5 Proven Ways to Use Social Media Marketing for Your Hotel Brand

These tips can help you capitalize on the digital world. How does the hotel industry earn so much from something so small? In 2018, nearly 58 million Americans used a smartphone to book a trip. That's not all. Forty-two percent of travelers use their smartphones to find inspiration for their next trip, and 40 percent of online travel bookings are made on devices, according to research from MDG Advertising. Anyone can sell you on their secret sauce to using social media – but they don't have three decades worth of experience in hospitality leadership. Learn how to apply tried and true hospitality experiences to engage your potential customers over the ever-changing world of social networking... 1. Communicate with potential guests Using messaging to engage your audience could prove as a great way to draw in business. Three out of five consumers prefer to communicate with customer service representatives through social media and other multimedia messaging platforms, says research from the Harris Poll. That goes up to 77 percent of millennial consumers, who are now one of the largest generations in the workforce with huge earning and spending potential. Assigning an engagement editor or similar position to monitor social media platforms to communicate with guests is a way to ensure questions and booking requests are answered timely and appropriately. 2. Take and post high-quality photos Sixty percent of travelers post photos on social media, and the nearly all (97 percent) of the millennials generation do, as well. More than half react to pages about vacationing. If guests engage with each other's photographs that shows the value of posting all your hotel can offer travelers. It's no different than mailing services that have been sent out by hoteliers for generations. "Consider any one of the beautiful colorful postcards that arrive in guest mailboxes, showing new resorts and promising relaxing, memorable experiences," said Roberta Nedry, president of Hospitality Excellence. "The mailer arouses the guest’s curiosity and they call to learn more." Now, you can instantly post those beautiful "postcards" in a status update or Instagram post. 3. Utilize influencers They're leading the way on social media platforms. They engage with more users than anyone else on the mobile web. Social media influencers have 100s of thousands of followers engaging in their content every day. What better way to promote your poolside cocktails and luxurious views than have someone who can share those photos with the masses. It may be worth your while to discount a meal, drink, or give other perks to influencers with a large following. They'll post and tag your hotels and optimize that content with their followers and wai for the booking to begin. 4. Post deals and coupons Put out promotional codes only followers have access to. Throw sweepstakes with rules to like, follow, and share your content. This strategy can increase the volume of traffic to your social media channels and bring more customers to your hotel. You can also offer users those same deals if they check-in a social media post at your location. Other social media users see them and it's just another way to advertise over your social platforms. The same goes with events: If you have live music at your hotel or host game nights for guests, create those event pages. When Facebook users click the "interested" or "attending" features, their followers will see that in the respective news feeds – driving more attention to your brand. 5. Pay for promotion Facebook and Instagram allow businesses to pay for social media ads. You're able to focus on a specific audience based on age, gender, and geographic location. Analytics should tell you the ideal demographic to target. Put some money to spread your best promotional content to the folks you want to most. With the right headlines and photos, you can pull in customers that will outweigh the original costs to advertise by large. Social media use is only going to increase from here – especially as generations who use those channels most age and earn more. Keep up with the technological world and your business will continue to grow.

5 Proven Ways to Use Social Media Marketing for Your Hotel Brand

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