Hi a friend asked me for marketing advice today and I wasn't sure where to start but here are some tips.
1. Take a stack of business cards with you everywhere you go you never know when the opportunity will arise.
2. if you are not online got online and don't think having a web site is enough by a long chalk.
3. use social networking sights ie YouTube, Facebook and Twitter for example I am currently filming all our bedrooms and putting them on You Tube and as I have linked this with my facebook they automatically update each other which saves me a lot of time. It also means that you can even send a customer a film of the room they will stay in when they book. (be careful of this in case you have to move them but if they have booked a feature room specifically then its safe enough)
4 Use your old reg cards send out advertising postcards get people thinking about you. I have ordered extra large postcards with special offers on from VistaPrint and 50 for £2.00 it just takes time to address them.
5 Get real about collecting email when you get an enquiry even if they never book save the email address its a free way to market and if they were enquiring they have a reason to be where you are and may have a crap time at another place and so come to you next time if they are the first name they have to hand.
6 think about having some branded stuff made for example pens and leave them in places they will get picked up this is inexpensive and they will adveritse for you as they are passed from hand to hand.