Digital Marketing Strategy Critique: Bunratty Castle Hotel Analysis

This report analyzes the digital marketing strategies of the Bunratty Castle Hotel, focusing on key areas such as website design and functionality, social customer relationship management (CRM), social media engagement, online advertising, and public relations. The report emphasizes the importance of a well-designed website for customer interaction and online bookings, while also advocating for the adoption of social CRM to enhance customer engagement and brand promotion. It suggests the use of social media platforms, e-newsletters, and email marketing to reach target audiences. The report also explores traditional advertising's evolution into digital advertising, including display ads, banner ads, and sponsorships. The report also underscores the significance of public relations marketing in maintaining a positive brand image. The analysis includes references to academic sources and emphasizes the need for the hotel to adapt to the dynamic digital environment to remain competitive.

Running head: DIGITAL MARKETING STRATEGIES
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Digital Marketing Strategies
Institution Affiliation
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DIGITAL MARKETING STRATEGIES 2
Digital Marketing Strategies
A website is an important digital marketing tool for any business. This is where
prospective customers interact with the business, either trying to get to know about the goods
or services offered or execute bookings (Kaufmann & Manarioti, 2018, p. 45). Bunratty
castle hotel has designed a website stipulating all the commodities and services they provide.
The customers can even place reservations online. For the hotel to remain competitive, it
must ensure that the website is up-to-date with the dynamic environment in which it operates.
Modern businesses have adopted social customer relationship management as a way
of advertising their brand. The business engages customers at a personal level to ensure that
both parties benefit and transaction conducted with openness (Foley & John, 2016, p. 2 of
17). Social CRM merges the concepts of social media and customer relations. Bunratty castle
hotel should adopt the strategy to ensure their business thrives to the highest limits. The
objective can be achieved by hiring a customer care team that will always keep touch.
A business should create a forum in which customers with similar interests engage
each other and the business in discussions. A customer gains knowledge about new
developments from the other participants. It is also possible to acquire a potentially viable
business proposal from the conversation. It is a good way of engaging customers in any
business. The hotel can achieve this by creating a web page platform by the IT department to
hold discussions among different stakeholders.
Social media is an important tool for digital marketing. Majority of the population are
in one or more social media platforms. It is mandatory for a business to identify the most
suitable social media platforms based on the demographics and target groups. For instance, if

DIGITAL MARKETING STRATEGIES 3
the business product targets the youth then Facebook, Whatsapp and Instagram would be
ideal platforms. Additionally, the business must investigate the devices being used by
potential target groups so that they can reach them effectively.
An e-newsletter is an important communication tool for customers to businesses.
The customers are able to disseminate information about their interests so that the business
will respond and comply with them. The business should encourage customers to send in e-
newsletters to understand individual needs.
Some businesses have adopted the use of emails to advertise their products. The
customer is requested to subscribe to be receiving emails from the business server to keep up-
to-date with the development of new products, services or even offers available (Friedrichsen
& Kamalipour, 2017, p. 446). Email is an important marketing tool given that most people
have quick access as technology adoption hastens. The IT department should create mail
domains to facilitate dissemination of marketing emails to customers.
Traditional advertising has evolved into today’s digital advertising. In addition to
radio, television, print publications and billboards digital advertising uses Ads designed with
specific content to reach customers. Digital advertising enables businesses and advertisers to
merge effort in their attempt to reach customers and potential customers.
Sponsorships are also used in today’s digital marketing. For instance, a company may
decide to sponsor a football club including purchasing of jerseys which bear the name of the
company. Consequently, the fans who are potential customers notice the name of the business
and may be prompted to research more about the products and services offered by that
particular business.

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Public relations marketing is a way of convincing individuals, the public, investors,
partners, and stakeholders to maintain a positive attitude towards business, its management
and the products and services offered (Kowal, 2016, p. par.4). It is important to maintain a
healthy business environment so that all stakeholders are satisfied thus, promoting cohesion
and teamwork.

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References
Foley, A. & John, F., 2016. Social customer relationship management: taking advantage of
Web 2.0 and Big Data technologies. SpringerPlus , 5(1), p. p.1462.
Friedrichsen, M. & Kamalipour, Y., 2017. Digital Transformation in Journalism and News
Media : Media Management, Media Convergence and Globalization. Cham : Springer
International Publishing.
Kaufmann, H. R. & Manarioti, A., 2018. Encouraging participative consumerism through
evolutionary digital marketing : emerging research and opportunity. Pennsylvania, United
States: IGI Global .
Kowal, E., 2016. What Is Modern Public Relations? 15 Definitions From Experienced PR
Practitioners. [Online]
Available at: https://prowly.com/magazine/what-is-public-relations-definition/
[Accessed 6 April 2019].