037 | Why Digital Marketing is Key for Independent Hotels with Gaurav Varma

Gaurav Varma is Product Marketing Manager for Milestone Internet Marketing – a leading provider of Internet marketing solutions for the lodging industry. Milestone does it all, from Website Design to Search Engine Optimization, Pay-per-Click marketing, Social Media Optimization, Email marketing, you name it. Milestone currently works with nearly 2000 hotels and retail customers, driving over $150M in annual revenue for its clients.

In November, I attended the AAHOA Independent Hotelier Conference in Houston, and Milestone’s CEO, Anil Aggarwal, was one of the speakers. His presentation on “Why Digital Marketing is Key for Independent Hotels” was so informative, that I reached out to Anil to ask if we could use that as a guide for a podcast interview.

Anil not only agreed, he connected me with Guarav to expand on that amazing content for today’s episode.

And, as an added bonus, Milestone agreed to share their slide deck for FREE with the Lodging Leaders community. The content they provided applies to any hotel, not just independent properties, and you can use the information to improve your business without spending a dime with Milestone.

In This Episode, We Talk About:

• The 4 areas that hoteliers need to think about in terms of digital marketing, including a Website, Reviews, SEO and Pay Per Click.
• Why a hotel should invest in a Website and Marketing, and why direct website business is so important.
• The ROI for websites, and the type of returns you can expect.
• The technology behind the websites, and Gaurav explains some of the technical jargon you hear, like mobile-friendly, responsive adaptive designs, and optimization.
• Search engines, ideal search placement, and Pay Per Click advertising (PPC).
• Reviews, social media and effectively managing your online reputation.

Resources & Links

• Why Digital Marketing is Key for Independent Hotels Presentation

Gaurav Varma

• Email: gaurav.v[at]milestoneinternet.com
• Gaurav on LinkedIn
• Gaurav on Twitter

Milestone Internet Marketing, Inc.

• Milestone Website
• Milestone on Facebook
• Milestone on Twitter
• Milestone on Google+
• Milestone on Flickr
• Milestone on YouTube
• Milestone on LinkedIn

Milestone Internet Marketing, Inc.
3001 Oakmead Village Drive
Santa Clara, California 95051
Toll Free: 866-615-2516
Phone: 1-408-492-9055
Email: sales[at]milestoneinternet.com