The leisure industry is all about experience. What a potential guest sees on your website determines within a split second whether they book or click away. Good, honest content is therefore essential to manage expectations. By creating the right expectation, you increase the likelihood of positive reviews, and that's exactly what generates both more new bookings and repeat visits. In this blog, we'll show you exactly how this works.
Returning guests are cheaper
First of all, why are repeat guests so interesting financially? Keeping an existing guest coming back is much cheaper than bringing in a new guest. Research shows that it is 5 to 7 times more expensive to convince a new guest through advertising, as opposed to existing guests. Read on for tips and how the results were arrived at.
Automatic email campaigns make it easy to stay in touch with previous guests without having to worry about it.
Sample calculation: cost new guest vs. returning guest
Suppose:
- Your average booking is €1,000
- You spend €70 per new booking on online advertising (Google Ads, Meta, etc.).
- Your retention rate is 30% with satisfied guests (so 3 out of 10 come back)
Cost to get a returning guest to book = €0 to max. €10 (e.g. via newsletter or retargeting.)
Scenario 1: You get10 bookings through online marketing
- 10 new bookings x €70 per booking = €700 marketing costs
Scenario 2: You make 10 guests so satisfied that 3 come back without expensive campaigns
- New bookings (7 of them): 7 x €70 = €490
- Returning guests (3 of them): 3 x €10 = €30
- Total = €520 marketing cost
Savings:
€700 (all new bookings) vs. €520 (mix of new + returning bookings) = €180 savings on only 10 bookings
At scale (e.g., 1,000 bookings per year) = €18,000 difference
Okay, it's clear why it's important to encourage guest returns. Below we explain how using the right imagery helps with this.
1. Image determines the first impression
Visitors form first impressions at lightning speed. Websites with realistic, high-quality images convert up to 60% better than sites with low resolution or generic stock photos.
Therefore, show what it really looks like on your park. Choose photos taken at the right time of day, with real guests or employees in the picture. The better you show reality, the more reliable you come across and the smaller the risk that guests will be disappointed.
2. Fewer complaints, better reviews
The smaller the difference between expectation and reality, the greater the chance of satisfied guests. Honest photos and texts result in fewer complaints, higher reviews and less work at the front desk or through your customer service.
These positive experiences not only make guests more likely to book a repeat visit, their positive review also encourages new guests to book.
3. Content that inspires and converts
Guests not only want to know where they are going to sleep, but also what they are going to experience. Good content is therefore about atmosphere, experiences and recognition. Think of local tips from your employees, mood videos of a vacation, or tips from previous guests.
Visitors who view this kind of content convert up to 74% more often and show higher satisfaction. With automated email campaigns, you can easily stay in touch with previous guests without having to worry about it.
Doubting whether you are displaying the right content on your website? Get in touch with our Booking Boosters. They will be happy to take a look with you!
Lisa
