<h5 class="wp-block-heading">5 Reasons Why Our Customers Love Marketing Automations</h5>



<ol>
<li>They are fast to set up, tip: create and re-use templates</li>



<li>They run on autopilot and leave you time to focus on other tasks</li>



<li>They drive sales &#8211;&nbsp;<a href="https://moosend.com/blog/10-marketing-automation-statistics-need-know/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">75% of email revenue</a>&nbsp;comes from personalised campaigns</li>



<li>They are personalised and relevant to your customers which means high conversion rates</li>



<li>They keep customers engaged and coming back to your venues</li>
</ol>



Also, have a look at our&nbsp;<a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/a-5-step-recipe-that-creates-profitable-personalised-marketing-part-1/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">simple&nbsp;5-step recipe&nbsp;</a>that will help you set-up more personalised marketing campaigns.



Let us make marketing easier for you. Get started with <a href="https://stampede.ai/how-it-works/marketing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Stampede marketing automations</a> to free up your time.

Easy And Profitable Marketing With Automations

In recent months, we’ve been introduced to a growing number of other hospitality apps via new and long-term customers. It’s exciting to see the value our customers get from connecting more data sources into Stampedes and we want to enable more of it.&nbsp;



To do this, we’ve launched a new app marketplace to make it easier to centralise more customer data in Stampede. As part of this, we also released a new Developer Portal to create an easier way of connecting new data sources.



This is a truly open marketplace for hospitality apps to get interconnected. What we mean by that is it moves beyond the realms of outdated file transfers and account managers manually handling the data behind the scenes on behalf of operators. It&#8217;s real-time so data moves smoothly between apps and Stampede as it happens.



In this update, we&#8217;ll look at how the new marketplace can enhance your marketing efforts and also how app developers can use it to build connections with Stampede, delivering more value to their operators.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-for-operators">For Operators</h2>



The hospitality industry requires smart tools that can streamline complicated operations and help the business grow. The app marketplace connects your external data sources into a single system.



By centralising marketing data apps all in one place, the platform offers greater visibility and easier access to the data. This enables operators to manage their data more effectively, making sure all aspects of their marketing are in one place, they can save time without needing to manually import and export data from various systems. This also lowers the GDPR breach risks of handling customer data.



By connecting other hospitality apps and data to the ecosystem, operators can supplement their current tools by leveraging Stampede&#8217;s suite of marketing, data analytics, and automation. For example connecting your table booking platform and order-to-table app into Stampede, along with existing tools in there, helps you streamline repetitive tasks, saving you precious time and resources.



Apps already on the marketplace include OpenTable, Roller, and Storekit. Integrating with these applications, and others provides a substantial boost to your marketing campaigns by simplifying operations and making data more accessible.&nbsp;



This makes it possible to create a flawless, end-to-end marketing strategy that can be tracked in real-time. By monitoring all marketing performance data in one place, companies gain critical insight into which strategies and tactics work, and which do not, saving time and helping inform smarter decision-making.



Here is a sample of apps currently available for integration:



Mailchimp Campaign Monitor Airship Storekit Loke Toggle ResDiary OpenTable Roller Access Tonic / DesignMyNight Zapier Stripe Paypal HartPMS



<a href="https://product.stampede.ai">Log into your account,</a> click your account icon on the bottom left hand menu and head to the App Marketplace to set up your connections.



If you would like to request another app for the Marketplace, get in touch with one of our team.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-for-developers">For Developers</h2>



Stampede&#8217;s portal offers a dedicated space for app developers to connect their products via Rest API.&nbsp;



Developers can access open-source tools and an extensive knowledge base that provides comprehensive support to ensure their apps operate smoothly.&nbsp;



Head to <a href="https://developer.stampede.ai">developer.stampede.ai </a>to find out more and begin an integration. There you can learn which sources of data to transfer into Stampede such as guest contact details, order information and venue information to aid marketing segmentation.



This ecosystem provides developers with the necessary support to create connections to Stampede, which is vital in growing their businesses and providing value to their clients.&nbsp;



Our in-house development team are also on hand to help. We are currently looking to recruit new app partners, please <a href="https://stampede.ai/partners">contact us</a> if you are interested in working together.

A new kind of marketplace for hospitality apps

These Automations Can Help When Short-Staffed

Empowering Brands to Harness User-Generated Content



In the age of social media and digital connectivity, user-generated content (UGC) has emerged as a powerful tool that is reshaping marketing strategies. UGC tools are designed to help brands effectively curate, manage, and leverage user-generated content. These tools provide a range of functionalities, such as content discovery, moderation, rights management, and analytics. By using <a href="https://www.ttagz.co.uk/">UGC tools</a>, brands can easily identify and collect relevant UGC related to their products or services. 



They can also engage with their audience, encourage content creation, and amplify the reach of UGC through various channels. With the help of UGC tools, brands can streamline their UGC strategies and make the most out of the content generated by their users.



Customising UGC Experiences for Brands



UGC software takes the concept of UGC tools a step further by offering more advanced features and customisation options. This software allows brands to integrate UGC into their websites, apps, or other digital platforms seamlessly. They provide templates and design tools that enable businesses to create visually appealing UGC displays that align with their branding.



<a href="https://www.ttagz.co.uk/">UGC software</a> also often includes sophisticated moderation algorithms and AI-powered filters to ensure that only relevant and appropriate content is displayed. By leveraging UGC software, brands can create immersive user experiences and drive higher levels of engagement with their audience.



Centralised Hubs for Discovering and Showcasing UGC



In addition to UGC tools and software, user-generated content platforms have emerged as centralised hubs where brands can discover, curate, and showcase UGC from various sources. These platforms aggregate UGC from social media platforms, review sites, and other online channels, allowing brands to easily find and display relevant UGC. <a href="https://www.ttagz.co.uk/">UGC platforms</a> often provide built-in moderation and rights management features, ensuring that brands can maintain control over the content they use. 



By leveraging UGC platforms, brands can tap into a vast pool of authentic content created by their customers and build stronger connections with their target audience.



The Impact of UGC on Marketing Strategies



The rise of UGC has had a profound impact on marketing strategies. Traditionally, brands relied heavily on their own content creation efforts to convey their messages and promote their products. However, with the UGC revolution, consumers have become brand ambassadors, sharing their experiences and opinions organically. This shift has created a sense of authenticity and trust that is difficult to achieve through traditional marketing methods.



UGC allows brands to harness the power of social proof. When potential customers see UGC showcasing positive experiences, they are more likely to trust the brand and make a purchase. According to studies, <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190220005302/en/Stackla-Survey-Reveals-Disconnect-Between-the-Content-Consumers-Want-What-Marketers-Deliver">UGC is trusted by 92% of consumers</a>, making it a highly influential factor in purchasing decisions. By incorporating UGC into their marketing strategies, brands can tap into this trust and leverage it to drive conversions and build brand loyalty.



UGC also enables brands to foster a sense of community and engage with their audience on a deeper level. By encouraging users to create and share content, brands can create a two-way conversation, fostering a sense of belonging and co-creation. This not only strengthens the relationship between the brand and its customers but also generates valuable insights and feedback for product improvement.



Conclusion



In conclusion, user-generated content is reshaping marketing strategies and revolutionising the way brands connect with their audience. UGC tools, UGC software, and UGC platforms are essential resources that enable brands to harness the power of UGC effectively. By embracing UGC, brands can leverage social proof, build trust, and foster a sense of community. The UGC revolution is here, and brands that adapt to this shift will have a competitive edge in the ever-evolving digital landscape.

UGC Revolution: How User-Generated Content is Reshaping Marketing Strategies

There’s a lot of talk about cutting costs these days. What better way to approach that than looking for free alternatives to some of your biggest expenses?&nbsp;



With all the free technology and website plugins out there, some must be at least semi-decent, right?



We wanted to find out more about what you don’t get with free versions, and what that might cost you in terms of customer experience and ultimately, revenue.



For this, we looked closely at 4 popular free WordPress (WP) plugins and compared the most important booking features against each other.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-4-free-wp-booking-plugins-compared">4 Free WP Booking Plugins Compared</h5>



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>



<figure class="wp-block-table is-style-stripes"><table valign="middle"><tbody><tr valign="middle"><td class="has-text-centre" data-align="centre">Features</td><td class="has-text-valign:middle" data-valign="middle" data-align="centre">ReDi Restaurant Reservation</td><td>Five Star Restaurant Reservations</td><td>WPCafe</td><td>&nbsp;Quick Restaurant Reservations</td></tr><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">Number of free venues</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">1</td><td>1</td><td>Unlimited</td><td>1</td></tr><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">Reservation restrictions&nbsp;(block times/days/length)</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">X</td><td>Only for days and times</td><td>X</td><td>&nbsp;Yes</td></tr><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">Data Export</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">X</td><td>X</td><td>X</td><td>X</td></tr><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">Customisable</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">Yes</td><td>Only for the form, no custom fields</td><td>Yes</td><td>Only for the form, no custom fields</td></tr><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">&nbsp;Automated reservation confirmation</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">Yes</td><td>Yes</td><td>Yes</td><td>Manual only</td></tr><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">&nbsp;Booking reminders</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">X</td><td>X</td><td>X</td><td>X</td></tr><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">&nbsp;Support</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">Yes</td><td>Yes</td><td>X</td><td>X</td></tr><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">Integrations&nbsp;</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">X</td><td>X</td><td>Yes</td><td>X</td></tr><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">&nbsp;Additional notes</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">No analytics or statistics</td><td>No front end page to display bookings</td><td>No front end page to display bookings</td><td>No daily or monthly calendar view</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



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<h5 class="wp-block-heading">7 Reasons Why Bookings Platforms Are Worth Paying For</h5>



Here are a few important things you might be missing out on by relying on a free booking platform plugin



Data access:



You often have to pay to access customer data and/or are not able to download it for further usage. This means you can’t contact customers post-visit to ask for feedback or send them offers to bring them back.



Integration with other tech tools:



If you can’t access or download customer data, an integration would at least allow you to use your data to some extent. Without any of those options, you are massively missing out on future revenue.



Limited live or backend support:



You always have to install the plugin on your website yourself, which can sometimes come with its own challenges and takes up time. Plus, not all providers offer free customer support.&nbsp;



Multi-venue:



The majority only have one venue included in their free version. Any additional venues cost extra. Same for having multiple users for your account.



Customisation:



Custom fields (i.e. dietary restrictions, extras) are vital to make your customer experience more personal. Quite often you can only choose from preselected fields, even in the paid plans.



Customer communication:



Most of them don’t allow you to send email/SMS booking reminders. This can lead to an increase in no-shows and high operational costs.



The same applies to the post-visit feedback request, which isn’t available on any free plan.&nbsp;



Automation:



Technology should make our lives easier and help us save time. Booking reminders and review requests are one of the simplest marketing automation to set up but are not included in any of the free plans.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">Takeaway</h5>



Free booking platform plugins might satisfy some basic booking requirements. However, the money you save on the free versions often costs you more further down the line.&nbsp;



Being unable to contact customers to drive loyalty is one of the biggest issues here. Your loyal customers are the ones that bring in new customers. And with their connection, the process starts over again.&nbsp;



In this case, it is definitely worth investing in a more complete booking system. Make sure to check out our <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/buyers-guide-11-key-features-your-table-booking-system-needs/">buyer’s guide</a> including the key features you should look out for when choosing a platform.



Get more tables booked, and manage your front-of-house operations efficiently. <a href="https://calendly.com/stampedeae/stampede-demo-request">Book a demo</a> with our team to find out more about Stampede Bookings.

Are Free Booking Platform Plugins Any Good?

The real magic happens when your repeat customers turn into brand ambassadors and spread the word about you because they love what you do.



This phenomenon is called brand advocacy.



It’s a form of earned media meaning you don’t pay for it, you earn it through delivering memorable experiences.



There are many ways customers show and share their affection that attracts new customers.



Here are the 3 most common forms of brand advocacy:



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-1-online-reviews-testimonials">1. Online Reviews &amp; Testimonials</h2>



Customers who have left a positive review have great potential for becoming brand advocates. 



They’ve already spoken publicly about you in a positive way. Now it’s onto you to make sure they spread the word even further.&nbsp;



This is why it is also vital to not only <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/how-to-respond-to-positive-and-negative-customer-reviews-online">respond to your negative reviews but to positive ones</a> as well. It shows that you value your customers and want to build a relationship with them.



Tip: Actively encourage repeat customers and those who are engaged on your socials to leave a review.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">2. Word of Mouth</h2>



<a href="https://www.lxahub.com/stories/word-of-mouth-marketing-stats-and-trends-for-2023">88% of customers trust their peers’ recommendations more than they trust brands</a>.



Word-of-mouth is organic and therefore often more persuasive than any advertising. Even better, it can generate up to <a href="https://review42.com/resources/word-of-mouth-marketing-statistics/">5x more sales than paid media</a>.



Apart from traditional oral word-of-mouth, a lot happens online nowadays, This includes user-generated content, such as social media posts, reels or videos.&nbsp;



To amplify your customer’s message, make sure to comment and re-share their content.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">3. Dark Social</h2>



Dark social happens when people are shifting personal conversations off the public (i.e. social media) and into private spaces.&nbsp;



Examples could be customers sharing photos from their night out with their friends on a messenger app rather than on Instagram. Or a family member asking for a restaurant recommendation in a joined WhatsApp group.



The tricky bit about dark social is that you can’t track it and it’s hard to influence, it happens in the dark.&nbsp;



The good news though, you probably have more brand advocates from those channels than you think. In fact, <a href="https://www.convinceandconvert.com/social-media/what-is-dark-social/">more than 80% of shares</a> are via dark socials.



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<a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/how-hospitality-operators-can-use-data-to-reveal-loyal-customers">Find out</a> how you can identify and nurture your most loyal customers using data insights and our customer retention cohort report.

Breakdown: 3 Ways Customers Advocate Your Hospitality Brand

WiFi Marketing: 3 Powerful Ways It Can Grow Your Business

EnGenius Tech now a Stampede technology partner

5 Tips for Setting Up WiFi for Your Restaurant or Pub [Updated for 2022]

As a hospitality marketer or restaurant owner, you know that providing your customers with an excellent experience involves much more than just preparing delicious food and drinks. It’s about creating memorable experiences and building strong customer relationships.&nbsp;



However, in order to be able to consistently deliver on this promise and grow your business, you need the right tools in place &#8211; including having a top-notch <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/what-is-a-hospitality-crm-system-a-full-guide">Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution</a> for managing all of your operations efficiently.&nbsp;



With the help of data-driven insights, CRM systems can completely transform the way you operate by helping you increase revenue opportunities while offering an optimised customer experience every time – from initial contact through to post-visit follow-ups.&nbsp;



Keep reading to find out why a CRM system is absolutely crucial for any hospitality marketer looking to maximise their ROI and exceed expectations with their guests.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What is the role of CRM in marketing</h2>



In the world of marketing, a CRM system can be a powerful tool to manage and maintain relationships with customers. Not only does it allow businesses to store essential customer information, but it also enables them to interact with their target audience directly.&nbsp;



With a CRM, businesses can increase the effectiveness of their marketing efforts while simultaneously measuring their performance. It enhances a company’s understanding of its customers and allows them to tailor their marketing strategy accordingly.&nbsp;



As a result, it can lead to more significant brand loyalty and increased revenue.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crm-in-email-marketing">CRM in email marketing</h4>



<a href="https://stampede.ai/how-it-works/marketing">Email marketing</a> is a powerful tool for hospitality businesses looking to reach out to their customers and build long-term relationships.&nbsp;



A CRM system can significantly enhance the effectiveness of email marketing. By leveraging data gathered from previous interactions and different sources businesses can better segment their customer base. They can create highly targeted, personalised email campaigns that help them to upsell and increase repeat visits.&nbsp;



The best part is, using a CRM system in email marketing also saves valuable time, as there is no need to manually import and export contact information.&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crm-in-sms-marketing">CRM in SMS marketing</h4>



SMS marketing can be a powerful tool for reaching customers on the go. With a high open rate, text messages can quickly grab a customer&#8217;s attention and deliver your message.&nbsp;



To make the most out of SMS marketing, businesses can also use their CRM data to target specific groups with promotions and offers.&nbsp;



For example, to fill in empty spaces businesses can send loyal customers a special last-minute discount code to their phone.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crm-in-social-media-marketing">CRM in social media marketing</h4>



Social media has become essential to any business&#8217;s marketing plan, and proper social media management is critical to its success.&nbsp;



A CRM can play a pivotal role by helping companies collect and analyse important data on their customers. They can better understand how customers are engaging with their content, including what topics are most relevant and target their marketing efforts accordingly.



In addition, a CRM can help hospitality marketers to identify <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/breakdown-3-ways-customers-advocate-your-hospitality-brand">brand advocates</a>. These are customers who are highly engaged and are most likely to spread the word about your business.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Automate Your Marketing Processes with a CRM System</h2>



Marketing automation has revolutionised the way modern businesses operate, providing valuable tools and techniques that streamline workflows and enhance efficiency.&nbsp;



With a CRM system, parts of <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/easy-and-profitable-marketing-with-automations">email and SMS marketing can be automated</a>. Whether it&#8217;s an automated birthday email, a promotional offer to win-back customers or a follow-up message, a well-crafted automated campaign can make all the difference, engaging customers and driving sales.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Final Thoughts</h2>



Through the usage of CRM, hospitality marketers and operators can make their marketing efforts more effective and efficient. The ability to leverage customer data for predictive analysis gives businesses the opportunity to better understand consumer preferences and target promotions accordingly.&nbsp;



With automated processes in place, marketing resources are prioritised, saving both time and costs associated with manual labour. By understanding the power of a <a href="https://stampede.ai/amaze">CRM system</a> alongside proven strategies such as email, SMS and social media marketing, your hospitality business will gain an invaluable tool that will enable greater returns on investment while fostering stronger relationships with customers.

Why Is A CRM Solution Crucial For A Hospitality Marketer?

The Easter countdown is officially on. Time to get your digital assets and marketing promotions Easter ready to&nbsp;bring in some extra revenue.



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



Many businesses will opt for a traditional brunch or roast lunch offer. Take a twist this year with a new approach to some traditional dishes. What about <a href="https://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/hot-cross-scones/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hot cross scones</a> for your brunch menu? Or introducing customers to some <a href="https://www.thespruceeats.com/traditional-easter-foods-from-around-the-world-4161077" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">dishes from other countries</a>?



But there is more you can do to create an Easter experience your customers will remember&#8230;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-easter-marketing-elements">Easter marketing elements</h4>



Sprinkle some&nbsp;Easter themes on your digital assets&nbsp;to build your customers&#8217; excitement.&nbsp;Seasonal elements, illustrations and images&nbsp;are the quickest way to get started.



Easter and Spring is all about vibrant and cheerful colours, so focus on using <a href="https://icolorpalette.com/palette-by-themes/easter" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">pastel colours,</a> including pinks and yellows, to make your Easter marketing instantly recognisable.



Ready-made <a href="https://unlayer.com/email-templates/easter" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Easter templates </a>can help you save lots of time when it comes to designing email campaigns too



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">8 Easter social media ideas</h4>



Easter offers lot of great opportunities for fun and engaging social media campaigns too.&nbsp;Mix and match different formats&nbsp;(posts, stories and reels) to reach a wider audience.



<ol><li>Caption this &#8211; use&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.countryliving.com/life/a30717299/easter-puns/" target="_blank">Easter egg puns</a></li><li>Share fun Easter memes</li><li>Host a virtual egg hunt across your socials and website</li><li>Share your staffs’ Easter traditions, favourite meals …</li><li>What’s on your Easter brunch table</li><li>Short video/reel &#8211; make your own DIY Easter decoration</li><li>Easter sneak peak &#8211; coming up at your venue</li><li>DIY bunny ears competition</li></ol>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">8 Easter in-venue event ideas</h4>



Easter-related activities are not exclusively for kids, grown-ups can have a lot of fun as well. Get the whole family involved:



<ol><li>Egg hunt or scavenger egg hunt</li><li>Egg and a spoon race</li><li>Competition &#8211; egg decorating</li><li>Guessing game &#8211; jar filled with easter eggs</li><li>Host an <a href="https://quiz-questions.uk/easter-quiz-questions/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Easter-inspired pub quiz</a></li><li>Easter baking class</li><li>Team up with a local florist for a wreath-making workshop</li><li>How to set your Easter table &#8211; decoration ideas</li></ol>



Easter marketing content ready but not sure how to set up your email campaign? <a href="https://stampede.ai/company/#contact" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Get in touch</a> with our team who are happy to help.

16 Rapid Ideas For Successful Easter Marketing Campaigns

24,809,748 &#8211; that’s the total number of emails that our customers sent using Stampede in 2022!&nbsp;



Big data like this is cool, but we’re more interested in big results.&nbsp;



The actual power of email marketing comes from the data it tells. So we dug deeper into this data to compare the performance of those emails to the (former) industry average.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The State of Hospitality Email Marketing in 2023</h2>



Hospitality email marketing in 2023. It’s not looking great for most. The hospitality industry is criminally underserved when it comes to high-quality email marketing tools. Especially, if you compare it to other industries like retail, eCommerce and so on.&nbsp;



As a result, email marketing is underutilised and treated as a pariah, an outcast of marketing channels.



Now, it has been another tough year for the industry. Many operators were looking for ways to stay in touch with customers to keep the revenue stream up.&nbsp;



Usually, that’s where email marketing comes in, with an average ROI of <a href="https://www.oberlo.co.uk/blog/email-marketing-statistics">$40 for every $1 </a>spent. It is possibly the most reliable tool that allows businesses to connect with their customer to keep them coming back.&nbsp;



However, to achieve maximum results, a customer database is required, which is easily built with the right tech tools.



And that’s where the problem lies. Data is worthless without the right tools to hand to work with it.



So the first key takeaway here is: if the tools provided would be a better fit for the industry and its needs, more would get the big benefits from email marketing.



Before we dive into the 2022 email marketing numbers in more detail, time to bust one common myth.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Myth #1 &#8211; Emails Are Not a Thing Anymore</h2>



A common objection people have to email marketing is that it’s a channel of the past and no one is really using it anymore. And the stuff that comes through might not be of the best quality, so people will probably ignore their emails anyway.&nbsp;



Numbers tell a different story:



In 2022 <a href="https://www.oberlo.co.uk/blog/email-marketing-statistics">over 333.2 billion emails</a> were sent and received EVERY. DAY.



<a href="https://www.constantcontact.com/blog/email-marketing-statistics/">61% of customers actually want to receive promotional emails</a> from their preferred brands.&nbsp;



So, if <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/3-time-saving-newsletter-tips-to-keep-people-engaged">done right</a>, your chances of standing out in a busy inbox are still better than you do on social media.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-2022-key-email-marketing-figures-compared">2022 Key Email Marketing Figures Compared</h2>



For 2022 the <a href="https://www.campaignmonitor.com/resources/guides/email-marketing-benchmarks/">average industry</a> open rates for emails were 20%.



What does that tell us? If you have 1,000 people on your mailing list, 200 of them will open it. You probably reckon that’s not worth all the effort.&nbsp;



However, when the open rate is nearly 50%, that’s when you can’t afford to avoid this channel any longer.&nbsp;



So, let’s have a look at how average results from Stampede users compare to the average industry numbers when it comes to key email marketing 2022 figures.



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="633" src="https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Email-performance-bar-chart-1-1024x633.png" alt="" class="wp-image-22884" srcset="https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Email-performance-bar-chart-1-1024x633.png 1024w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Email-performance-bar-chart-1-300x185.png 300w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Email-performance-bar-chart-1-768x475.png 768w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Email-performance-bar-chart-1-1536x950.png 1536w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Email-performance-bar-chart-1-2048x1266.png 2048w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Email-performance-bar-chart-1-1200x742.png 1200w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Email-performance-bar-chart-1-150x93.png 150w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>



Stampede emails have a higher delivery rate than the industry average with open rates being 2x higher and click rates even 6x higher. That’s a significant difference for all figures.&nbsp;



Why is that?



Customers expect a personalised experience, both in-venue and digitally. That’s when the data is needed.



With Stampede, you get access to multiple data sources from across the digital customer journey, which is automatically fed into the marketing tool.&nbsp;



Using this combined data they can foster an engaged customer mailing list. Through clever segmentation and automation, they can then send personalised campaigns that achieve much higher conversion rates.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Myth #2 &#8211; Tracking Results is Hard </h2>



Another common myth in email marketing is that people think it’s harder to show results to prove campaigns are delivering.



However, compared to other digital marketing channels such as social media, emails deliver much more tangible results that go beyond engagement, likes and views.&nbsp;



With the right setup, results can easily be tracked in real money spent.



It’s also a lot easier to set up this kind of tracking than conversion tracking on Google/Meta etc. Many of these require someone with good web development skills, but tracking email results in hospitality needs no coding skills at all.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Stampede Average Campaign ROI</h2>



The Stampede Marketing Suite allows for such detailed campaign reporting where users can track the results based on returning customers.



For 2022, we measured 13.8 million in-venue visits from those that received email campaigns via Stampede.



This means that more than half of the customers getting emails revisited the venue within 12 months! A reliable, steady flow of repeat business like this is going to be critical for success in 2023.



If each of those visitors spent £30 that&#8217;s £414,000,000 worth of transactions!



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Myth #3 &#8211; Too Much Work</h2>



Another big blocker for email marketing is the assumption that it is too time-consuming and too difficult to get right.&nbsp;



Plus, once the email is out it’s out, which causes insecurities, especially for new and non-marketing operators.&nbsp;



Whereas a social post can be deleted if needed and seems to be quicker to set up, so that’s where they’d rather focus.



However, creating and sending great email content is no harder than creating social media posts. Best tools make it easy for anyone to build an email with templates, functional drag-and-drop builders and great customer support.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sector-success-stories-in-2022">Sector Success Stories in 2022</h2>



Here are 5 examples of how Stampede customers have successfully used email marketing in 2022.



<figure class="wp-block-table is-style-regular"><table class="has-foreground-background-color has-background has-fixed-layout"><thead><tr><th>Venue type</th><th>Pubs &amp; Restaurants</th><th>Pubs</th><th>Eateries</th><th>Hotels</th><th>Bar</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Number of venues</td><td>19</td><td>15</td><td>4</td><td>3</td><td>1</td></tr><tr><td>Emails sent in 2022</td><td>9,812,955</td><td>1,196,940</td><td>108,533</td><td>383,531</td><td>354,452</td></tr><tr><td>Average open rate</td><td>36%</td><td>52%</td><td>70%</td><td>61%</td><td>50%</td></tr><tr><td>Repeat visits</td><td>1,030,177</td><td>1,500,107</td><td>268,309</td><td>174,845</td><td>9,112</td></tr><tr><td>Return-on-Investment</td><td>&gt;£10,500,000</td><td>&gt;£2,322,000</td><td>&gt;£185,000</td><td>&gt;£1,167,000</td><td>&gt;£218,900</td></tr></tbody></table><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Anonymised data based on Stampede users accounts</figcaption></figure>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-2023-email-marketing-forecast">2023 Email Marketing Forecast</h2>



Looking ahead to what 2023 might bring, we can say one thing for sure &#8211; email will remain the number one marketing channel for return on investment. 



Especially, for smaller hospitality brands email will become an integral part of their success strategy moving forward as tools become easier to use.



The rising trend of personalisation will continue and it will get even more powerful as more industries will figure out how to combine customer data.



Lastly, more businesses than ever will move away from big providers like Mailchimp towards industry-specific tools that meet their tailored needs.



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Don’t see the results you want from your email marketing? Reach out to get started with <a href="https://stampede.ai/how-it-works/marketing">Stampede</a>&nbsp;for better marketing and more revenue this year.

2022-23 Email Marketing Report – Get 2x Higher Open Rates

If you&#8217;re a hospitality operator, having the right CRM dashboard set up can make a huge difference to your business&#8217;s success. 



It is critical to have access to key metrics quickly and efficiently in order to make educated decisions that will result in high-performing operations.&nbsp;



In this blog post, we will explore what a CRM dashboard is and discuss its 5 key benefits to hospitality operators and marketers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-is-the-crm-dashboard-feature">What is the CRM dashboard feature?</h2>



If you want to keep a finger on the pulse of your hospitality business, the dashboard is an indispensable CRM feature you should take advantage of when planning your overall strategy.&nbsp;



This powerful tool gives you a high-level overview of key metrics central to your business growth. Think of it as a real-time snapshot of your venue that provides a mixture of graphs, images and figures that accurately gauge performance.&nbsp;



With the CRM dashboard, you can quickly and consistently monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) such as marketing return on investment (ROI), return in-venue visits or net promoter score (NPS), to name a few.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-5-main-dashboard-benefits">5 Main dashboard benefits</h2>



A CRM dashboard can be a game changer for operators in the hospitality industry.



Here are the 5 most important benefits of why you should leverage this powerful CRM feature.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">1. Keeps your team on track</h4>



Keeping your team on track is essential for achieving long-term success. A centralised CRM dashboard is an effective tool for accomplishing this.&nbsp;



With access to the same data, your team can work together seamlessly. They can stay up-to-date on progress and identify potential roadblocks. They also get instant access to sales performance, customer interactions and other key metrics.



Plus, it can motivate your staff to stay focused and achieve their goals.&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">2. Simplified information sharing</h4>



A CRM dashboard massively simplifies information and data sharing within your company.



With a holistic business overview at your fingertips, all the data you need is displayed in one easy-to-use dashboard.



This not only saves valuable time but also eliminates the need for your staff to search through multiple screens and systems to find the information you need.&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">3. Updates in real-time</h4>



By utilising a dashboard that provides updates in real time, you can be <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/how-to-create-a-hospitality-crm-strategy-that-drives-results">proactive instead of reactive in your CRM strategy</a>. So you can spot trends early on, allowing for quick adjustments as necessary.



Take online table bookings, for example. A drop in numbers could indicate an issue with your booking platform integration or a decrease in customer service and satisfaction.



Tracking the success of your marketing campaigns is also made more accessible. You can quickly and easily measure which strategies are meeting your objectives.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">4. Supports decision making</h4>



As a hospitality business owner, making informed decisions is critical to your success. With a CRM dashboard, you can access real-time data and gain deep insights into how your business is performing.&nbsp;



This means that your decisions will be data-driven, rather than guesswork, giving you an edge over your competitors. By utilising a unified dashboard, you can easily monitor your business&#8217;s progress and identify areas that need improvement.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">5. Allows for customisation</h4>



One of the key benefits of a CRM dashboard is its ability to allow for customisation.&nbsp;



Whether you want to track specific sales performances over time, monitor a particular marketing campaign or measure customer satisfaction, you can build what you need in your own dashboard.



So you can easily stay on top of relevant metrics and track progress towards achieving your objectives.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-summary">Summary</h2>



A CRM dashboard is an effective tool for optimising operational efficiency and customer relations for the hospitality industry.&nbsp;



With the centralised view of all key information gathered in one place, operators are better able to stay organised, guide teams and improve their processes while maintaining quality and customer satisfaction.&nbsp;

CRM Dashboard – Definition And Benefits For The Hospitality Industry

The hospitality industry has evolved rapidly in recent years and AI technology is playing an increasingly vital role in improving key areas of the customer experience.&nbsp;



With its scalable and flexible capabilities, AI can significantly reform the way businesses operate. It can help save time and money while driving long-term customer loyalty.



In this blog post, we&#8217;ll explore 4 ways that AI can be used to further enhance your hospitality operations.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-1-operations">1. Operations</h2>



Advances in technology have been paving the way for new and exciting opportunities in business operations.



One of the latest AI tools to emerge on the scene is the chatbot. A virtual assistant that provides responses based on customer queries by scanning common keywords and related answers. It offers valuable support to staff by taking over routine tasks. 



On top, chatbots are available 24/7, so they ensure customer service standards are held up even outside of traditional business hours.



Hotels commonly use AI tech for contactless check-ins and virtual assistants acting as concierges. With these technologies, guests get the most out of their stay as it simplifies many aspects of hotel services. 



In the same way, self-serve kiosks are becoming a fixture in restaurants, allowing customers to place orders with ease and freeing up staff time.



Finally, <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/how-to-get-maximum-value-from-customer-review-sentiments">AI-powered sentiment analysis</a> can help companies track trends and issues related to customer feedback. This enables them to make data-driven decisions and continuously improve their service.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-2-marketing">2. Marketing</h2>



AI can vastly support marketing strategies by gathering more relevant data and customer insights. From this, marketers can create hyper-targeted and personalised campaigns that matter to customers and therefore have a higher chance of converting.&nbsp;



Using AI automation, marketers can easily automate repetitive tasks, such as uploading data using spreadsheets. This allows them to focus their time and attention on other parts of the business.&nbsp;



Another example of automation is <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/increase-sales-with-your-crm-and-marketing-automation">trigger-based campaigns</a>. They are based on previous customer interactions. I.e. Send a discount to customers who haven’t been at your venue for a while.



AI can also support digital advertising by taking over jobs such as audience and campaign optimisation. And finally, social media monitoring across channels for brand mentions and engagement is made easier with AI.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-3-sales">3. Sales</h2>



Sales is a challenging and complex area for any business but with the help of AI, hospitality operators can get some significant assistance.



Hotels, for example, are now able to apply a <a href="https://hoteltechreport.com/news/dynamic-pricing-hotels">dynamic pricing strategy</a>. Room rates are adjusted in real-time to reflect demand patterns and rates are optimised depending on seasonality. Whilst ensuring that customers are getting the best prices when booking direct.&nbsp;



Additionally, AI can offer valuable insights into customer interactions and purchasing behaviour. This way operators can quickly identify potential opportunities for upselling and cross-selling to boost their revenue.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-4-data-analytics-and-reporting">4. Data analytics and reporting</h2>



Data analytics and reporting are invaluable tools for hospitality businesses seeking to gain insights into customer behaviour and improve decision-making. With the usage of AI, these processes have become even more streamlined.



One of the most significant benefits of AI is the ability to automatically generate customised reports and dashboards. This covers especially time-consuming, manual tasks that were often prone to errors.



Additionally, AI can help to better manage data and identify the most valuable customer segments. Those can be applied to create personalised marketing campaigns.&nbsp;



Resources and inventory are also much more efficient and easier with AI&#8217;s ability to make suggestions as well as forecast market and business trends.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-takeaway">Takeaway</h2>



AI has revolutionised the hospitality industry. Demonstrating its undeniable potential in optimising operations, improving marketing strategies, increasing sales and becoming more data-driven.



New technology continues to be mixed with traditional methods and offers an unprecedented level of customisation. This can advance the bottom line and improve the overall customer experience.



The ultimate aim of integrating AI into hospitality roles is to create a system which runs smoothly while allowing employees to focus on personalising services. 



When interacting with customers becomes easy and efficient, brands will be able to build stronger customer relationships and loyalty leading to greater business growth opportunities.



Make sure to <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/ai-in-hospitality-marketing-a-complete-guide">check out our full guide</a> exploring AI for hospitality marketing.

4 Ways To Optimise Your Hospitality Business With AI

Are you ready for the first item on your Stampede Christmas shopping list? Let’s talk about&nbsp;<a href="https://stampede.ai/how-it-works/gift-cards/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Gift Cards</a>.



We all know that gift card sales always spike massively in December. Gift cards make for a&nbsp;great source of extra sales&nbsp;around the holiday season, which carries into the new year.



No need to wait until December though, the earlier you start promoting, the more time you have to generate revenue.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-increase-revenue-with-digital-gift-cards">Increase Revenue With Digital Gift Cards</h5>



There are many reasons why you should opt for digital gift cards this year.



One of the biggest benefits for businesses, however, is that digital gift cards&nbsp;integrate with your marketing platform. So you can use the data to stay in touch with the customer long after they’ve redeemed their card.



Plus, they are easier to buy and use for customers and they can&nbsp;personalise&nbsp;them.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">5 Tips To Make Your Gift Card Sales A Success</h5>



So, here’s how you can make the most out of this year’s gift cards sales:



<h6 class="wp-block-heading">1) Add-ons</h6>



Everyone sells gift cards. Pimp up yours to make them more attractive and turn them into a&nbsp;special experience&nbsp;by adding some add-ons.



<ul>
<li>Tasting menu</li>



<li>Free amenities, i.e. dessert, a bottle of sparkling wine …&nbsp;</li>



<li>Drink package</li>



<li>Christmas hamper, i.e. cheese selection</li>



<li>Top-up option, i.e. double value gift cards</li>
</ul>



<h6 class="wp-block-heading">2) Omni-channel promotions</h6>



Your gift cards should be&nbsp;highly visible across all your channels.



Website:



<ul>
<li>Seasonal homepage banner and/or popup</li>



<li>Make it straightforward to buy with clear terms &amp; conditions</li>
</ul>



Email &amp; SMS:



<ul>
<li>Send an email to your entire database</li>



<li>Make sure to include previous buyers</li>



<li>Use SMS for last-minute promotions</li>
</ul>



Social media:



<ul>
<li>Add links to your gift cards on your Instagram bio</li>



<li>Change your Facebook Page button to&nbsp;“Shop Now”</li>



<li>Pin a post to your feeds</li>



<li>Showcase your seasonal menu &amp; venue decoration to entice customers (include a gift card call-to-action)</li>
</ul>



<h6 class="wp-block-heading">3) Reminders</h6>



Keep promoting your gift cards in the run-down to Christmas through regular reminders across your channels.&nbsp;



Make sure to&nbsp;keep your mailing list updated&nbsp;and exclude those who have already purchased.



<h6 class="wp-block-heading">4) Promotional push</h6>



Simple but effective. Give your gift card sales an additional push and come up with a special deal around Black Friday (24th of November).



<h6 class="wp-block-heading">5) Flash-promotion</h6>



There are always those who leave their Christmas shopping to the last minute.&nbsp;



A&nbsp;last-minute flash sale&nbsp;in the week before the holidays, including Christmas Day and Boxing Day will help you to attract those.



Are you looking for an easy-to-use&nbsp;digital solution that allows you to sell more gift cards?&nbsp;<a href="https://h.stampede.ai/meetings/stampede/demo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Reach out</a>&nbsp;to get started with&nbsp;<a href="https://stampede.ai/how-it-works/gift-cards/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Stampede Gift Cards</a>.

5 Tips To Sell More Gift Cards This Festive Season

October take two 🎬

Octobers biggest feature drop 🎃

September take two 🎬

Whats new in September

Feature Update – Improved campaigns, reporting and imports

Improving Conversion Rates in Marketing

Stampede Updates – July 2017

No doubt, digital tools have provided something of a lifeline for many hospitality businesses in recent years. Those tools come with valuable data that can be used to&nbsp;create a better and more personalised customer experience.



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



However, many still argue that shifting too many interactions toward digital will diminish the overall customer experience. Making things impersonal when hospitality thrives from human interaction.



Over the next few weeks, we will tackle this common myth. Come with us as we explore&nbsp;how you can use data to wow your customers&nbsp;and create a personalised experience using marketing campaigns.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-personalised-marketing-recipe">The Personalised Marketing Recipe</h5>



For this, we’ve built a&nbsp;simple 5 ingredient success recipe&nbsp;that you can follow.



To start, we will use the example of a birthday campaign.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">1) The Data</h5>



First off, what&nbsp;data do you need and where do you get it from?



For our example, you’d need to capture:



<ul><li>Your customers’ date of birth</li><li>Their email or phone number</li><li>Their first name (at least)</li></ul>



This can be done through your WiFi sign-in, webform, booking platform, etc.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">2) The Trigger Event</h5>



The second ingredient is the trigger that sends your personalised email/SMS campaign.&nbsp;



In our scenario, the trigger event would be time-based, using the customer’s date of birth. E.g. when customer birthday is 3 weeks away &#8211; send the birthday campaign.



Time-saving tip&nbsp;&#8211; Most often you can&nbsp;automate these campaigns, so they will send by themselves. This is ideal for this birthday example.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">3) The Messaging</h5>



Messaging is the important bit. It is all about the personal touch here, so include your&nbsp;customers’ names&nbsp;in your campaign and acknowledge their upcoming birthday.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">4) The Offer</h5>



The goal here is to&nbsp;further entice your customers to come back. Birthday bookings are generally larger and more lucrative too.



This is how your personalised marketing campaign could look like combining the message and offer:



<a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/how-to-create-email-subject-lines-that-increase-open-rates/">Subject line</a> &#8211; [Name] It’s your birthday soon &#8211; we want to celebrate with you!



 Hey [name],



Have you made any plans for your birthday yet?



Why not celebrate your special day with us and make it a day to remember. No matter if you want to book a table for two or host a party, we’ve got you covered.&nbsp;



On top of that, we will treat you with a % discount.&nbsp;



Let’s celebrate &#8211; Book now



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">5) The Outcome</h5>



So, what can you expect to see as a result of those personalised marketing campaigns?&nbsp;



First off, you will get a&nbsp;returning customer&nbsp;that will eventually turn into a loyal one. Second, they will&nbsp;spread the word and bring in even more customers.



In our birthday example, if you can create a memorable experience, you’re not only satisfying your customer but also have the chance to win potential new customers. And they themselves will talk about the experience they have and share it on their socials.



Oh, and with their data, like birth date, this whole process starts over again, and again.



Keep an eye out for our next email to find out how you can apply our personalised marketing recipe to&nbsp;win back lost customers.&nbsp;



Need help segmenting your data for personalised email &amp; SMS campaigns?&nbsp;<a href="https://calendly.com/stampedeae/stampede-demo-request" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Get in touch</a>&nbsp;with one of our team who are happy to run you through it.

A 5 Step Recipe That Creates Profitable, Personalised Marketing [Part 1]

Spooky times are creeping up at the end of this month, time to ramp up your&nbsp;Halloween marketing.



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>



We’ve come up with a bunch of promotional ideas to get you started and secure you some extra sales.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-1-halloween-email-campaign">1) Halloween Email Campaign</h5>



Highlight what you’ve planned this year and why customers shouldn’t miss out. Give them a&nbsp;sneak peek&nbsp;with some enticing images and menu previews.



Push them towards booking early on &#8211;&nbsp;‘limited availability &#8211; book now to secure your spot’.



Content ideas for your email:



<ul><li>Trick or Treat your customers &#8211; offers/deals</li><li>Planned events for kids and grown-ups</li><li>Menu &amp; drink specials</li><li>Include links to your socials for more Halloween content</li><li>Various booking call-to-actions</li></ul>



Time-saving tip:&nbsp;Stampede users can access the Halloween template from their account.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">2) Halloween Social Media Ideas</h5>



Seasonal events are great to&nbsp;give your accounts a little boost&nbsp;and put your brand forefront.&nbsp;



Here are some post inspirations:



<ul><li>Dress up competition &#8211; couples, families, pet</li><li>Take your&nbsp;<a href="https://www.countryliving.com/diy-crafts/g279/pumpkin-carving-ideas/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">pumpkin carving</a>&nbsp;to the next level (#SquashGoals)</li><li>Share homemade&nbsp;<a href="https://www.countryliving.com/food-drinks/g1194/halloween-treats/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">baking&nbsp;</a>treat ideas</li><li>What’s your favourite scary movie?</li><li>Trick or treat poll &#8211; which sweet do you go for?</li><li>Caption this &#8211;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.countryliving.com/life/a23012541/halloween-puns-funny-cute/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">halloween puns</a></li><li>Competition &#8211; find the hidden pumpkin on our website to win or how many ghosts can you spot on our website?</li></ul>



Find some best-performing Halloween hashtags&nbsp;<a href="http://best-hashtags.com/hashtag/halloween/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">3) Halloween In-venue Ideas</h5>



You can go full-on with a themed party or just focus on some smaller events. Nevertheless, customers love to share their experiences on their socials, so keep&nbsp;“TikTok-ability”&nbsp;in mind!



<ul><li>Host a theme party &#8211; mad hatters tea party, dinner in the dark,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.countryliving.com/food-drinks/g2640/halloween-cocktails/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">spooky cocktail party</a></li><li>Host a Halloween-themed&nbsp;<a href="https://www.countryliving.com/life/g37154795/halloween-facts/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">pub quiz</a></li><li>Install a spooky or pumpkin patch photo wall</li><li>Run a pumpkin carving competition for kids</li><li><a href="https://www.womansday.com/life/g40290350/halloween-bingo-cards/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Halloween bingo</a>&nbsp;for kids &#8211; can you spot the items in our venue?</li><li>Halloweenise your food &amp; drinks menu</li><li>For takeaway or delivery: sneak a nasty little surprise into the box</li></ul>



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">Bonus: what&#8217;s trending this year</h5>



<ul><li>Offer a selection of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/halloween-mocktail-recipes" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">non-alcoholic beverages</a></li><li>Eye-catching&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cosmopolitan.com/food-cocktails/g40671448/halloween-snack-ideas/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">snack ideas</a></li><li>Get crafty with some easy&nbsp;<a href="https://www.oprahdaily.com/life/g28190402/diy-halloween-decorations/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">DIY&nbsp;</a>decoration ideas for your venue</li><li>Stand out from the crowd and get some costume&nbsp;<a href="https://www.allure.com/gallery/unique-halloween-costume-ideas" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">inspiration</a>&nbsp;from Harry Styles, Bridgerton and Stranger Things</li><li>Try something different &#8211; a Mexican-inspired&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/how-to-throw-a-day-of-the-dead-party/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">“Day of the Dead” party</a></li></ul>



Need a hand with promoting your Halloween marketing?&nbsp;<a href="https://h.stampede.ai/meetings/stampede/demo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Get in touch</a>&nbsp;with our team to find out more about&nbsp;<a href="https://stampede.ai/how-it-works/marketing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Stampede Marketing</a>.

Easy Halloween Marketing Ideas To Attract More Customers

The opening of Jamie Oliver’s new&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hot-dinners.com/2022101211817/Gastroblog/Latest-news/pasta-dreams-jamie-oliver-soho-pop-up-delivery-restaurant" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">delivery-first pasta&nbsp;</a>brand has been hitting the news for the last couple of days.&nbsp;



For many of us, ordering a takeaway or delivery has become a regular thing. In fact,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hrc.co.uk/news/ordering-part-brits-weekly-mealtime-routine" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">22 million Brits do so at least once a week</a>&nbsp;with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thecaterer.com/news/consumer-spending-slows-barclaycard-september-2022-evenings-in-spending-more-takeaways" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">customer spending increasing</a>&nbsp;by 10.1% since March.&nbsp;



This recent consumer trend presents a big opportunity. By&nbsp;diversifying your revenue streams&nbsp;you can better protect your food and drink business from market fluctuations.



It&#8217;s time to bring back your delivery offers and meal kits to drive some extra revenue this winter.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">10 Tips To Increase Your Delivery Orders</h5>



<ol><li>Opt for direct ordering rather than 3rd party &#8211; 62% of customers want to order direct and via an app </li><li>Ensure a smooth ordering process and online experience </li><li>Send offers to customers who have ordered only once to encourage more frequent orders </li><li>Use the data insights to create personalised offers, i.e. favourite menu item </li><li>Tie it to your loyalty program &#8211; 70% prefer a ‘ free delivery’ as a reward </li><li>Have an accurate menu description with enticing imagery </li><li>69% of customers rate reviews as a deciding factor for their next order &#8211; actively ask customers for reviews, reply the good and bad ones, and keep an eye on your scores </li><li>Use customer feedback to continuously improve your processes, packaging, etc. </li><li>Make use of upsell options, i.e. drink package, dessert </li><li>Spread the word &#8211; pinned social media post (and link in your bio), website banner, email</li></ol>



<h5 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-to-re-create-a-restaurant-at-home-experience">How To Re-Create A Restaurant At-Home Experience</h5>



Customers might cut back on expensive meals over the next couple of months, but they still want to&nbsp;treat themselves. Delivery and meal kits hence fit in as an ideal &#8211; and cheaper &#8211; alternative.



It’s up to you to make the&nbsp;<a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/how-to-get-it-right-meal-kit-online-sales-success-by-hawskmoor/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">at-home experience</a>&nbsp;as special as your in-venue one. So, your venue becomes their preferred choice for ordering and you can later&nbsp;turn them into walk-ins.



Here’re some ideas to pimp up your orders:



<ul><li>Come up with seasonal meal kits, i.e. autumn, festive-themed (this also creates a sense of urgency to order and avoid missing the specials!) </li><li>Consider different mid-week and weekend offers, i.e. offer weekend drink packages </li><li>Offer a premium version with high-end ingredients/specials </li><li>Include add-ons, i.e. decoration, curated playlist, printed or digital tasting menus and notes </li><li>Offer a limited special featuring your bestseller and signature dishes </li><li>Include a personal note in your orders </li><li>Sneak in a little surprise in your boxes, i.e. Halloween treats, Christmas chocolate</li></ul>



Further reading &#8211;&nbsp;<a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/how-to-set-up-a-successful-meal-kit-e-commerce-page/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">How to set up a successful meal-kit e-commerce page.</a>



Need a hand with promoting your delivery offerings via email and SMS? <a href="mailto:support@stampede.ai?subject=" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Get in touch</a> with our team who are happy to help.

Secure Revenue This Winter With Delivery Orders

Now that you know all the good, bad and ugly about AI-generated content from the <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/ai-tools-for-marketers-an-insiders-view">first part of our AI series</a>, it’s time to go a little deeper.



For this, we had a closer look into two of the most popular and widely used AI tools: <a href="https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt/">ChatGPT</a> and <a href="https://www.jasper.ai/">Jasper</a>.



We’ve compared their main features and capabilities and also came up with ways to get the most out of both.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chatgpt-vs-jasper-the-basics-compared">ChatGPT vs. Jasper &#8211; The Basics Compared</h2>



For now, ChatGPT is a free tool. Its popularity practically blew up overnight and it became the fastest tool to hit 100 million users.



Unfortunately, this led to quite a lot of downtime and users not being able to access it. This is why they are now offering a paid version for $20/m which guarantees full accessibility and also faster responses.



Jasper, on the other hand, is a paid tool.&nbsp;



They offer a 5-day free trial to give you an idea and after that, their prices start from $49/m with a 50,000-word limit. Bear in mind that the word limit refers to all words created, even if you decide to delete them.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">3 Things To Keep In Mind</h2>



Before you dive into the world of AI-generated content, there are some things to be aware of.



Here are the 3 main ones:



<ol>
<li>They generate original content pulled from the web &#8211; you need to do fact-checking!</li>



<li>They have finished their base training a couple of years ago, so some of their knowledge is not up to date</li>



<li>They remember previous input and allow for follow-up adjustments if needed</li>
</ol>



The example below from ChatGPT shows what happens if you ask for recent events:



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="294" src="https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Screenshot-2023-02-09-at-10.20.44-1024x294.png" alt="ChatGPT example" class="wp-image-22963" srcset="https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Screenshot-2023-02-09-at-10.20.44-1024x294.png 1024w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Screenshot-2023-02-09-at-10.20.44-300x86.png 300w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Screenshot-2023-02-09-at-10.20.44-768x220.png 768w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Screenshot-2023-02-09-at-10.20.44-1200x345.png 1200w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Screenshot-2023-02-09-at-10.20.44-150x43.png 150w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Screenshot-2023-02-09-at-10.20.44.png 1442w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



Is there a way to get around this?&nbsp;



The solution, according to the platforms, is to feed in any necessary information that might be missing to provide more context. Basically, teach it yourself.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Ways To Generate AI Content</h2>



The most notable difference between ChatGPT vs. Jasper lies in the way you can create content.



ChatGPT



ChatGPT only offers one way, a chat function, which is dialogue based. It follows a question-answer pattern where you simply put in your request to start a conversation.&nbsp;



It’s therefore very easy to use (once you’ve cracked the commands) and a good tool to get you started.



Jasper



Jasper, on the other hand, comes with a plethora of tools for content creation, i.e. chat, 50+ templates, documents, recipes, and workflows.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="661" src="https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Screenshot-2023-02-14-at-12.34.39-1024x661.png" alt="Jasper templates" class="wp-image-22962" srcset="https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Screenshot-2023-02-14-at-12.34.39-1024x661.png 1024w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Screenshot-2023-02-14-at-12.34.39-300x194.png 300w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Screenshot-2023-02-14-at-12.34.39-768x496.png 768w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Screenshot-2023-02-14-at-12.34.39-1536x992.png 1536w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Screenshot-2023-02-14-at-12.34.39-1200x775.png 1200w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Screenshot-2023-02-14-at-12.34.39-150x97.png 150w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Screenshot-2023-02-14-at-12.34.39.png 2028w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



This can be a bit overwhelming for first-time users with a lot of options to choose from. To help you better navigate around the platform, Jasper offers various live training sessions and a <a href="https://learn.jasper.ai/bootcamp/overview?_gl=1*6nj48j*_ga*MTY3NDQwNjgxMC4xNjc1MTU0NjQ0*_ga_D4P3CS8W5P*MTY3NjQ1Mzg1OS4xOS4xLjE2NzY0NTM4NjAuNTkuMC4w">bootcamp</a>. Which we’d recommend making use of.



Now, the main difference between their individual tools is the degree of guidance they provide.



For example, Recipes come with pre-set step-by-step instructions. You only need to fill in your own input where required. It’s a fast way to generate content and is also ideal to get a better feeling of how Jasper&#8217;s commands work.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="401" src="https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Screenshot-2023-02-09-at-13.34.23-1024x401.png" alt="Jasper recipes" class="wp-image-22964" srcset="https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Screenshot-2023-02-09-at-13.34.23-1024x401.png 1024w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Screenshot-2023-02-09-at-13.34.23-300x118.png 300w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Screenshot-2023-02-09-at-13.34.23-768x301.png 768w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Screenshot-2023-02-09-at-13.34.23-1536x602.png 1536w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Screenshot-2023-02-09-at-13.34.23-1200x470.png 1200w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Screenshot-2023-02-09-at-13.34.23-150x59.png 150w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Screenshot-2023-02-09-at-13.34.23.png 1542w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



The opposite can be found in their chat (same functionality as ChatGPT) or document option, which allows for much more freedom.&nbsp;



Workflows and templates are somewhere in between with a little guidance.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="730" src="https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Screenshot-2023-02-15-at-12.49.35-1024x730.png" alt="Jasper documents" class="wp-image-22965" srcset="https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Screenshot-2023-02-15-at-12.49.35-1024x730.png 1024w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Screenshot-2023-02-15-at-12.49.35-300x214.png 300w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Screenshot-2023-02-15-at-12.49.35-768x548.png 768w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Screenshot-2023-02-15-at-12.49.35-1536x1096.png 1536w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Screenshot-2023-02-15-at-12.49.35-1200x856.png 1200w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Screenshot-2023-02-15-at-12.49.35-150x107.png 150w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Screenshot-2023-02-15-at-12.49.35.png 1688w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



It’s best to give them all a try to understand their difference and when to use them.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">7 Tips For Higher Quality Output</h2>



To finish off, here are 7 easy tweaks you can do to your input to get the output you are actually looking for:



<ol>
<li>Upload your own content to teach it your unique writing style</li>



<li>Update input for each paragraph to avoid repetition</li>



<li>For creative output: use short sentences with few words</li>



<li>For more detailed output: include key facts, number of words and more information (see example below)</li>



<li>Guide the output: frame sections with headlines, subtitles, etc.</li>



<li>Use Jasper’s re-phrase tool for more variations</li>



<li>Play around with different tones of voices, use adjectives or individuals as reference</li>
</ol>



Detailed input example for the chat function:



As a technology writer please write a 500-word educational article using semantically relevant topics for &#8220;digital customer journeys in hospitality&#8221;, H2 and H3 subheadings with bullet points and relevant statistics, FAQ at the end. Use a catchy title. Suggest relevant resources (URL) to learn more about &#8220;digital customer journeys&#8221;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">ChatGPT vs. Jasper &#8211; The Takeaway</h2>



The question that remains is: is it worth paying for an AI tool?&nbsp;



It depends on how you want to use it.&nbsp;



If you want to play around to understand how AI works then you should opt for the free ChatGPT version.&nbsp;



The same applies if you’re mainly looking for some content inspiration or subject line variations.



However, Jasper definitely provides much more flexibility for different business tasks in marketing and sales.



So, if you’re looking for ways to generate a wide variety of mainly longer-form content Jasper is the better option.



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Uncover the power of tech and data with the <a href="https://stampede.ai/amaze" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Stampede Customer Experience Platform</a> that drives 5x more repeat customers.

ChatGPT vs. Jasper: The Two Most Popular AI Tools Compared

A common struggle with loyalty programs is that it takes customers too long to earn enough points to redeem.&nbsp;



As a consequence, customers lose interest quickly.



By using gamification elements to support your loyalty schemes, you can speed up the whole process whilst keeping customers on the hook.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-gamification-works">Why gamification works</h2>



Gamification adds a fun element to a loyalty scheme. The concept behind it leans heavily into our competitive spirit and reward-seeking behaviour.&nbsp;



Here are 4 reasons for implementing gamification:&nbsp;



<ul>
<li>Keep customers engaged and interested. Customers earn extra points as a top-up, quite often these are linked to instant rewards.</li>



<li>Increase brand awareness. It encourages customers to interact with your brand more often.</li>



<li>Get more customer data. Customers spread the word when they have fun, which will lead to a snowball effect.</li>



<li>Attract a wider range of customers. Gamification is ideal if you want to bring in younger generations.</li>
</ul>



To help you get started, we’ve gathered 5 gamification ideas. These will power up your loyalty scheme to keep customers thrilled.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">5 engaging gamification ideas for your loyalty scheme</h2>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">1. Gamification Challenges</h4>



A limited timeframe with the chance to win something exciting hypes customers up to take part.



Monthly or seasonal challenges are probably the most cost- and time-efficient gamification tool for your loyalty scheme to boost interaction.



Simple examples:



<ul>
<li>Online quizzes</li>



<li>Guessing games</li>



<li>Tag &amp; share challenges</li>
</ul>



Advanced examples:



<ul>
<li>DIY competition &#8211; ‘Create our new Summer cocktail’</li>



<li>Creative competition &#8211; ‘Name our new [menu item]’</li>



<li>Seasonal challenges &#8211; i.e. dress up for Halloween</li>
</ul>



Tip: Online challenges are great database growth boosters so make sure to ask customers for their contact details upon entering.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">2. Online &amp; in-venue games</h4>



This gamification concept connects both offline and online customer interaction.



Treasure hunts are ideal for this, where customers have to look for clues on your socials, website as well as in-venue.



Tip: Whilst they are searching, you get the chance to introduce customers to other offerings or venues you might have.



Additionally, if you want to boost quieter times during the day, try a ‘secret code word share’ via your socials. When mentioning the code in the venue customers get a freebie or discount.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">3. Badges, awards &amp; leaderboards</h4>



The most widely used advanced gamification loyalty scheme examples are badges, awards and leaderboards.&nbsp;



Customers get awarded for different interactions or milestones reached. Rewards usually go beyond in-venue and/or online transactions. You can incentivise actions such as completing an online profile, engaging on social media or leaving a review.



What makes these types so effective is it gives customers something to work towards. Plus, they can also compare their performance to others.



<a href="https://www.brewdog.com/uk/beer-visa">Brew Dog’s Beer Visa</a> is a great example of this type of gamification. Customers get a stamp for visiting every bar in one location, once completed they receive a special pin badge.



Tip: Leaderboards make it easy to spot your most loyal and engaged customers.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">4. Tiered membership levels</h4>



A tiered membership scheme encourages customers to spend and engage more with your business in order to move up the rank.



Each tier comes with benefits that increase in value to make the whole brand experience more exclusive and personalised.&nbsp;



Another big benefit of tiered loyalty is that you can build highly targeted segments from those tiers and use them for personalised email campaigns.



Well-known industry examples are <a href="https://www.starbucks.co.uk/rewards">Starbucks</a> and <a href="https://www.pizzaexpress.com/club">PizzaExpress</a>.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">5. Mini online games</h4>



No doubt, online arcade-style games are highly engaging and addictive but they also require some sort of app integration. This ultimately places them at the higher end when it comes to implementing gamification.



A successful example is KFC’s recently launched new loyalty app <a href="https://www.kfc.co.uk/kfc-rewards-arcade">“Rewards Arcade”</a>. Customers get the chance to play after each purchase and get instant ‘free food’ rewards.



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Make sure to check out our <a href="https://stampede.ai/downloads/8-tactics-to-increase-customer-spend">FREE Loyalty Guide</a> to learn more about the different types of loyalty programs and how they can help you to increase customer spend.

5 Gamification Ideas To Take Your Loyalty Scheme To The Next Level

A proven way to <a href="https://stampede.ai/how-it-works/wifi">build your customer mailing list with minimal effort is using your WiFi</a>. It works, as customers want to stay connected when they’re out and about.



However, some operators might have noticed a shift in customers’ behaviour lately.&nbsp;



With going out becoming more of a treat, customers seem to spend less time on their phones, and more time focusing on the moment with their family &amp; friends.&nbsp;



So, how can you encourage your customers to use your WiFi again to keep growing your mailing list?



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-increase-visibility">Increase Visibility</h4>



Back in the day, when ‘free WiFi’ was still a novelty, businesses used to have signs and posters in their venue to encourage customers to sign-up.



Those have disappeared with more and more venues offering WiFi and customers expecting it as a given.&nbsp;



Time for a little reminder.&nbsp;



Here’re 3 quick steps to action:



<ol>
<li><a href="https://www.qr-code-generator.com/">Generate a QR code</a> that links to your Guest WiFi sign-up page</li>



<li>Print posters with your QR code &#8211; distribute them in your venue</li>



<li>Add the name of your network to menus, table toppers, etc.</li>
</ol>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Offer Discounts</h4>



Discounts always work as a treat, especially to boost WiFi log-ins. They become even more effective if customers can use them instantly.



Some ideas to get you started:



<ul>
<li>Sign-up to get %-off your bill today</li>



<li>Happy Hour promotion &#8211; get 2-4-1 if you sign up now</li>



<li>Post whilst in-venue, tag us, and get a freebie or voucher for the next visit</li>
</ul>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Run Contests</h4>



Contests are not only fun and engaging but they are also an easy way to grow your customer mailing list for low costs.



Some ideas to get you started:



<ul>
<li>Prize draw &#8211; sign up and share with a friend to increase your chances to win</li>



<li>Vote for your favourite dish &#8211; enter your email to win a voucher</li>



<li>Take the quiz to find your perfect drink &#8211; enter your email to see the results and enter a prize draw</li>



<li>Photo wall competition</li>
</ul>



Start capturing your data through your <a href="https://stampede.ai/how-it-works/wifi">Guest WiFi</a> and build your mailing list with ease. Get in touch to find out more about the <a href="https://stampede.ai/how-it-works/wifi/">Stampede Captive Portal</a>.

3 Tools To Get More Customers On Your Mailing List

With Google announcing the end of third-party cookies in 2024, the clock is ticking for hotels to switch to a first-party data strategy for good.



For many this radical change has already proven worthwhile. As per a recent survey by Sojern, <a href="https://www.sojern.com/press-release/81-percent-of-hoteliers-see-a-lift-in-revenue-once-a-first-party-data-strategy-is-implemented">81% of hoteliers said they have seen an increase in revenue</a> since changing their game plan.&nbsp;



No doubt, this is a big strategic move that requires thoughtful resource management and planning.



We’ve gathered some key things to keep in mind before you get started.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-is-a-first-party-strategy">What is a first-party strategy?&nbsp;</h2>



First-party data refers to data that is obtained by the hotel through its owned digital channels. Examples are their Guest WiFi, loyalty program or website booking integration.



The biggest benefit is that operators have full ownership over this type of data. They can store, access and manage it directly and use it for marketing purposes and more.



In addition, 1st party data is often more accurate and relevant as it is willingly provided by customers to the company.



However, the current situation is more like a mix of first- and third-party data. The latter often comes from guests booking through OTAs rather than direct.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Why opt for a first-party-only strategy?</h2>



Without third-party tracking and data, operators miss out on essential interaction points in their customers’ journey.&nbsp;



Personalised marketing and on-site service become nearly impossible, the outcome is a rather disjointed guest experience. 



For example, hotels <a href="https://stampede.ai/downloads/the-direct-booking-checklist">don’t get access to OTA booking data</a> and can therefore not contact guests prior to their arrival to tailor their stay.



So in an ideal scenario, all the data is collected by the hotel based on actual customer interactions. From the first touch point, i.e. the initial booking, onwards when guests return.&nbsp;&nbsp;



This then allows operators to create a holistic guest profile which stores preferences and previous interactions. Insights that can be used for personalised marketing to drive long-term loyalty and revenue.



Though, the key to a successful 1st party strategy is getting the right data from the right sources.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">10 most-used 1st party data sources for hotels</h2>



How can hotel operators gather their own data covering online and offline events? Let’s have a look at some common first-party sources:



<ul>
<li>Property Management System (PMS)</li>



<li>Customer Relationship Management System (CRM)</li>



<li><a href="https://stampede.ai/how-it-works/wifi">Guest WiFi</a></li>



<li>Website &#8211; newsletter sign-ups</li>



<li>Mobile app sign-ups</li>



<li>Online booking engine</li>



<li>Guest surveys</li>



<li>Loyalty program</li>



<li><a href="https://stampede.ai/get-bookings">Table booking platform (F&amp;B)</a></li>



<li>Social media channels</li>
</ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">4 steps for implementing a first-party data strategy</h2>



Here are 4 essential actions to take to start shifting your strategy:



<ol>
<li>Map out your entire customer journey. Consider all potential online and offline sources. Define your marketing short/long-term goals.</li>



<li>Determine the required data and its sources. What is the current process in place and what is missing? Close potential data gaps.</li>



<li>Make the best use of your data. Choose the right technology to manage your data most efficiently.&nbsp;</li>



<li>Analyse and adjust if necessary. Build your own customised dashboards and reports to keep an eye on progress.&nbsp;</li>
</ol>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">How to maximise your first-party data</h2>



In general, the more data sources hotels can access, the easier it is for them to build a 360-degree customer view.&nbsp;



However, this can also quickly lead to <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/5-common-data-integration-flaws-in-hospitality-tech">disjointed data silos</a> piling up, which requires a lot of manual labour and time to connect them. But without their integration, the data is of no use and correct attribution is nearly impossible.&nbsp;



In addition, handling various systems and spreadsheets also increases the potential risk of a GDPR breach.



So, in order to use the data in the most efficient and secure way, hotels should therefore opt for a <a href="https://stampede.ai/">unified CRM solution</a>. It automatically syncs all their sources into one place without the need for integrations.



All staff members get access to the same data and from there they can quickly analyse it, segment it and use it to drive their marketing efforts.&nbsp;



Plus, with a multi-functional system, the overall data quality increase as guest profiles are always up-to-date. Which in turn results in better marketing conversions.



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>



Make sure to check out our <a href="https://stampede.ai/downloads/the-direct-booking-checklist">FREE Direct Booking Checklist</a>. Our step-by-step guide features examples around social media, email marketing and SEO to ensure that you’ve ticked every box when it comes to your direct bookings.

A Quick Guide On First-Party Data Strategy For Hotels

Your&nbsp;table booking data&nbsp;is a treasure trove of customer insights.&nbsp;That’s the place where customers tell you about their individual needs and preferences when it comes to dining out. Though to use your data effectively it’s best to&nbsp;link your booking system to a Customer Relationship Management&nbsp;(CRM) platform. 



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This creates a&nbsp;single customer view&nbsp;where all information on that particular customer is gathered together. Use those insights to&nbsp;personalise your customer experience&nbsp;and turn them into regulars.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-generate-more-sales-with-connected-bookings-and-crm-data">Generate More Sales With Connected Bookings And CRM Data</h5>



The key to&nbsp;high conversion rates&nbsp;and increased sales is personalisation. You can power your&nbsp;personalised campaigns&nbsp;with all the data you gather together in your CRM. Also access data sources such as loyalty schemes, e-commerce,&nbsp;<a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/the-revenue-boosting-combo-of-wifi-and-bookings-data/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">guest WiFi</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/3-ways-to-improve-customer-experience-with-bookings-reviews/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">online reviews</a>, etc. for this.



Ideally, you opt for an&nbsp;all-in-one solution. The data sync will happen automatically and your database will grow and be kept updated for you.



As a fallback, you can integrate your systems but there are risks, such as duplicate creation, transmission errors and added costs.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">How To Build A Strong Customer Profile From Your Bookings Data</h5>



Here’s what you should include in your customer profile.



Customer related:



<ul><li>Basic contact details, including birthday if possible</li><li>Demographics &#8211; family, couple</li><li>Preferences &#8211; favourite table, food &amp; drink</li><li>Dietary requirements</li></ul>



Booking related:



<ul><li>Frequency &#8211; loyal customer vs. first-time visitor, last booking</li><li>Behaviour &#8211; day of the week and times</li><li>Type &#8211; one table or group, events</li><li>Special occasions &#8211; birthdays and other anniversaries</li><li>Customer satisfaction based on reviews</li><li>Check size &#8211; big vs low spender</li><li>Previous no-shows</li></ul>



All these can be used to feed your&nbsp;<a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/a-5-step-recipe-that-creates-profitable-personalised-marketing-part-1/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">personalised marketing campaigns</a>. E.g. a special deal for your customer’s favourite drink, a simple birthday offer or a win-back campaign&nbsp;if it&#8217;s been a while since the last booking.



Looking for a smart hospitality growth platform that combines CRM, bookings, marketing and much more?&nbsp;<a href="https://calendly.com/stampedeae/stampede-demo-request" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Book a demo</a>&nbsp;with our team to find out more about Stampede.

How To Use Bookings Data To Supercharge Your CRM

If you’re responsible for managing a restaurant or hospitality business, it can be hard to stay on top of everything. To organise your daily tasks more effectively and streamline your processes, implementing a <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/what-is-a-hospitality-crm-system-a-full-guide">Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution</a> should definitely be part of your strategy.&nbsp;



There are three different types of CRM systems:



<ol>
<li>Analytical CRM systems that gather data useful for reporting and decision-making.</li>



<li>Operational CRMs that streamline processes and communication.</li>



<li>Collaborative CRM platforms that allow departments to work together more efficiently.&nbsp;</li>
</ol>



In this blog post, we will explore these three different approaches to running an effective CRM system for your hospitality business. This will help you make the best possible decision when choosing one.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-1-analytical-crm-systems">1. Analytical CRM systems</h2>



When it comes to understanding your customers and analysing the results of your marketing campaigns, analytical CRM systems are game changers.&nbsp;



With these powerful tools, you can dive deep into customer data, uncover trends, and make informed decisions based on real numbers. No more relying on gut instincts or guesswork.&nbsp;



Analytical CRMs also make it easy to create customised reports and visualisations. Those help you track progress and hone in on areas that need improvement.



By using this technology to better understand your audience, you can improve customer satisfaction, increase retention rates, and boost your bottom line.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">2. Operational CRM systems</h2>



Operational CRMs are a vital tool for businesses to streamline their processes and improve overall customer experience.&nbsp;



They allow companies to better manage every touchpoint of the customer journey, from initial interaction to after-sales care. With automation features, operational CRMs can further enhance efficiency by reducing the amount of time spent on repetitive tasks.



Implementing an operational CRM system not only leads to <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/meet-stampede-inbox-never-miss-another-message">better communication</a> with customers but also allows businesses to make data-driven decisions for continuous improvement.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">3. Collaborative CRM systems</h2>



Collaborative CRM systems make sure that everyone in the business has access to the same data. So that teams can work together more efficiently in order to provide a complete customer experience.&nbsp;



With a collaborative CRM, every individual involved in the customer&#8217;s journey can view the full customer record with its entire history and previous interactions. This ensures that everyone is using the correct and up-to-date data to support the company&#8217;s decisions.&nbsp;



The integration between teams helps to ensure that customer needs are met, and ultimately, it results in a much-improved customer experience.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Tips on how to choose the right CRM system for your hospitality business</h2>



As businesses continue to evolve and technology advances, it&#8217;s important for hospitality businesses to keep up with the latest tools in order to stay competitive.



However, with so many options out there, it can be challenging to choose the right CRM. The operational feature is certainly the most important feature for hospitality businesses and should be prioritised. The way data can be managed more efficiently has a significant impact on daily operations. Especially with automations as they reduce the workload by removing manual and repetitive tasks.



However, ideally, a CRM system should incorporate elements of all three CRM types &#8211; analytical, operational and collaborative. As a professional in the hospitality industry, it’s crucial to have a CRM system that provides detailed insights into customer interactions and preferences. This can help you tailor your services accordingly.&nbsp;



It&#8217;s important to emphasise the significance of finding the right fit for your needs when it comes to selecting a hospitality CRM. No two businesses are the same and therefore, there can be no one-size-fits-all solution.&nbsp;



You need to identify what your hotel, restaurant or hospitality business requires and other specific goals you want your CRM system to achieve. Then you can assess which CRM can deliver on those needs. A CRM that cannot adequately cater to your requirements could end up costing you in terms of valuable time and resources



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Closing thoughts</h2>



Technology can only truly increase efficiency if it is used effectively. After all, customer experience isn&#8217;t just about having a lot of information on hand. It&#8217;s about understanding each individual guest as well as providing personalised experiences based on your insights.



By investing in the right type of <a href="https://stampede.ai/amaze">CRM system</a>, you can unlock significant potential for your business and take your customer experiences to the next level.

The 3 Different Types Of A CRM System Explained

A new venue opening is always exciting and creates a big hype.



Press coverage, opening events, social media posts, website launch… And of course, word-of-mouth from those who have already paid you a visit.



Inevitable, after all the buzz there will eventually come a time when the&nbsp;initial spike in your footfall&nbsp;will start to slow down.&nbsp;



The good news, there’s a way to prevent this from happening.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">Keep Up Your Footfall With Customer Data</h5>



If you capture customer data from the moment you open the doors of your new venue, you’re able to&nbsp;build and grow a strong mailing list.&nbsp;



This mailing list is the foundation for your marketing and helps you turn all those first-time visitors into loyal customers.&nbsp;



The graph below helps you visualise how footfall is impacted over time, depending on if you have access to customer data from the beginning or not.



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screenshot-2022-10-17-at-11.08.29.png"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="636" src="https://stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screenshot-2022-10-17-at-11.08.29-1024x636.png" alt="" class="wp-image-22567" srcset="https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screenshot-2022-10-17-at-11.08.29-1024x636.png 1024w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screenshot-2022-10-17-at-11.08.29-300x186.png 300w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screenshot-2022-10-17-at-11.08.29-768x477.png 768w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screenshot-2022-10-17-at-11.08.29-150x93.png 150w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screenshot-2022-10-17-at-11.08.29-592x368.png 592w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screenshot-2022-10-17-at-11.08.29.png 1050w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>



<h5 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-to-quickly-grow-a-mailing-list">How To Quickly Grow A Mailing List</h5>



However, building a mailing list from your&nbsp;<a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/the-revenue-boosting-combo-of-wifi-and-bookings-data/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">table booking system</a>&nbsp;alone will only provide you with a limited amount of data. You will get the data from the lead booker but not the entire party, hence you’re missing out on a big bunch of customers.



So, ideally, you want to&nbsp;get the contact details of everyone&nbsp;who is in your venue.



The best way to gather this real-time data is by using your WiFi as a <a href="https://stampede.ai/how-it-works/wifi" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">captive portal</a>. This means customers enter their contact details when they sign up for your WiFi. 



Now all you need to do is to set up email and SMS campaigns to reach out to those customers.



Save some time and make use of&nbsp;<a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/easy-and-profitable-marketing-with-automations/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">automated campaigns</a>:



<ul>
<li>Post-visit&nbsp;&#8211; thank them for their visit and offer a discount for next time</li>



<li>Referral&nbsp;&#8211; offer a discount or upgrade if they bring in new customers</li>



<li>Win-back&nbsp;&#8211; reach out to those who haven’t come back yet with a special deal</li>
</ul>



Tip: If you ask for your customers’ dates of birth, you can surprise them with a personalised offer for their big day!



Start capturing your customer data to sustain your footfall in your new venue.&nbsp;<a href="https://h.stampede.ai/meetings/stampede/demo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Get in touch</a>&nbsp;with our team to find out more about the&nbsp;<a href="https://stampede.ai/how-it-works/wifi/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Stampede Captive Portal</a>.

New Venue? Keep Your Footfall For Longer With Customer Data

The Ultimate Beginners Guide to WiFi Jargon

The Pros And Cons Of Using AI In Hospitality

4 Revenue-Driving AI Tools For Hospitality Operators

3 Restaurant-Specific AI Tools That Drive Sales

How AI Can Facilitate Reviews Management For Hospitality Operators

How To Speed Up Content Creation With AI In Hospitality

3 Clever AI Tools To Support Your Hotel Operations

The Hospitality Industry Is Leaving Money In Their Inbox [Industry Insight Report]

How To Make The Most Of Your Restaurant Outdoor Seating Space In Summer

Become A Stampede Pro With These Hidden Features

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Sarah Sinclair

Moonwake Beer Co.

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Kitty Evans-Smith

atis

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Steve Watson

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Deniss Petrovs

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Nick Gregory

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Birdhouse London

Chris Hughes

Mele Group

Chris Aitchison

Bar Tonic

Oliver Etridge

First Restaurant Group

Ieuan Davis

The Coal Exchange Hotel

How to Set Up a Coworking Space in Your Coffee Shop

Give your customers the royal treatment for the long Jubilee weekend ahead and drive some extra revenue for your business.



Recent research by <a href="https://kam-media.co.uk/project/jubilee-weekend-infographic/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">KAM Media</a> has shown that 4 in 5 people will celebrate the Jubilee weekend (2nd to 5th June) in some way, with 35% planning to visit a pub and 31% a restaurant. On top of this, pubs are allowed to stay open until 1:00 AM for the period.



With less than 4 weeks to go, time to lean hard on your marketing comms to ensure your venue is buzzing. Email campaigns should be your go-to here to spread the word about your events and urge customers to book ahead.&nbsp;



Here’s what your 5-part Jubilee marketing campaign could look like:



<h5 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-jubilee-email-campaign">Jubilee Email Campaign</h5>



Email 1 &#8211; Let’s celebrate &#8211; Book your spot for our Jubilee weekend



Audience: All customers



Sending time: 19th/20th May



Content ideas:



<ul><li>Entertainment program &#8211; Live music, Jubilee event broadcasts</li><li>In-venue events &#8211; Traditional games, raffles, royal pub quiz</li><li>Food &amp; drink highlights &#8211; Great British Menu, showstoppers, royal cocktails</li><li>Meal kits &#8211; Jubilee picnic hamper with classic staples, coronation afternoon tea box</li><li>Early bird booking offer</li></ul>



Email 2 &#8211; Have you secured your Jubilee table yet?



Audience: All customers, excluding bookers



Sending time: 23rd/24th May



Content ideas:



<ul><li>Shorter version of Email 1 as a reminder</li><li>Highlight your main events, ie. ‘don’t miss our giant cake stand’</li><li>Create a sense of urgency &#8211; ‘book now’, ‘only limited availability</li><li>Special afternoon tea offer if you book this week, including free drinks</li></ul>



Email 3 &#8211; One week to go &#8211; are you ready to celebrate?



Audience: All customers



Sending time: 26th/27th May



Content ideas:



<ul><li>What to look forward to on the weekend</li><li>Sneak peek &#8211; “we’re already busy prepping the venue”</li><li>Head to our socials to stay updated and get involved in competitions</li></ul>



Email 4 &#8211; Last-minute availability for this Jubilee weekend



Audience: All customers, excluding bookers



Sending time: 31st May/1st June



Content ideas:



<ul><li>Why you should celebrate with us &#8211; event highlights</li><li>Last sales push to fill in empty spaces &#8211; include a special deal</li></ul>



Email 5 &#8211; Your upcoming Jubilee booking



Audience: Bookers only



Sending time: Day before the booking



Content ideas:



<ul><li>We can’t wait to celebrate the big Jubilee with you</li><li>Your table on the [date] at [time] for [people] is waiting for you</li><li>Get excited about &#8211; menu highlights, events</li><li>Include upsell offers &#8211; bottomless drinks&nbsp;</li></ul>



Tip &#8211; Make sure to automate this email.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">Social Media Post Ideas</h5>



 All national events are usually a trending topic across all social channels. Plan about&nbsp;2 posts per week&nbsp;and&nbsp;2-3 stories&nbsp;to get customers excited and hyped up.&nbsp;



And don’t forget to use <a href="https://stampede.ai/resources/hospitality-hashtag-cheat-sheet/">relevant hashtags</a> to give your posts maximum exposure &#8211; #PlatinumJubilee #Jubilee #JubileeParty #JubileeCelebrations #LetsCelebrate.



Some inspiration for your social channels:



<ul><li>Competition &#8211; create a royal drink, kids/pets royal dress up</li><li>Short video sneak peeks &#8211; kitchen prep, decoration</li><li>Royal-themed quiz</li><li>Giveaway &#8211; share, tag and win</li><li>Introduce entertainment acts, menu highlights</li><li>Booking reminder posts/stories</li></ul>



Jubilee marketing content ready but not sure how to set up your campaign? <a href="https://h.stampede.ai/meetings/stampede/demo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Get in touch</a> with our team who are happy to help.

Increase Your Footfall With This 5 Part Jubilee Marketing Booster Campaign

A lot of hospitality venues are offering ‘low-cost’ meal deals at the moment as a way to attract customers when budgets are tight.&nbsp;



Discounting is one option to keep your cash flow up, however, there are other tools you could use.&nbsp;



Think about how you can increase the actual value of what customers get from their experience.



Here are two ways to better retain cost-conscious customers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-1-customer-loyalty-program">1) Customer Loyalty Program</h2>



The past years have clearly shown how valuable loyal customers are as a reliable revenue source for businesses.



In fact, one-third of customers will spend more to secure loyalty points. So, a customer <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/making-a-success-of-loyalty-programs-part-ii">loyalty program</a> not only helps you bring customers back, but it also increases their spending.&nbsp;



To make your loyalty program a <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/making-a-success-of-loyalty-programs-part-ii">proper success</a> consider additional benefits aside from monetary incentives or freebies.&nbsp;



This could be a priority booking option or special member-only events. It’s all about adding more value to your customer&#8217;s experience and setting yourself apart from others.



Tip: Make sure to check out our <a href="https://stampede.ai/downloads/8-tactics-to-increase-customer-spend">free loyalty guide</a>, featuring 8 tactics to increase your customer spend and a breakdown of different loyalty programs.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">2) Exclusive Community</h2>



Whilst your customer loyalty program is open to all your customers, an exclusive community only targets certain customer groups. Adding this extra exclusivity feeling to your loyalty program will further elevate customer engagement.



Plus, such a niche customer community also allows you to really personalise your perks and better tailor your marketing messaging.



Potential segmentations ideas:



<ul><li>Students</li><li>Families</li><li>Gender &#8211; ladie’s/men&#8217;s club</li><li>Neighbourhood customers &#8211; based on postcodes</li><li>Emergency Services/Military workers</li><li>Early birds / Night owls (first visitors, last visitors)</li></ul>



One great example is <a href="https://noodleunion.wagamama.com/">Wagamama’s Noddle Union</a>. Their program is aimed at students and includes monthly giveaways and prizes on top of regular deals to make signing up more attractive.



Learn more about our Loyalty feature <a href="https://stampede.ai/get-loyalty/">here</a>. Or get in touch with one of our team who are happy to run you through it.

2 Ways To Keep Your Footfall Up With Customer Loyalty

Untrackable traffic is probably one of the biggest fears of any data-driven marketer.&nbsp;



“Dark social” is an example of such a dreaded source, which has been on the rise over the past couple of years.&nbsp;



We’ve compiled everything you need to know about dark social advocacy and how you can use it to your benefit.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-is-dark-social">What is Dark Social?</h2>



Dark social refers to any web traffic that comes from sharing links that are not trackable. They won’t be picked up by Google because they usually don’t contain any <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/3-clever-tools-that-simplify-how-you-measure-marketing-results">UTM tracking code</a>.



As a consequence the original traffic source remains unknown, instead, those leads will show up as “direct traffic” in your analytics.&nbsp;



What makes this type of sharing so dark is the fact that it happens on private messaging platforms such as chat apps or instant messengers and not on public social media platforms.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Why the Channel is Growing</h2>



Recently, there has been a shift in how much people share on social media. This is mainly linked to privacy concerns and how their data is used.&nbsp;



Contrary to social media, private messaging platforms allow for end-to-end encryption, so people can better control their personal information.&nbsp;



Up to <a href="https://www.convinceandconvert.com/social-media/what-is-dark-social/">80% of shares are in fact happening in the dark</a>, probably more than you might have expected.



This is even more so the case in the hospitality industry where people are looking for recommendations from their family and friends. So chances are high that they will share it privately.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">3 Ways Dark Social Affect Businesses</h2>



The impact of dark social on businesses can be broken down into 3 main points:



<ol>
<li>Untrackablilty</li>
</ol>



As mentioned already, the major issue is that you can’t put an exact number on this type of channel.&nbsp;



There are ways you can measure it to a certain extent, such as through Google Analytics (Source: direct traffic) or by using special tools.



<ol start="2">
<li>Exclusion from the customer conversation</li>
</ol>



The actual content that is shared through dark social remains invisible to companies.



You don’t know what is said about your business. Also, you can’t control the conversation and whether it is in line with your brand voice and values.



<ol start="3">
<li>Lower reach</li>
</ol>



In general, your reach might be limited on dark social. People tend to share within their network, i.e. like-minded people with the same interests and behaviours.



It’s therefore not necessarily a channel to attract a new type of customer.



However, if you look into the demographics, you can reach an older audience as younger customers still tend to share their content on social media.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">3 Actionable Tips For More Transparency</h2>



The good news, there are a couple of ways you can increase measurability. It’s all about making your content more traceable in the first place.



<ol>
<li>Encourage trackable ways of sharing: add share buttons/links to your content containing <a href="https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/what-are-utm-tracking-codes-ht">referral data</a>.</li>



<li>Chime in on the conversation: create your own community with loyal customers, i.e. a Whatsapp group.</li>



<li>Use <a href="https://free-url-shortener.rb.gy/">URL shortener</a> for social posts: shorter links with UTMs attached look cleaner and are easier to copy and paste.</li>
</ol>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Power of Dark Social</h2>



Taking all the above into account, dark social should definitely not be seen as a threat to marketers.



Even though it is a channel that is hard to control it contributes a lot to your brand awareness and engagement.&nbsp;



Think about it this way &#8211; if customers share your content privately it’s a sign of trust and loyalty. It is a form of unexpected <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/breakdown-3-ways-customers-advocate-your-hospitality-brand">brand advocacy.</a>&nbsp;



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>



<a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/how-hospitality-operators-can-use-data-to-reveal-loyal-customers">Learn more</a> about how you can identify and grow your most loyal customers using data insights and our customer retention cohort report.

Shedding A Light On Dark Social And How It Increases Brand Awareness

Identifying your loyal customer base shouldn’t be a gut feeling that it exists in some way.



You can and should put a real number on how many you have.



All you need is the right tools and access to customer loyalty data.



You want to dig really deep into your data to get valuable insights from your loyalty numbers.



Here’s everything you need to know to define concrete loyalty for your business.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-customer-loyalty-data-sources">Customer loyalty data sources</h2>



There are many possible in-venue and online sources that you can use to gain customer loyalty data.



Some examples:



<ul>
<li>WiFi logins from your Guest WiFi</li>



<li>Interactions from your loyalty program</li>



<li>Bookings made via your booking system</li>



<li>Transactions from your POS</li>



<li>Purchases from your E-commerce</li>
</ul>



What you want to learn from this data is the number of interactions each customer had over a certain period of time.&nbsp;



Next, you need to narrow down this data a bit further.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Segmentation to identify loyal customers</h2>



Segmenting your data will help you to spot common behaviours that determine how engaged and loyal your customers are.&nbsp;



You are looking for patterns in the data here.



Key metrics to look out for:



<ul>
<li>How much do they spend on average in-venue and / or online</li>



<li>How often do they visit/book during a period of time</li>



<li>How engaged are they with your loyalty scheme, e.g. number of stamps, frequency of points&nbsp;</li>



<li>How often do they book special events</li>
</ul>



This helps you to spot trends, i.e. the frequency of bookings per month goes down after the 3rd visit.



From this, you can then take relevant action.



For example, set up an <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/easy-and-profitable-marketing-with-automations">automated email</a> to customers who have been at your venue 3 times. Feature some of your venue highlights and invite them to come back.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Clever analysis tool: retention cohort report</h2>



In addition and to get a black-and-white percentage of customers that have repeatedly returned over a time period, you can create a retention cohort chart.



But before you fire up a new spreadsheet and start manually adding your data, there might be a better and quicker solution readily available.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Making sense of your retention cohort report</h2>



A lot of e-commerce and other tech software comes with an automatically created <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/introducing-more-tools-to-thrive-stampede-2023-product-update">retention report</a> as part of their analytics feature.&nbsp;



Such a report might look a little complicated at first but is quite easy to read and understand.



The image below shows an example.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="690" src="https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Group-11227-1024x690.png" alt="" class="wp-image-22925" srcset="https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Group-11227-1024x690.png 1024w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Group-11227-300x202.png 300w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Group-11227-768x518.png 768w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Group-11227-150x101.png 150w, https://website-backend.stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Group-11227.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



The left column refers to the selected monthly time interval. The top column represents the number of subsequent visits.&nbsp;



The chart starts with the first visit which is the total number of customers in that particular month. This will be your reference number moving forward.&nbsp;



Reading from left to right, it shows you how many of those initial customers have reached their number of return visits (along the top row)



The report displays cohorts. So each return visit number is a separate group with customers that share one characteristic: their number of return visits.&nbsp;



As a consequence, customers can only ever be in one cohort at a time, and there is no overlap.



What actions can you take from this report? You can, for example, build segments from your cohorts and create tailored marketing campaigns for them.&nbsp;



Someone who has visited 10 times will expect different communications from someone who has only visited 2 times.



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>



Stop guessing and start measuring your customer loyalty with real data and the <a href="https://stampede.ai/">Stampede Guest Experience Platform</a>.

How Hospitality Operators Can Use Data To Reveal Loyal Customers

If you’re a hospitality operator looking to keep your guests engaged and loyal, personalised marketing is your secret weapon. However, to offer truly customised experiences businesses have to include one invaluable tech tool in their overall customer relationship management <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/how-to-create-a-hospitality-crm-strategy-that-drives-results">(CRM) strategy</a>: their CRM platform.



In this blog post, we’ll discuss how hospitality operators can create personalised email &amp; SMS marketing campaigns powered by their CRM.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-is-personalised-marketing-and-why-does-it-matter">What is personalised marketing and why does it matter?</h2>



Personalised marketing is the process of creating and sending out email and/or SMS campaigns that are tailored to each customer. Studies show that <a href="https://www.epsilon.com/us/about-us/pressroom/new-epsilon-research-indicates-80-of-consumers-are-more-likely-to-make-a-purchase-when-brands-offer-personalized-experiences">80% of customers are more likely to make a purchase from personalised marketing</a>.&nbsp;



The approach involves combining data insights with creative messaging and personalised content to create the ultimate customer experience.



By leveraging data insights, hospitality marketers can create more relevant content that resonates better with their target audience. This leads to increased customer loyalty and a higher chance of repeat business.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">How to get started with personalised email &amp; SMS campaigns using your CRM</h2>



If you&#8217;re looking to step up your email and SMS marketing game, then targeted campaigns are the way to go.&nbsp;



The data from your CRM builds the foundation for your personalised marketing. Data points can include everything from customer purchase history to personal preferences.&nbsp;



Once you have a good understanding of your audience, it&#8217;s time to use your CRM system to create targeted campaigns that speak directly to them.&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Build a holistic customer profile</h4>



Creating a comprehensive customer profile in your CRM is crucial for any business looking to better understand its audience. To build a holistic customer profile, it&#8217;s important to collate all data sources in your CRM system to gain a full picture of the customer journey.&nbsp;



In order to get the most out of your customer profiles, you should strive to combine as much data as possible by accessing different sources. For example through your Guest WiFi, <a href="https://stampede.ai/get-bookings">table booking platform</a> or loyalty scheme. This includes everything from basic information such as age to interests and purchasing habits.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Create segments</h4>



To effectively reach and engage your target audience hospitality marketers need to create marketing segments within the CRM platform. These segments can be based on demographics such as age or gender as well as geography and behaviour.&nbsp;



By understanding the unique characteristics and needs of each segment, you can tailor your messaging. This way you will resonate better with them and improve the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns.&nbsp;



Additionally, businesses should make use of a CRM’s tagging feature. Profiles that are tagged based on triggers can further enhance segmentation by identifying specific actions or behaviours.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Set up automation</h4>



Marketing automation is one of the most valuable CRM features for hospitality operators.



With the ability to trigger email and SMS campaigns based on certain customer behaviour and interaction, businesses can create personalised messages that really engage with their audience.



For example, a simple <a href="https://www.coastdigital.co.uk/2020/01/02/email-marketing-why-you-should-embrace-birthday-emails/">birthday email can generate 342% higher revenue </a>compared to a traditional promotional email. Additionally, businesses can utilise automation to retain customers who haven&#8217;t visited their venue in a while with a special discount.&nbsp;



One big benefit is that this CRM automation saves valuable time for staff as once set up, they run automatically.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">How other hospitality venues have successfully used personalised marketing</h2>



One of our customers, <a href="https://stampede.ai/customer/birdhouse-london">Birdhouse London</a>, has saved 2 hours per week on their marketing by using automated email campaigns. When customers subscribe to their newsletter, they get an automated email with a free margarita offer.



Another successful example comes from <a href="https://stampede.ai/customer/the-coal-exchange-hotel">The Coal Exchange Hotel</a>. They’ve used the clever Stampede CRM segmentation tool to tag customers that would be interested in their ‘kids eat free’ deal. From this, they were able to generate over £900 return visit revenue.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Summary</h2>



Personalisation is transforming the way hospitality operators communicate with customers. With specific and personalised campaigns, you can increase your revenue by targeting customers who are most likely to take action.&nbsp;



The first step to getting started is building a holistic view of your customers using your CRM data. Other successful implementations are creating segmentations and setting up automation.&nbsp;



As seen in the examples above, hospitality businesses can double their sales just by using personalised <a href="https://stampede.ai/how-it-works/marketing">email and SMS marketing</a> in a more intentional way powered by their CRM insights. Personalisation is key when it comes to reaching higher ROI in your marketing campaigns.

How To Create Personalised Marketing Campaigns With Your CRM

As the internet gets “bigger” there’s a constant need for how we interact with it to keep up in performance. People want more, and they want it faster than ever.



Keeping that in mind &#8211; plus a few prickly real-world experiences &#8211; our teams have just completed upgrades to our guest WiFi service.&nbsp;



A great WiFi login is butter smooth, lightning fast, beautifully branded and tastefully personalised. Our latest update levels up all these areas.



Many of you reading this will know that <a href="https://website-backend.stampede.ai/how-it-works/wifi/">guest WiFi</a> was where <a href="https://website-backend.stampede.ai/company/">we started back in 2015</a>. Our founder Patrick knew there was a better way to get customers online in hospitality venues. We’ve grown since then, but that mentality is still our driving force.



The other driving force is time. We’ve done this update now (Oct ‘23) so that Stampede users and their customers get the most from the upcoming “golden period” of Christmas.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-highlights">The Highlights</h2>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-speed">Speed</h4>



Three times faster. Or 320% faster to be more accurate. That is the headline result of our recent performance improvements. Customers get online quicker, even in low bandwidth areas.&nbsp;



This results in fewer complaints to staff and less time spent dealing with IT companies. It also means more customers will opt-in to your marketing &#8211; an ideal way to grow your mailing list. <a href="#technicals">Read on</a> to dive into the technical details.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-branding-and-design">Branding and Design</h4>



Consistent branding for your business across all pages with our <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/updates-september-2023">newly released brand kits</a> &#8211; you can read up on them here. Loading, welcome and email validation screens all support brand kits too.&nbsp;



This makes the entire experience more brand-focused, increasing customer recall and making your retention marketing more effective.



A lot of you ask about custom fonts &#8211; this update makes them now available on your WiFi portal and other screens, as per the brand kits.



Lastly &#8211; we’ve made the WiFi service more easily accessible for international customers without the need for them to choose language manually. Using the devices’ locale we automatically change the language in the portal. It’s a nice touch for those of you with regular international customers.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-note-on-paid-wifi">A Note on Paid WiFi</h3>



We’re still supporting many businesses who offer a paid WiFi service, and have dedicated a large amount of effort in this update to improving that side of our guest WiFi.



Using paid access we have supported £1.28m for customers across 59,600 unique payments since starting.



To improve the user experience, the updated paid access now looks and feels like a modern e-commerce shop. The goal is to make it easy for more users to get online in these use cases.



Behind the scenes, we have completely refactored the integrations between PayPal and Stripe to give the whole system a fresh start.



Device management on paid access has historically been problematic for some businesses and users. This has also been reconfigured to make it easier for guests/users to share paid access between accounts.



<code>&lt;a name="technical</code>s&#8221;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-getting-technical">Getting Technical</h3>



If you’re here then it’s time to get into the details. How have we taken world-class guest WiFi and made it even better?



Pre-generated everything



We are now pre-rendering every splash page before guests’ devices to speed up loading times. This is also done in all supported languages (14) which means &#8211; at the time of writing &#8211; we’re generating ~80,000 WiFi login pages before people even log in through them.



Bundle size&nbsp;



As all page generation is pre-generated the bundle size of our WiFi feature has decreased. To load a full page now requires ~140 KB of bandwidth &#8211; it used to be 430kb minimum. This means that WiFi portals will load quickly even in the most challenging connectivity environments.



Event-based



The WiFi feature has been moved into its own dedicated infrastructure which means API calls are entirely independent of other Stampede services. Interconnection between this service and Stampede still happens. This dedicated resource simply acts like a unique power source so it no longer shares power with other Stampede functions.



Client authentication



For true cloud-first WiFi hardware vendors &#8211; like TP-Link and Ubiquiti &#8211; we are now authenticating the guests server-to-server, previously done via client-to-server. This drastically speeds up authentication time, getting users online faster.



Streaming components



Components that affect page load speed like the phone number input, Apple Sign-in and Stripe checkout, are now being <a href="https://nextjs.org/docs/app/building-your-application/routing/loading-ui-and-streaming#what-is-streaming">streamed into the application</a>.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-signing-off">Signing off</h3>



There’s no doubt that this is a significant update. It wouldn’t have been possible without the feedback and input from our customers and partners, so a massive thanks to them.



The depth and detail of this update tell us that even the best always have room to improve. Don’t get too comfortable with the status quo, someone else will be moving the needle elsewhere.



If you want to explore any of these updated features in <a href="https://product.stampede.ai">your Stampede account</a>, or to upgrade your existing guest WiFi, <a href="https://stampede.ai/get-started">our team is here to help.</a>

October Update – 3x Faster Guest WiFi and more

Gift card sales have skyrocketed over the past years with customers being keen to support their local businesses. Though,&nbsp;how many of your sold gift cards have actually been redeemed yet? Fact is,&nbsp;<a href="https://enjovia.com/make-more-restaurant-profit-with-vouchers/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">customers spend up to 72% more than the actual value of the card when they redeem it</a>. 



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Time to unlock your hidden revenue with a personalised gift card reminder campaign using our simple 5 step recipe.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">1) The Data</h5>



For this campaign, you need to access your&nbsp;gift cards buyer data. The data should include the purchase date and gift card status, i.e. redeemed or unredeemed.&nbsp;



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">2) The Trigger Event</h5>



Now segment your data into customers&nbsp;who have purchased a gift card but have not redeemed&nbsp;it yet.&nbsp;



If your gift cards come with an expiration date you can use this as a trigger event, e.g. set up an automated reminder campaign for the month before.&nbsp;



Otherwise, you can choose the timeframe that works best for you. Ideally, you would run this sort of campaign during quieter times to further boost bookings.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">3) The Messaging</h5>



Your gift card reminder message should go straight to the point.&nbsp;Keep it simple with a strong call-to-action&nbsp;at the end. Also, use your subject line to tell your customers what your email is about to increase your open rates.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">4) The Offer</h5>



There’s no need for an additional offer in your campaign.&nbsp;



However, you can use your customers’ attention to&nbsp;promote certain events&nbsp;or&nbsp;fill in for last-minute cancellations&nbsp;with a prompt to book quickly due to limited availability.



Here&#8217;s how your gift card reminder email could look like:



Subject line &#8211; [Name] have you redeemed your gift card for [company] yet?



Don’t forget to pay us a visit and redeem your gift card!



Why not come by this weekend? We’ve got [event] coming up and only limited space available. So better be quick!



Book Your Space Now



<h5 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-5-the-outcome">5) The Outcome</h5>



You certainly don’t want to miss out on all this&nbsp;additional revenue&nbsp;coming with your gift card redemptions. So, keep on top of your gift card sales and make sure customers redeem them in time.&nbsp;



Besides, for many gift card holders this might be the first time at your venue. This is your chance to exceed their expectations and turn them into repeat customers.



Be sure to keep an eye out for our next part of this series on how you turn customers into regulars across all your venues.



Take your&nbsp;<a href="https://stampede.ai/how-it-works/gift-cards/#gifting" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">gift cards</a>&nbsp;to the next level and go digital.&nbsp;<a href="https://calendly.com/stampedeae/stampede-demo-request" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Get in touch</a>&nbsp;with one of our team to find out more.

Unlock Hidden Gift Card Revenue: The Next 5 Step Recipe [Part 3/5]

Short-form video is one of the big social media trends&nbsp;for this year. If done right, this sort of content is one of the most engaging ones and certainly delivers high results. We’ve put together a&nbsp;selection of various online resources that will help you create high-performing video content.



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Here’s all you need to know from the setup to the editing and the content to get you started.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-1-the-setup">1) The Setup</h4>



Before you kick-off, make sure you consider the format of your video. Most short-form videos are filmed&nbsp;<a href="https://youtu.be/BYqbcqqhCVo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">vertically</a>&nbsp;to make them fit to Instagram Reels and TikTok.



Also, short-form can be any video length between&nbsp;30 seconds and 2 minutes. So, make sure to keep it short and sweet when creating video content.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading" id="how-to-get-the-lighting-right">How to get the lighting right</h5>



This popular&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/how-to-do-tiktoks-viral-photo-editing-hack-1622171/" target="_blank">TikTok photo hack</a>&nbsp;will help you get your image settings on spot for the perfect shot.



A more&nbsp;detailed lighting guide&nbsp;on food filming can be found&nbsp;<a href="https://www.deadpixelfilms.com/blog/lighting-food-video-in-a-busy-working-restaurant" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>. It will give you some more tips and tricks on how different settings could work for you.



If you want to showcase individual dishes and avoid distracting shadows a light box is what you need. Get instructions for a handy<a href="https://www.flaxandtwine.com/2013/02/diy-photo-light-box-a-finish-fifty-project/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">&nbsp;DIY light box&nbsp;here</a>,&nbsp;build from a cardboard box.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading" id="how-to-best-present-food">How to best present food</h5>



It is all about putting your dishes in the right spotlight and making your customers’ mouths watery.



In essence, you can apply the same principles that work for food photography to filming. Watch this&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMGqeBuI1T0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">short video</a>&nbsp;with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/andrewscrivani/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Andrew Scrivani</a>, a well-known food photographer, sharing his ultimate best practices.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="2-the-editing">2) The Editing</h4>



You want to stand out on your customers’ feeds, so get creative when editing. You can also try and stick to a&nbsp;theme&nbsp;that will make your videos recognisable. Find some free and ready-to-use&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.canva.com/tiktok-videos/templates/" target="_blank">TikTok</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.canva.com/templates/?query=instagram-reels-videos" target="_blank">Instagram</a>&nbsp;templates on Canva.



Also, make sure to check out this easy to follow&nbsp;<a href="https://blog.hootsuite.com/instagram-reels-tutorial/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">tutorial to get your reel editing on point.</a>&nbsp;Everything you need to know from adding music, filters, green screens to making time-lapses and remixing.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading" id="how-to-use-filters-effects">How to use filters &amp; effects</h5>



??The choice of filters and effects seems to be endless. Have a look at these tips on&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.bustle.com/life/how-to-search-tiktok-filters" target="_blank">finding and saving high-performing filters</a>.



Besides, the green screen effect can be really useful. It lets you change your background into literally anything you like.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enmKA97eIuQ" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Here’s how you use it</a>.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading" id="how-to-add-sound-effects">How to add sound effects</h5>



Just missing the perfect background music for your video? Get inspired by the&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://thepreviewapp.com/trending-instagram-reels-songs-audio/" target="_blank">90 most popular Instagram Reel songs</a>. Or have a look at this useful article on how to choose the right&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://later.com/blog/tiktok-sounds/" target="_blank">TikTok sound</a>&nbsp;alongside your video.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading" id="free-editing-apps">Free editing apps</h5>



Make editing your videos a lot easier and quicker with an editing app. Here’re the 3 most popular ones. The best part is they’re for free!



<ul><li><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.capcut.net/" target="_blank">CapCut</a>&#8211;&nbsp;TikTok’s own tool</li><li><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://inshot.com/" target="_blank">InShot</a>&nbsp;&#8211; all-in-one tool</li><li><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.zoomerang.app/" target="_blank">Zoomerang</a>&nbsp;&#8211; including tutorials</li></ul>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="3-the-content">3) The Content</h4>



When looking for content ideas, the most important part is to stay authentic and true to your brand. This is what makes videos such a powerful and engaging tool.



Get inspired by some great industry examples:



<ul><li><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CUcZg95o6tt" target="_blank">Introduce your venue</a></li><li>Showcase a&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CZS-375hr-Z" target="_blank">dish</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@urbantandoorbristol/video/7038657441826884869?is_from_webapp=1&amp;sender_device=pc&amp;web_id6918430262649947653" target="_blank">menu</a>&nbsp;highlights</li><li>Highlight&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CW8Uis8jigD/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link" target="_blank">seasonal&nbsp;</a>events or&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CSSCL-AATqV/" target="_blank">promote</a>&nbsp;events</li><li>How to&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CWD-FrgtbRF" target="_blank">make your favourite dish</a>&nbsp;(<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hyz0C7i3ysU" target="_blank">cooking video tips</a>)</li><li>Go&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CWbelgjI_ew" target="_blank">behind the scenes</a></li><li>A&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CS_d6kYgeI1" target="_blank">day in the life</a>&nbsp;of &#8230;</li><li>Share&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CYcLDAFB4CG" target="_blank">customer stories</a></li><li><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@poppycooks/video/6927752424480345350?is_from_webapp=1&amp;sender_device=pc&amp;web_id6918430262649947653" target="_blank">Kitchen</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CUXnp_vDY_W" target="_blank">cocktail mixing</a>&nbsp;hack</li><li>Introducing your&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CTmACnAIiJc" target="_blank">loyalty program</a></li></ul>



Want to start turning social media fans in to loyal customers, check out our&nbsp;<a href="https://stampede.ai/get-loyalty/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">digital stamp card system</a>. Or&nbsp;<a href="https://calendly.com/stampedeae/stampede-demo-request" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">get in touch</a>&nbsp;to find out more.

How To Create Engaging Video Content [25+ Free Resources]

One prominent trend in the hospitality industry is the rising&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://mailchi.mp/exp101/good-morning-ring-an-old-friend-today?e=68c993fe11" target="_blank">customer demand for personalisation</a>. Personalisation is your key ingredient to creating a&nbsp;memorable customer experience. An experience that makes customers come back and spread the word about you.



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 Simply put, personalisation is an easy and straightforward way to stand out, increase your sales and grow your business.&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-you-should-focus-more-on-personalisation">Why you should focus more on personalisation</h4>



<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.revinate.com/blog/infographic-personalization-struggle-hotel-marketing/" target="_blank">62% of customers say they have recommended, chosen, or paid more for a brand that provides personalised service</a>.



It’s time to move away from the one-size-fits-all approach many businesses still rely on. Customers want to be understood as individuals and served according to their needs.



Data helps you to unlock the huge potential&nbsp;for a personalised experience. However, gathering data often raises concerns around security and the assumption that customers would not want to give their details away.



Despite that, recent studies have shown that&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.fsrmagazine.com/expert-takes/diners-crave-personalized-experiences-are-you-delivering?fbclid=IwAR3vB4e9iY0arMVdccpQQjmj99MSe0_HZn087oYLY-7vbAyxKtEZ0kApFvA" target="_blank">84% of customers say they trust restaurants with their personal data if it translates to a better, more personalised experience</a>.&nbsp;



So, make sure to use the data and derive real value from it to create targeted and relevant offers.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="how-to-grow-your-business-with-personalisation">How to grow your business with personalisation</h4>



Personalisation is not only about satisfying your customers&#8217; needs. There is more it can do to grow your businesses.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading" id="foster-customer-loyalty">Foster customer loyalty</h5>



Personalisation is the foundation of your relationship building. If you greet your customers by name whilst already preparing their favourite coffee it might not be a big deal for you. But will definitely be remembered by your customers. Think of how Starbucks is applying this principle by calling customers by their first name when their order is ready.



The same applies to keeping track of dietary requirements and food preferences to adjust your personalised menu recommendations accordingly.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading" id="increase-revenue">Increase revenue</h5>



In addition, remembering customer preferences based on past purchases gives you an easy&nbsp;opportunity to upsell. You know what they like, so why not proactively offer it to them when taking their order.&nbsp;



Also, email campaigns that include&nbsp;personalised offers and deals come with a much higher conversion rate (up to 6x). Start building customer mailing list segments based on transactional behaviour, interactions and demographics to better tailor your campaigns.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading" id="boost-word-of-mouth">Boost word of mouth</h5>



We all like to share special moments with others. So whenever you exceed your customers’ expectations chances are that they will recommend you, post about you and leave a positive review. This will, of course, bring in new customers.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading" id="improve-operational-efficiency">Improve operational efficiency</h5>



 If you know what customers want and like you can&nbsp;better predict trends. Give them more of what they like and take unpopular items off your menu. This will also help you towards better inventory management and further reduce costs.



 Watch out for <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/how-to-bring-customers-back-using-customer-data-and-personalisation-part-ii/">Part II of this blog article</a>, about what is needed to create a personalised experience, including some inspiring ideas.



Need help sending out <a href="https://stampede.ai/how-it-works/">tailored email &amp; SMS campaigns</a>?&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://calendly.com/stampedeae/stampede-demo-request" target="_blank">Get in touch</a>&nbsp;with one of our&nbsp;team who are happy to run you through it.

Drive Revenue And Loyalty With Personalisation [Part I]

When&nbsp;operating multiple hospitality venues, quite often your customers’ loyalty is restricted to one of your venues only. Chances are your customers are simply not aware that you’re managing more than one venue. Though, what if you could&nbsp;extend their loyalty to all your venues&nbsp;and by doing so increase their overall spending?



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Here’s how you can&nbsp;cross-promote your venues&nbsp;using our simple 5 step recipe for personalised marketing.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">1) The Data</h5>



For this cross-venue promotion campaign, you want to find out more about&nbsp;how customers have interacted across your venues. Sort your data by individual venues for a better comparison.



The data you need can be obtained from different sources:



<ul><li>Last WiFi login from your captive portal/guest WiFi</li><li>Last booking made from booking system</li><li>Last stamp/interaction from loyalty scheme</li><li>Latest reviews from different platforms</li></ul>



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">2) The Trigger Event</h5>



There’re various trigger events that you can set up here. Use&nbsp;this campaign for your regular customers but also to retain those who haven’t been at your venue for a while.



Possible trigger events:



<ul><li>Is a one time-visitor</li><li>Is a regular customer but has only been in one venue</li><li>Has not visited for a while</li><li>Is a user of your loyalty scheme (active and non-active)</li><li>Has recently left a positive review</li></ul>



Make sure to set up&nbsp;automated triggers&nbsp;as well to save some time.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">3) The Messaging</h5>



Take the chance to&nbsp;introduce your full brand portfolio&nbsp;and highlight what makes venues different from each other. Also, emphasise that customers can expect the same level of outstanding customer experience across.



Besides, this campaign is ideal for&nbsp;cross-event promotions to boost bookings&nbsp;and get customers coming back on a frequent basis. You can also use it to promote quieter times in one venue to spread your bookings more evenly.



And don’t forget to link to your individual venues and to include a booking call-to-action for each of them.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">4) The Offer</h5>



Offers and deals should be part of your campaign here. This could for example be an&nbsp;introductory offer&nbsp;for customers to try your other venues, like a ‘%-off first visit’ or a ‘drink for free’.&nbsp;



For your cross-event promotions, you might also include an&nbsp;early-bird deal&nbsp;targeted at your loyal customers.



Here’s what your email could include:



Subject line &#8211; [Name], check out our [venue] and get %-off your first visit



Fancy a [venue special]? We’ve got you covered at our [venue]. /



As a [item] lover you have to check out our exclusive range of [item] at [venue]. /



Glad you’ve enjoyed your visit at [venue], why not check out our other [venues]?



Come by and get %-off your first visit. / Your first drink is on us!



DON’T MISS OUT &#8211; BOOK NOW



<h5 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-5-the-outcome">5) The Outcome</h5>



First and foremost this cross-venue promotion campaign will help you to&nbsp;increase the number of visits per customer across all venues. And of course, more footfall and event bookings ultimately lead to more revenue.



Be sure to have a read of our&nbsp;<a href="https://stampede.ai/resources/cru-holdings/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CRU holdings case study</a>&nbsp;to find out how a cross-venue promotion campaign has worked out for them.&nbsp;



And don’t miss the last part of this series on how our 5 step recipe can help you to foster brand advocacy.



Need help sending out your first cross-venue promotions?&nbsp;<a href="https://calendly.com/stampedeae/stampede-demo-request" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Get in touch</a>&nbsp;with one of our team who are happy to run you our marketing product.

More Sales With Cross-Venue Promotion And Personalised Marketing [Part 4/5]

Summer is a brilliant time for the hospitality industry. For starters, the nights draw in a lot later and the weather is warm. Both of these factors make it easy to boost trade in the evenings, none more so when it comes to hosting customers outside. It’s a unique time of year where we all feel more relaxed. What about giving your restaurant outdoor seating space a little boost and make the most out of it this summer?







Plus, with the copious amount of bank holidays, customers are more likely to arrive in large groups and stay out for longer. Summer is also a time when many sporting events happen, making beer gardens or outdoor seating a desirable location.



There are, of course, some stark differences when it comes to seating customers inside a restaurant compared with outside space. What needs to remain the same, however, is providing the same excellent customer experience.



Further reading: <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/6-restaurant-sales-promotions-which-ones-right-for-you/">https://stampede.ai/blog/6-restaurant-sales-promotions-which-ones-right-for-you/</a>



If you are interested in learning how to make the most of your restaurant outdoor seating space this summer, here are our top tips.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Give Your Space A Makeover</h4>



The great British weather can take a toll on the exterior of your premises. So if you are planning on hosting guests there, it will take more than a few tables and chairs to brighten the place up. Simple things such as a jet wash over patios along with a fresh lick of paint on fences and walls can make a huge difference. It’s also a nice idea to <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g186338-d12527182-Reviews-The_Ivy_City_Garden-London_England.html#photos;aggregationId=&amp;albumid=101&amp;filter=7&amp;ff=267262682">add hanging baskets or similar biophilia too</a>. If you’re going to be serving food outside, ensure the area is clean and appetizing. It should also comply with health and safety regulations too.&nbsp;



Aside from the obvious though, your outside space is a chance <a href="https://www.pinterest.co.uk/search/pins/?q=outdoor%20restaurant&amp;rs=typed&amp;term_meta[]=outdoor%7Ctyped&amp;term_meta[]=restaurant%7Ctyped">to inject some personality and character</a> into your restaurant. Current interior design trends include rustic pieces such as exposed brick or timber. By keeping things simple, you can actually create a modern and inviting space for your summertime guests. 



As the environment is also on our minds too, <a href="https://inhabitat.com/sparkman-wharf-cargotecture-restaurants-revitalize-tampas-water-street-neighborhood/">recycling or ‘upcycling’ pieces can work well for your outdoor spaces</a> too. The benefit of reclaiming old pieces is that it can be quite cost-effective. Especially when most pieces may only need slight tweaks to make them ready for use. 



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Food Trucks</h4>



Outdoor eating, drinking and socialising brings about a whole new experience for your customers. So why not experiment with how you serve your dishes? Food trucks are perfect for this, especially during the summer. Whether you create your own grill or pizzeria or even collaborate with other food providers to offer your customers something different. It can create a really new and interesting experience for your diners. After all, who doesn’t love a burger van <a href="https://www.gravyandcustard.co.uk/crumbleshack">or even apple crumble served out of a truck</a>?



For example, if you own an Italian restaurant, why not have an Italian food festival? With great weather, food and music you can really create a buzz in the local community. Your restaurant could provide the main meals, and food trucks stationed outside could serve gelato. Food trucks also have huge social media appeal, especially as they are less formal than a sit-down meal. You could also buy your own food truck and take it to local events or festivals to spread the word about your restaurant.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Entertainment</h4>



Alfresco dining creates a serene ambience that we only have for a few months out of the year in the UK, so as a restaurant you should definitely capitalise on this by providing entertainment. For example, live music would work perfectly in courtyards or even beer gardens.



You could <a href="https://pos.toasttab.com/blog/summer-restaurant-events">also experiment with themed nights</a> such as an outdoor cinema club or a games night. Table tennis or pool tournament would be a great idea too and is really easy to set up. Don’t forget to offer a prize for the winner!



Outdoor entertainment can also extend into your functions too. Given summer is home to both wedding and prom season, this is the perfect opportunity to utilise your outdoor areas to cater for large crowds. If your restaurant has sliding doors that lead to your outdoor space, you can merge the two spaces. 



This will also give you the option to create different zones for functions, such as the dance floor outside and the buffet inside. If your restaurant also has stunning views overlooking the coast or city, this would make your outdoor areas even better for providing entertainment too. 



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Conclusion</h4>



UK summertime may be short-lived, but that doesn’t mean you can’t harness the abundance of potential that alfresco dining has to offer. Whether your restaurant or pub already offers outdoor dining, or if it’s something you are considering, it’s definitely worth getting on board with. After all, the sun brings people out to enjoy themselves. Why not let them do so in your fantastic restaurant?



However, in order for your restaurant outdoor seating area to be a real success this summer, you need lots of customers to visit it. Here at Stampede, we provide businesses with <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/gathering-the-right-data-for-your-restaurant-marketing/">customer insights based on their Guest WiFi connections</a>. Allowing you to market your restaurant, along with your outdoor summer events. 



Plus, if your customers are on the WiFi at your summer dining experience, this creates the perfect <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/the-importance-of-user-generated-content-on-social-media/">content to share on social media</a> &#8211; helping to promote your business further. 



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In order to ensure ongoing success, hospitality businesses need to look for innovative strategies that will help them acquire and retain customers, run their operations more smoothly and increase revenue.



More and more turn to Artificial Intelligence (AI), which is a powerful tech tool that can support all sorts of areas in hospitality.



In this blog post, we’ll look at 4 AI use cases for hospitality operators who are serious about getting ahead with technology.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-1-personalised-service-with-ai">1. Personalised service with AI</h2>



Customers crave personalised experiences and services tailored to their specific needs



With the help of highly sophisticated algorithms, AI can segment customer data quickly, analysing it based on patterns, demographics, historical spending, and interactions.&nbsp;



This enables businesses to deliver targeted marketing campaigns that resonate with individual customers. AI also empowers staff to offer a more customised experience based on previous guest behaviour and preferences. This further encourages loyalty and word-of-mouth referrals.&nbsp;



AI can equally help to <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/another-5-step-recipe-how-to-easily-win-back-lost-customers-part-2-of-5">detect and retain lost customers</a> by using pre-defined triggers and employing automated campaigns to bring them back and turn them into loyal customers.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-2-content-output">2. Content output</h2>



With the rise of AI, marketers can craft captivating and converting content quickly and efficiently.&nbsp;



One of the primary benefits is its ability to generate all sorts of marketing content. Common examples are social media posts, emails, and website content. It massively speeds up the creation process and helps marketers save time and resources.



Additionally, the technology can translate content into multiple languages, making it easier to reach international audiences. This is especially handy for hotels.&nbsp;



Another advantage of using AI for content creation is that it can help boost your SEO strategy. By incorporating relevant keywords into your content, you increase your website’s chances of appearing higher in Google&#8217;s search engine results.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-3-ai-powered-sentiment-analysis">3. AI-powered sentiment analysis</h2>



It can be overwhelming to sift through and answer mountains of online reviews and social media comments.



That&#8217;s where AI sentiment analysis comes into play. AI uses algorithms to identify common keywords and interpret customer sentiment. This way businesses can get a better understanding of their customer&#8217;s needs and how they feel about the brand. The information can then be used to identify common trends and issues that customers face and to improve products and services.&nbsp;



AI can also craft automated and customised review responses. Customers&#8217; concerns can therefore be addressed in a timely manner and if needed, passed on to a member of staff to handle them.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-4-chatbots">4. Chatbots</h2>



Hospitality businesses are increasingly turning to chatbots to help streamline customer service and improve the overall guest experience. Plus, they are available 24/7.



Chatbots can assist with a variety of tasks and help overcome staff shortages.&nbsp;



They can provide answers to common questions, take orders for room service or restaurant reservations, and help guests with other enquiries such as housekeeping service. They can even make recommendations based on customer preferences.



Furthermore, Chatbots can be integrated with voice assistants. This allows for a more natural user experience and eliminates the need to type out long commands.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-conclusion">Conclusion</h2>



There are many ways AI tools can support hospitality operators nowadays which makes it worth investing no matter the size of the business.



From providing personalised service, creating more content in less time, and observing customer sentiment more accurately to making use of automated chatbots. All these things combined can result in significant increases in revenue for business owners.&nbsp;



AI is also highly adaptable, so operators can modify their strategy as the situation requires. This ensures that they can be prepared for any change that comes their way.



Make sure to <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/ai-in-hospitality-marketing-a-complete-guide">check out our full guide</a> exploring AI for hospitality marketing.

Marketing automation on its own is powerful. However, when backed up with a <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/how-to-create-a-hospitality-crm-strategy-that-drives-results">Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system</a> hospitality businesses can take their revenue and customer loyalty to the next level.



This clever tech pairing comes with significant opportunities to engage and retain customers, drive conversions and significantly boost profit margins.



In this blog post, we&#8217;ll explore what marketing automation fueled by a CRM system means and review some best practices as well as real-life examples.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-is-marketing-automation">What is marketing automation?</h2>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-1-1-definition">1.1. Definition</h4>



Marketing automation is a tool for businesses to streamline their marketing efforts and effectively communicate with their customers using personalisation and targeted messaging.



The driver behind this automation is customer data, which is collected and stored in the CRM solution. Many <a href="https://stampede.ai/how-it-works/marketing">CRMs</a> now include a marketing automation feature, allowing for easier campaign management and tracking.



Emails and SMS campaigns are sent out automatically using pre-defined triggers, such as specific customer characteristics or interactions.&nbsp;



Plus, automation saves staff a lot of time and also reduces the risk of human error.&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-1-2-trigger-based-campaign-examples">1.2. Trigger-based campaign examples</h4>



Here are some trigger-based campaign examples hospitality venues should implement.



<ul>
<li>New newsletter subscribers &#8211; a simple welcome message drives engagement and encourages revisits.</li>



<li>Win-back lost customers &#8211; attract them back with a special deal.</li>



<li>Birthday surprise offer &#8211; shows that you value your customers and helps strengthen your relationship.</li>



<li>Online review booster &#8211; an automated post-visit review request email will keep guest feedback flowing.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>



The required customer data for those campaigns can easily be extracted from the CRM through segmentation.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-4-key-reasons-to-implement-marketing-automation">4 key reasons to implement marketing automation</h2>



Marketing automation benefits hospitality businesses in a number of ways.



Firstly, it allows nurturing customers towards long-term loyalty through personalised and targeted content. Customers are more likely to feel valued and appreciated when the messages they receive resonate with their specific interests and needs.&nbsp;



Secondly, personalised emails have proven to be more relevant and therefore have a higher conversion rate. In fact, they have a <a href="https://www.campaignmonitor.com/blog/email-marketing/how-personalization-and-automation-can-supercharge-email-conversions/">2.5 times higher click-through rate</a> than a generic email.



Thirdly, marketing automation also provides businesses with additional sales and upsell opportunities based on historic customer interaction in-venue and online.



Finally, once the setup is complete, automated campaigns don’t require much work as they run automatically. This allows your team to focus on other areas of the business.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-best-practice-tips">Best practice tips</h2>



Marketing automation has become an increasingly important tool in the hospitality industry. However, to be truly effective, some best practices should be considered.&nbsp;



Firstly, input from various data sources through your CRM is crucial. By collating data from your tech tools, such as <a href="https://stampede.ai/how-it-works/wifi">Guest Wifi</a>, <a href="https://stampede.ai/how-it-works/loyalty">loyalty scheme</a> and <a href="https://stampede.ai/get-bookings">table booking platform</a>, you can build a comprehensive customer profile.



Furthermore, to make the best use of the data, it&#8217;s important to segment it into distinct customer groups. To make it easier, use the pre-defined data segments provided by CRM solutions.



Finally, operators should regularly check their triggers to ensure their automation work effectively and that customers still receive relevant and timely communications.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-hospitality-operators-succeed-with-marketing-automation">How hospitality operators succeed with marketing automation</h2>



Here are some real-life examples from hospitality businesses that have used their CRM to automate their marketing processes.



<a href="https://stampede.ai/customer/bar-tonic">Bar Tonic</a> has seen astonishing results from their automated birthday emails, offering customers a martini on the house. So far, they’ve generated over £10,000 return visit ROI from it.&nbsp;



Another marketing automation usage example comes from the <a href="https://stampede.ai/customer/signature-pub-group">Signature Pub Group</a>. By automating their review request emails, they’ve managed to collect more than 12,000 reviews in a short period of time.



Marketing automation not only increases sales but is also a real time-saver. For example, <a href="https://stampede.ai/customer/birdhouse-london">Birdhouse London</a> is able to 2 hours per week since implementing it.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Takeaway</h2>



There is no doubt that marketing automation are an essential tool for any hospitality operator that wants to increase customer loyalty.



By laying down the foundation with a powerful CRM system and then leveraging it with personalised messages tailored to specific customer segments, they can make sure that their guests are engaged and keep coming back.&nbsp;

Increase Sales With Your CRM And Marketing Automation

Digital marketing analytics have changed with the iOS15 Apple privacy protection update from last year. Emails are now counted as open once they’re received rather than actually opened and read in some cases, which falsely increases email open rate.



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>



Some outlets are suggesting that&nbsp;email open rates are less useful as a measure&nbsp;of marketing success now. We’ve always taken the stance that conversions are where you should focus your attention, but that doesn’t mean open rates are useless.



There are other ways your email open rates can still be a valuable metric for your marketing. You just need to take on a new approach to your email open rate analysis.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">How to use open rates to measure your efforts</h5>



Rather than measuring your open rate as a stand-alone metric, you have to&nbsp;analyse the broader picture. Treat it in relation to other elements of your campaigns.



There are many factors that influence the success of your emails:



<ul><li><a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/5-minute-guide-creating-great-subject-lines/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Subject line</a> &#8211; what is the value for the reader?</li><li><a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/4-tips-for-an-outstanding-email-design/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Email content and design</a> &#8211; is it appealing and enticing enough?</li><li><a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/3-big-hospitality-email-marketing-questions-answered/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sending time and day</a> &#8211; when are customers online and engaging?</li><li><a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/a-5-step-recipe-that-creates-profitable-personalised-marketing-part-1/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Targeted or to all customers</a> &#8211; is it relevant to the individual customer?</li><li>Click rate &#8211; have you included (enough) links and buttons?</li></ul>



Keep those questions in mind when crafting your emails and these will also be the main part of your email analysis which you will compare against your open rate.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">Set up your own email open rate analysis</h5>



A&nbsp;simple Excel sheet&nbsp;is all you need to get started with your open rate analysis, and it’s quick to set up.&nbsp;



Have a look at this fictional sample sheet to see what you should include and keep track of.



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<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="http://assets.stampede.ai/downloads/email-marketing-analysis-template-stmpd22.xlsx"><img decoding="async" src="https://image.stampede.ai/fill/1024/187/ce/0/aHR0cHM6Ly9zdGFtcGVkZS5haS93cC1jb250ZW50L3VwbG9hZHMvMjAyMi8wNi9TY3JlZW5zaG90LTIwMjItMDYtMDMtYXQtMTMuMjIuMzMtMTAyNHgxODcucG5n" alt="" class="wp-image-21789"/></a></figure>



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>



Download this Excel template <a href="http://assets.stampede.ai/downloads/email-marketing-analysis-template-stmpd22.xlsx" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">HERE</a> to see it in full and start using it for yourself to spot trends and find out what’s giving you the best results.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-example-email-open-rate-analysis">Example email open rate analysis</h5>



Here are some&nbsp;key takeaways&nbsp;from analysing the email campaigns in relation to their open rates:



Sending times



<ul><li>Regular Monday emails perform better later in the morning</li><li>In general, afternoon sending times result in higher open rates</li></ul>



Days



<ul><li>Emails sent towards the end of the week get higher open rates as customers might be in the right mindset of planning their free time</li><li>For mid-week reminders use them in combination with PM sending times</li></ul>



Click rate



<ul><li>You want customers to take action and book a table/room. If your emails include relevant (limited) offers with a clear call-to-action your click rate will increase</li><li>Personalised content, such as the loyal or new menu offer will also increase click rates</li></ul>



Subject lines



<ul><li>For reminder emails &#8211; create a sense of urgency by including ‘last chance’, ‘secure now’ for a higher open rate</li><li>Vague subject lines result in lower open rates (special events to mark, 2 events coming up)</li><li>Including your company name will make it instantly recognisable and more relevant</li></ul>



Make it personal and targeted



<ul><li>The highest open rate comes from emails that include the customer’s name in the subject line</li><li>The new menu launch offer targeted at loyal customers only makes them feel extra valued</li></ul>



Save time and automate your email campaigns. <a href="https://h.stampede.ai/meetings/stampede/demo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Get in touch</a> with our team to get started.

How To Get Insight From Questionable Email Open Rates [Part 1]

The UK’s irrepressible hospitality sector: 2022 Industry Growth Report

Data from the <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/articles/ishybridworkingheretostay/2022-05-23#:~:text=More%20than%20three%2Dquarters%20(78,had%20fewer%20distractions%20(53%25).">Office of National Statistics</a> suggest that the number of people who regularly work from home has doubled since pre-pandemic times.



As the novelty of working from home wears off, demand for public spaces that offer a social yet productive working environment will grow.



If you own a coffee shop with plenty of space then you are in a prime position to take advantage of this demand. You already have many pieces in place to set up a good coworking space.&nbsp;



With <a href="https://drinkycoffee.com/coffee-statistics/">coffee shop revenues still below pre-pandemic numbers</a>, this could be an excellent opportunity for coffee shop owners to recover and diversify their income.



Here we will go through the necessary steps to accommodate paid coworking customers in your coffee shop.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">1. Assess Demand for Coworking Space</h5>



Before you plough time and money into setting up your coffee shop for coworking, you should first try to find out how likely it is people in your local area would be willing to pay to work at your premises.



There are a few ways of doing this. They include:



<ul>
<li>Look online if there are any coworking spaces in your area. If there are some then it&#8217;s very likely that there is demand for these types of spaces in your local area.</li>
</ul>



<ul>
<li>Take note of how regularly people work at your coffee shop. Many of these people would be willing to pay a small fee to work there if you can provide a more productive space.</li>
</ul>



<ul>
<li>Put up a comments and suggestions box in your shop with a sign above it saying &#8211; “We are thinking of offering coworking with ergonomic furniture and high-speed internet. Would any of you be interested in this?” Check how many people have expressed interest over a four-week period</li>
</ul>



<ul>
<li>If you have some sort of online access to your customers (active social media account or <a href="https://stampede.ai/how-it-works/marketing">email list</a>) then simply ask your customers on there.</li>
</ul>



It&#8217;s really important that you get some sort of interest in coworking before you make any moves to implement it in your business.



Do not assume that a lack of competition in your local area means that you have found an underserved market. In ninety-nine per cent of cases, a lack of competition means a lack of demand.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">2. Designating a Space for Coworking</h5>



Once you have decided that you are going to offer coworking at your premises, the next step is to decide which part of your coffee shop you are going to set up a coworking space. And how much of your premises will be designated for coworkers.



When it comes to deciding where in your shop you want to have your coworkers, you should remember that one of the biggest needs of working people is for their environment to be quiet.&nbsp;



Therefore you should try to select a space that is as far away from any of the noisiest areas of your shop as possible.&nbsp;



If you have the means to have a physical barrier between the coworking space and other areas of your shop (say an upstairs area, for example) then this is ideal.&nbsp;



It may also be worth investing in a sound system that allows you to exclude music from your designated coworking space while still having it piped into other areas of your premises.



You also need a dedicated space big enough to meet your demand from coworkers.



I’ve found that during working hours, about one-fifth of your customers will be coworkers. So try to dedicate around that proportion of your seated area to coworking.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-3-deciding-on-pricing-and-terms">3. Deciding on Pricing and Terms</h5>



Coworking is usually either priced as an individual fee per day, or as a monthly fee that covers a certain number of hours per month.



You are also going to have to decide what is included in this fee. Are coworkers entitled to unlimited food and drinks as part of their fee, or will this be sold separately?



In my experience, the best way of pricing out coworking at a coffee shop is to offer a monthly fee for a certain number of hours. Allow one meal, unlimited drinks and a selection of unlimited snacks as part of this.



Offering free food and drinks as part of your terms gives you a real competitive advantage over coworking spaces. While many coworking spaces do offer complimentary snacks and drinks, these won’t be of the same quality as ones freshly prepared by you.



While you may not be able to offer meeting rooms and private phone booths at your coffee shops, your ability to offer superior food and drinks should make you more appealing to freelancers and solo workers.



When it comes to pricing, current rates (2022) for coworking tend to be around £75 &#8211; £100 for part-time (2-3 days a week) and £125 &#8211; £180 for full-time (5 days a week).



The main variable for this cost is location. So if you are based in London then it&#8217;s likely you will be at the top end of this scale.



Of course, you will have to experiment with pricing and find the sweet spot between profitability per head and demand.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-4-getting-the-required-infrastructure-in-place">4. Getting the Required Infrastructure in Place</h5>



To have any chance of being competitive in the coworking market you will need to offer customers:



<ul>
<li>Ergonomic padded chairs with armrests</li>



<li>Tables of a suitable height to work at&nbsp;</li>



<li>High-speed, reliable <a href="https://stampede.ai/how-it-works/wifi/">guest WiFi</a> that can handle multiple users at the same time</li>



<li>A quiet environment</li>



<li>A means of <a href="https://stampede.ai/how-it-works/marketing">communicating with existing</a> customers</li>



<li>Opening hours during regular office hours (and ideally longer)</li>
</ul>



Many coffee shops are unlikely to have the required table and chairs, or the internet.&nbsp;



It is imperative that you invest in these things before you offer coworking.&nbsp;



Offering a bad coworking experience due to insufficient infrastructure can damage your reputation and ruin your chances of being seen as a viable coworking option by local people going forward.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-5-marketing-yourselves-as-a-coworking-space">5. Marketing Yourselves as a Coworking Space</h5>



In my experience, the best way of marketing yourself as a coworking space is to try and rank for the term: “coworking space in [your location]” on Google.



So long as you narrow this down to your really local area, say “coworking space in Hackney” rather than “coworking space in London”, then you have a decent chance of ranking due to a lack of competing coworking spaces in this area.



To optimise your website for this keyword, just do the following:



<ul>
<li>Set up a dedicated page on your website for your coworking where you talk about your offering and terms. Make sure this is titled with your target keyword.</li>



<li>Add that you offer coworking in your business description and services in your Google My Business account</li>



<li>Add that you offer coworking on some areas of your website’s homepage</li>



<li>Look around if there are any online directories dedicated to coworking spaces and sign yourself up for these.</li>
</ul>



You will not rank for coworking-related keywords immediately. However, if you follow these steps you should be appearing in these searches within a couple of months.



Other ways that you can market yourself as a coworking space include:



<ul>
<li>Having a sign outside your premises</li>



<li>Making social media posts about it and asking your followers to share it</li>



<li>Emailing existing customers on your email list</li>



<li>Taking out an advertisement in the local newspaper (this is always cheaper and more effective than you expect it to be)</li>
</ul>



<h5 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-final-thoughts">Final Thoughts</h5>



The rise of remote working after the pandemic has meant that the part-time coworking space market will certainly grow in the next few years.



Coffee shops are in a prime position to take advantage of this as they can set up a coworking space without core changes to their business operations. All they need are a few tweaks to be able to compete with (often overpriced) dedicated coworking spaces.



If you have a large premise, then this could be an excellent opportunity for you to increase and diversify your income.



This article was written by Oli Baise. Oli helps run London-based coffee shop The Coffee Traveller. He writes about all things coffee and the coffee industry in his blog <a href="https://drinkycoffee.com/">Drinky Coffee</a>.

#research