Are your guests using social media? You bet. Are you?
Many have suggested that 2010 will be the year that social media goes mainstream in the hospitality industry. I agree. Already we have seen countless hotels tweeting, large and small brands on Facebook, and hoteliers blogging about the industry and their properties. It is no longer a question of should social media be a part of your marketing plan, but how do you use it to engage your guests and communities? Perhaps as a hotelier you would like to promote special last minute rates. Maybe you would like to tweak your marketing plan to target a different demographic.
Here are five social media ideas to market your hotel:
- Blogs
- Video
- Foursquare
Engage through your tweets
Identify one or two people on staff to tweet special offers; this would be an effective way to build a following on Twitter. There are several hotels doing it right; using it to their best advantage to promote specials, engage with their followers and intentionally be a resource.
Examples include:
- Hilton at Disney World (@HiltonDisney) tweets about specials and invites guests to visit.
- The property management company Joie de Vivre (@JDVHotels) tweets about their properties and daily deals all over California.
- The Roger Smith Hotel (@RSHotel) in New York is a great example of a hotel that listens to its audience and responds.
Facebook Fans
Facebook is the most effective B2C tool for consumer oriented companies, including hotels. The first step for a hotel is to create a page where people can become a Fan and receive regular updates. After you have set up the page, the key is to provide new content often: give an update about an event, promote your latest blog post, synch it with your Twitter stream or use it to share new promotions. Give your Fans a reason to come back to your Page, but send them goodies as well.
Examples of travel and tourism venues that have a good presence on Facebook include:
- Atlanta Marriott Buckhead Hotel & Conference Center
- Magnolia Hotel Denver
- Renaissance Pittsburgh Hotel
Not every hotelier can blog like Bill Marriott.
Not even Bill Marriott. In fact, he dictates each post into a tape recorder and has his staff transcribe them but his blog is one of the most widely read in the industry and he has his finger on the pulse. You may have also heard of the Happy Hotelier, who does a great job of promoting his own property in the Netherlands, but also comments on industry news while providing just enough insight into the man behind the blog. That is the key: Help and promote others more than you promote yourself.
Video is hot.
It is more interesting and compelling than text. Use it to show off your property, clips of events or even interview your guests. Rob Torres, managing director with Travel, Google says that 65% of all travelers view video online in some format. You can lead the people to your videos via display advertising. Remember to tag the video with your property’s key words to make the most of SEO. Softscribe also peels off the tagged videos and distributes them on multiple channels, giving your investment more reach.
The Roosevelt Hotel in New York City features two, five- minute videos on their website that highlight the luxurious rooms and amenities available to guests.
Avantgarde Hotels has a video on YouTube that directs viewers to their website, where they can view their hotels from around the world. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then what is the value of the video if it helps make that sale?
Four what? Where are you?
Foursquare, a location-based social network where users “check in” wherever they are, is a new viable application to include in social media marketing. Part of the draw is the competition for the title of Mayor in your destination. Whoever checks into a specific location most often is given this title.
Branding expert Drew McLellan of Marketing Profs shares good potential marketing tactics using Foursquare that could apply to hotels including:
- Give the Mayor their due- provide a free drink in the hotel bar or a free amenity for the day.
- Buddy up- create a fun scavenger hunt that requires checking in and then provide a discount or prize package that features various offerings.
- Come on back, ya’ hear- check in four times within six months and receive a discount or free amenity for the day. (This has been changed a little from the original to better reflect a hotel’s offering.)
The Las Vegas Hilton just implemented a promotion for Mayors and Foursquare players, and how did they promote it? They tweeted it!
Softscribe can show you how to include social media in your hotel marketing plans to increase revenue and guest loyalty. If you want to strengthen relationships, create new ones, increase the visibility of your brand and the way it is perceived, and ultimately, positively impact your bottom line, please contact me today.
What about you? What is your favorite hotel marketing social media idea?
