Clichés leave hospitality businesses at risk of losing sales

UK hospitality businesses are struggling to differentiate themselves according to new research released by marketing company Vistaprint.

Based on analysis of 1,000 UK business websites, the study has uncovered the most common mistakes businesses make when branding themselves including ‘playing it safe with colours’ and using ‘clichéd objectives’ to describe its offering.

The study revealed that 56% of small businesses in the hospitality sector may be guilty of not branding themselves effectively, leaving them exposed to missed business opportunities.

The top branding pitfalls identified in the hospitality sector are:

• Over a quarter of small business websites (28%) use a white background
• Some 58% of UK businesses left align website text
• Some 46% of UK businesses use the colour blue in their branding
• Some 24% of UK businesses have a blue logo
• The top 10 adjectives to describe a small business are; Family run, Independent, Specialists, Friendly, Experienced, Leading, Experts, Best, Quality, Largest

Jake Amos, head of UK marketing at Vistaprint, said: “There are so many brilliant creative and individual small businesses within the hospitality sector, however there can be a disconnect in how many of them communicate that individuality to their customers. It can be overwhelming for small business owners when first starting out.

“Finding the best way to brand and market their business is an important step in their journey towards success. These businesses possess immense individuality, but they sometimes need a helping hand in how to communicate it.”