ATLANTA America’s Best Franchising Inc. is the first franchise company in any industry to launch a system-wide AdWords campaign in strategic partnership with Google Inc.
Under the program, participating hotels create an ad and choose keywords related to their property. When consumers search using those keywords, the ad appears under the “sponsored links” section alongside organic search results.
“Online reservations represent an increasingly significant percentage of business for our franchisees, so we are giving them an innovative way to gain an important competitive advantage and win the internet battle for traveler attention,” says Doug Collins, president and CEO of America’s Best. “This is a first-of-its-kind comprehensive initiative not only in the hospitality industry, but in any industry.”
Hotel may also choose to display on sites within the Google Network and can either choose exact placements or contextual targeting that matches keywords to content. Monthly reports from Google Analytics allow owners to monitor reservations resulting from specific ads and words.
“A property advertises directly to qualified prospects—people who are already interested in the location,” Collins says. “This means an owner can better target to specific audience, can reach more people, and can measure results.”
A property must typically spend about US$15,000 to US$20,000 per month with Google for this type of campaign, but under the partnership, America’s Best franchisees can see benefits from spending as little as US$3,000 to US$6,000 per month, Collins says. Based on a trial conducted at two properties in California, America’s Best estimates that hotels will generate about US$8 for every dollar spent with Google.
“We’ve created a program that is customized, affordable and effective,” Collins says. “Quite simply, we enable our franchisees to enhance their bottom line by using technology for their benefit.”
Atlanta-based America’s Best boasts a portfolio of nearly 300 hotels and six brands, which include America’s Best Inns & Suites and Country Hearth Inn & Suites.