Introduction

If you’re in the hospitality industry, you know how important it is to have an effective social media marketing strategy in place to reach your customers and get them excited about visiting your hotel. Social media marketing may seem like an impossible task when you’re running a hotel, but it really doesn’t have to be. 

With the right strategies in place, you can connect with customers and grow your brand online without worrying about sacrificing your precious time and resources. There are plenty of other guides out there to help you create one, but this one will get you started with 10 of the best social media marketing strategies that hotels can employ right now.

Social Media Marketing Strategies For Hotels

Strategy 1: Focus on Authenticity

In a world where consumers are bombarded with marketing messages, it can be hard to cut through the noise. One way to do this is by focusing on authenticity. When your hotel’s social media posts feel genuine and true to your brand, you’ll be more likely to connect with potential guests on a deeper level. Creating content that’s authentic will help you stand out from competitors and show people who your hotel really is. 

It’s essential to post at least once per day across all of your social channels if you want a successful strategy for increasing bookings. The frequency of posting will depend on how active your audience is in responding to posts but consistency should always be maintained across platforms so that customers know what they can expect when they visit any one of them.

Strategy 2: Add Video Into Your Strategy

Videos are one of the most popular types of content on social media, and they’re only becoming more popular. In fact, according to a report from Cisco, by 2020, 80% of all internet traffic will be video traffic. What does this mean for hotels? It means that it’s time to hop on board the video bandwagon! If you have the right idea, you can quickly increase your hotel’s online visibility with short clips of your hotel or scenery in your area.

Of course, like with anything else, there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it. Your video needs to be relevant and interesting enough that viewers will want to share it. You also need to make sure you post your videos on social media networks where they have a chance of going viral. With something like Facebook Live, you can even get in front of local guests who might not otherwise have seen your hotel’s social media profile.

Strategy 3: Start Influencer Marketing

One of the best social media marketing strategies for hotels is to start influencer marketing. This involves working with social media influencers who have a large following and can promote your hotel to their audience. To do this, you will need to create a strategy that works best for your company’s goals, content calendar, and budget. The strategy will also depend on what type of services the influencer offers such as consulting or paid posts.

Here are three things you should know about influencer marketing 

I) Influencer marketing is not free. You will either pay an influencer directly or work out an advertising deal with them where they get something in return like product discounts, VIP access, event tickets, sponsored trips etc.

II) Influencers have unique skillsets and audiences which means different types of campaigns require different types of influencers

III) Working with influencers gives them valuable exposure so be sure to offer them incentives for posting to their followers.

Strategy 4: Create A Rewarding Experience

A great way to make your hotel stand out on social media is to create a rewarding experience for your guests. This could be anything from a complimentary stay to a VIP treatment. Whatever you do, make sure it’s something that will really wow your guests and make them want to come back for more. In order to encourage repeat visits, offer a variety of rewards like discounts or special upgrades. These incentives can help your business by increasing the number of people staying at your property and generating word-of-mouth advertising. 

When thinking about how to create an exciting social media campaign for hotels think about what kind of rewards you can offer potential customers in order to get them excited about coming back. Think about what’s going to make their stay memorable and worth talking about on Facebook or Twitter!

Strategy 5: Have An Engaging Check-In Experience

When guests check in to your hotel, make sure they have an engaging experience. Consider having a staff member greet them with a smile and a warm welcome. You can also offer them a complimentary drink or snack. If you make their check-in experience enjoyable, they’re more likely to remember your hotel fondly and recommend it to others.

Another strategy is to offer a mobile app for guests to check in and out of your hotel. You can also send updates on current offers, upcoming events and other news to keep them engaged with your hotel when they’re not staying there.

Strategy 6: Aim To Become Trending Topic Material

In order to become a trending topic, you need to be constantly putting out fresh and interesting content that people will want to share. This can be a challenge for hotels, who often have to rely on user-generated content. However, there are a few things you can do to increase your chances of becoming a trending topic, such as partnering with influencers or hosting contests.

One of your goals should be to make your brand become a trending topic. This will happen more often than not if you follow a few simple steps.

Firstly, use fresh and interesting content that people will want to share on social media platforms. Secondly, try partnering with influencers or holding contests for your customers so they can spread your message organically through their social media networks.

Strategy 7: Justify Customer Feedback With Data

Customer feedback is essential for hotels. It helps you understand what guests want and how they feel about their stay. But often, this feedback is unstructured and hard to decipher. If a customer complains that the sheets were too rough, how do you know if it’s a one-time issue or a persistent problem?

Plus, many of your customers will be comparing your property to others in the area. If all of your competition has similar issues with sheets as well, then it may not be worth addressing. That’s why data can be helpful in justifying customer feedback and identifying which complaints need immediate attention.

Strategy 8: Measure Engagement And Not Just Likes

In the hotel industry, social media is one of the most powerful marketing tools available. It allows you to connect with potential and current guests, promote your brand, and build relationships. But with so many platforms and options, it can be difficult to know where to start or what strategies will work best for your business.

Fortunately, there are several key metrics you can use to determine your social media success. These will help guide your strategies as you try new channels, experiment with different posting times, and test other areas of engagement.

Here are some of our favorites:

Engagement rate: How many users interact with your content? 

Comments per post: What are they saying about your hotel? 

Retweets per post: Who’s sharing your posts and why?

Strategy 9: Use What Works And Ditch What Doesn’t

You can’t be afraid to experiment with your social media marketing, but you also can’t be afraid to ditch what isn’t working. Try out new strategies and tactics, and then keep the ones that are giving you the best results. If a certain type of content doesn’t resonate with your audience, don’t hesitate to replace it with something else. Keep an eye on the analytics and adjust accordingly.

Consider tools like Hootsuite or Sprout Social for scheduling posts and monitoring feedback from followers. When analyzing follower engagement, consider both total interactions (likes, comments) as well as those interactions in relation to the number of followers that person has—a high percentage is better than low one.

Strategy 10. Answer Queries Directly On Social Media

In order to get more bookings, it is important that you answer any queries that potential guests might have on social media. By doing so, you will show that you are attentive and care about your guests’ needs. Additionally, you can use this as an opportunity to upsell your hotel’s amenities and services. When answering a question such as Can I bring my dog? be sure to list all the rules for bringing pets. You could say something like Absolutely! We love pets! Please just make sure they’re not disruptive.

Wrapping Up

As you can see, there are a ton of different social media marketing strategies that hotels can use to reach a wider audience and boost their business. But it’s important to remember that not all of these strategies will work for every hotel. It’s important to experiment and find what works best for you and your business. And, as always, if you need help getting started or boosting your social media presence, contact a digital marketing agency specializing in hotel marketing.

Image Credits: https://pixabay.com/photos/search/hotel/industry/