Generate more direct website bookings - 4 practical tactics for your Safari Lodge

Every bit of revenue counts, and we understand that.

After helping hundreds of properties launch professional websites, we've shortlisted these four simple pieces of advice as quick-win tactics to see more direct bookings and revenue from your lodge's website in 2021. Let's jump in!

Reassure your website visitors

2020 brought a new awareness around health and safety for travellers, and it’s likely to stay that way for the foreseeable future. As the industry recovers, visitors are concerned about their well-being during their stay and whether or not hotels are taking the right steps to keep guests safe.

Rule out any doubt about whether you are open for business and reassure your website visitors about your health and safety protocols.

Your Action Plan

• Clearly communicate your health and safety protocols
• Adapt your cancellation policy

Springnest has you covered

The COVID-19 Toolkit makes it easy to communicate your health and safety measures in an intuitive way and builds trust from the moment a visitor lands on your site.

"Springnest is the ideal platform to update your website in a very seamless way, we are very happy with the design and various features. During this difficult time in the tourism industry, we found it easy to add our health and safety pledge to ensure we are following protocols."

Maria Malepa

Embrace the era of Instant Messaging

Instant messaging tools like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger give your visitors a direct, personal line of contact which could mean the difference between them leaving to shop elsewhere, or booking directly with your property.

Your Action Plan

• Educate yourself and your reservations team about the requirements of Instant Messaging as part of your marketing and sales strategy
• Integrate instant messaging on your property’s website

Springnest has you covered

Easily add instant messaging to your website with the WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger Widgets.

“I just love being able to update my own website daily. Particularly in these challenging times. And the new widgets, such as the WhatsApp widget, are superb. It has already brought us bookings.”

Chris Harvie, Rissington Inn

Draw attention with Notifications and Nudges

Did you know that you only have a couple of seconds to grab a visitor’s attention on your website? With this in mind, it’s important that you communicate your most important sales messages as quickly and clearly as possible. Consider features like Popup messages and notifications to keep your visitors engaged and to drive them through your booking funnel.

Your Action Plan

• Create regular, timely offers and promotions on your website. Give your visitors an incentive to book directly through your website.
• Leverage pop-up messages and on-site notifications to grab the attention of your visitors at the right time

Springnest has you covered

• Set up unlimited Offers
• Customize Special Offer Notifications to match your preference and brand
• Easily create and manage pop-ups

“By using Springnest Special Offers paired with targeted advertising, we saw an increase of 70% in web traffic to Indlovu River Lodge’s website, and in the same month, an increase in enquiries and direct bookings.”

Lizanne du Plessis

Bring your Social Media content to life on your website

A mistake many properties make is to send their hard-earned website visitors away from their website, rather than fighting to keep them there. A common example of this is through directing visitors to social media accounts, essentially “losing” them in the process.

By bringing your social media content to your website you can keep visitors' attention and inspire them to book at the same time.

Your Action Plan

• Review your social media icons and links, remove links to dormant or irrelevant accounts.
• Display Instagram and YouTube content on your website, rather than encouraging visitors to view it off-site.

Springnest has you covered

• Show off your latest Instagram content without losing your visitors.
• Easily add video content from YouTube to inspire visitors across your website.