When Is Paying an Influencer to Promote Your Hotel Worth It?

Plenty of wannabes want a free stay. But a real social media star can help sell plenty more rooms.

Influencer marketing can be frustrating but effective.

In 2018, The Atlantic reported the headline “Instagram Influencers are Driving Luxury Hotels Crazy.” A marketing and communications manager for a luxury hotel told the magazine, “her hotel receives at least six requests from self-described influencers a day, typically through Instagram direct messages.”

Her biggest frustration is that many barely have the following worth any return on investment. So, GEM Journal scoured the internet for advice on making hiring a social media influencer a worthwhile investment.

A generation under the influence

A fascinating study called the “Influence Report” proves the value influencer marketing can bring to a business.

Pollsters from Morning Consult quizzed more than 2,000 13-38-year-olds on their social media habits and whether they trusted the “influencers” they follow. More than 7 in 10 said they followed some influencers. The most revealing finding is that 50 percent of millennials trust them for advice on where they spend their money.

Influencers with a large following in a niche that fits your brand can be a successful marketing campaign.

It’s a growing industry. Last year, influencer marketing was valued at $13.8 billion and is predicted to eclipse that number by another $2.6 billion by the end of this year.

Pro tip: Do some homework and investigate the influencer. Many Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok accounts pad their following with fake accounts called “bots.” You want to reach real people. It’s a nonsensical business move to pay someone without eyeballs on your hotel.

Pay attention to the account’s engagement. If you find real people loving and commenting on social media posts, you know it’s a powerful marketing tool. One of the great things about a genuinely professional influencer is they’re honest and communicate with their followers. There’s a human element that no TV, radio, or other social media ad can provide.

No engagement, no stay

The number of the following doesn’t truly matter, whether it’s hundreds or hundreds of thousands; engagement matters.

Suppose the influencer’s account fits your brand and has followers commenting on posts and asking questions about the content. Influencer marketing may not have set rules in that case, but that’s not necessarily new to any marketing.

You want to know you’re working with an influencer who can attract potential customers for your business. There are stories of influencers crashing hotels for free and never posting any content. It is nearly as bad as the ones with a massive following posting photos to an audience who will likely never stay at your hotel anyway. Do yourself a favor and vet these requests ahead of time.

Pro tip: Stay skeptical of the initial pitch. If your inbox is flooded with hundreds of emails with a subject line that reads “let’s collaborate,” take the hint and move on. Influencer marketing is a business like any other. If that partner can’t take the time to draft a decent pitch to your hotel, why partner at all? Unprofessionalism can be an easy red flag alerting you to what will likely happen next. Some influencers pride themselves on professionalism. They’ll draft a one-sheeter and sales pitch like any other business partner you may work with in the future.

Many of your potential customers may have ad blockers on their desktops and feel fatigued by advertisements. Don’t sleep on the potential to reach a younger crowd with a social media influencer. With that said, please don’t fall asleep at the wheel with the potential scam they can pull over on your business.