A hotel marketer’s goal is often simple: make sure guests book through your site instead of an online travel agency. Social media can help in this capacity. You just need the right hotel social media strategy. When developing yours, remember the following essential tips:
Developing a Hotel Social Media Strategy: Key Tips to Keep in Mind
Know Your Audience
This may be a no-brainer, but it’s particularly important to keep in mind when marketing on social media. When you know your target audience, you’re much more likely to optimize your return-on-investment. That’s because platforms such as Facebook allow you to create your own custom audiences. This is key to targeting the right users.
Highlight Unique Features & Branding
The hospitality industry can be very competitive. Customers typically have many options when choosing where to book a room. Thus, you need to make sure your social media marketing content highlights what makes your brand unique. You want to develop a branded identity that stands out among the competition.
For instance, maybe your hotel offers gorgeous views of a nearby beach. The problem is, there’s a good chance many of the other hotels in the area offer similar views.
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t share pictures of your view on social media. It simply means you should also consider what you can offer that the competition can’t. Maybe your hotel has amenities that are specifically designed to help traveling professionals get work done while they’re away. Perhaps your hotel is a foodie’s dream destination. Maybe it’s designed to be family-friendly. The main point is that you need to demonstrate why your hotel is the best choice for your target audience.
Post Videos
Video content is very dynamic. It allows you to provide social media users with a truly engaging perspective when showing off your property. Additionally, research indicates that video content on Instagram gets twice as much engagement as other forms of content.
Just make sure your videos actually show off your hotel in its best light. While it can be somewhat expensive to generate high-quality video content, doing so is much smarter than posting videos that look unprofessional.
Leverage Influencers
Knowing your target audience doesn’t just help you create effective content for social media. It also helps you understand what types of social media personalities your audience follows.
The right social media influencer may be willing to promote your hotel in exchange for payment or a gift (such as a free weekend stay).
Give People a Reason to Follow You on Social Media
This may seem obvious, but it’s worth nothing: People don’t follow brands on social media because they want those brands to constantly advertise to them. They follow brands because they offer some form of value, even if that value is simply entertainment.
For example, maybe your hotel is located in or around a popular vacation destination. On social media platforms, you can post articles, blogs, videos, and other types of content highlighting key things to do in the area. This turns your social media accounts into helpful vacation-planning resources.
Of course, it’s also important to refine your hotel social media strategy as you learn which tactics do and don’t work. By monitoring your campaigns and remembering these tips, you’re much more likely to develop a strategy that delivers results.
