As we all know, digital marketing is set to become the trend. So hoteliers need to stay on trend with digital spending when planning their 2015 budget.

Given recent trends, digital marketing is set to become a majority piece of the budget pie by 2019. In a world of increased mobile use and expectations of rapid online responses from properties and brands, hoteliers need to stay on trend with digital spending when planning their 2015 budget, ensuring three areas of web-based marketing are well addressed next year.

3 Things Hoteliers Must Budget for in 2015

Complete Online Reputation Management

Managing your online reputation isn't as simple as monitoring what guests are saying on review sites. While monitoring and responding to reviews is still a vital part of maintaining a healthy online reputation, they go hand in hand with social media marketing and social customer care on sites like Twitter. Hotels need to budget for the ability to actively listen 24/7/365 and respond quickly to inquiries and issues in order to meet guest's expectations and stop any problems from escalating and reaching review sites.

Tools to Capitalize on Website Visits

The research is clear, how your website looks and how responsive it is says a lot about how you regard your customers. Mobile and tablet use is increasing steadily and more and more consumers are purchasing from these devices and they want a seamless experience. Hoteliers need to consider budgeting for a responsive design website or converting a recently built, non-responsive site so that your content is accessible across any platform or device. This budget essential might not be as large of a budget item as you may think.

A Strategy for Travelers to Find Your Site When Searching

The ABCs of a searchable web presence -- SEO, SEM and PPC -- should be key parts of your 2015 budget. Properties can have the best looking website out there, but if their content isn't optimized and doesn't keep search in mind or they don't have effective PPC advertising in place to drive traffic, it is all for naught. Don't get left behind in a sea of thousands of hotel and travel sites. Budget for these vital campaigns as well as content marketing services to make sure your property is a top search result.

"Hotels are turning to digital marketing more than ever to find leads, retain guests and engage with the masses," says DJ Vallauri, Founder and President of Lodging Interactive. "As 2015 budgets are being drafted and debated, hoteliers must keep in mind how vital their online presence -- be it their website, social media profiles or responsiveness to reviews or questions -- is to their property's success. These are key budget pieces no matter at what scale you are doing business online."

Lodging Interactive is an award-winning digital marketing agency that provides a complete suite of creative website solutions, digital advertising strategies, and social media marketing exclusively to independent, boutique and brand hotels.