Ever thought about using your hotel LinkedIn profile as part of your marketing strategy? LinkedIn is a growing space for digital marketers that can help hotels connect with local businesses.
While Linkedin is its own brand of social media, it offers a lot in the form of business development when you’re looking to improve your B2B network.
Where do you start when marketing your hotel on Linkedin? Here are a few great tips.
Connect With People That Matter
Throughout your career, you’ve probably heard about the importance of networking a million times. LinkedIn revolutionized networking by being the first business-centric platform to take it online. It’s particularly helpful if you’re looking to make strides with your B2B marketing since it gives you the opportunity to connect with the right people at companies in your target markets.
For instance, if you connect with the event planners, administrators, and sales managers at large companies, you’re getting your property in front of employees that are responsible for deciding where to host the next board meeting or Christmas party.
To get started, figure out what companies you want to connect with, and try to find who the decision-makers are. When you send a connection request, make sure you personalize it and aren’t going in for an immediate sell on your property.
If you network right, this type of hotel LinkedIn marketing can open a lot of doors for you.
Combine LinkedIn Marketing with Content
For Hotels, LinkedIn marketing can be an extension of your content plan. Its’ long-form publishing platform, Pulse, makes it possible to share stories, experiences, and successes with your audience.
This is a space where you can post photos of previous events, show off what you’ve done best, and raise awareness on LinkedIn about your brand. Each post should be meticulously thought through and edited. You want to make sure you put your best foot forward on a professional platform like LinkedIn.
Taking advantage of Pulse is as simple as adding an extra content piece or two a month to your calendar.
Brag About Yourself
Did you host a big event lately? Were you featured in the news? These are the things you should think about sharing with your audience. While long-form content pieces are great for positioning yourself as a subject matter expert, short-form posts give you the opportunity to stay consistently engaged.
Plan out your LinkedIn strategy the same way you do on other social media platforms. Be engaging, consistent, and offer something that other hotels aren’t.
Host Your Own Events
It might seem counterproductive to host events for locals when you’re trying to attract people from out of town. However, local companies can give you lots of business.
Giving locals the chance to check out your event spaces, catering options, and hospitality could put you at the top of their list the next time they need to host their own event.
Furthermore, events are a great way to take things offline and network with local companies the old fashion way. Plus, once they see the inside of your property, it might be where they decide to host clients or out of town employees in the future.
When it comes to your hotel, LinkedIn is a great way to stay connected to your community and local businesses. By being strategic, thoughtful, and giving back, you can leverage this platform to reach new marketing heights.