How to make your hotel’s social media a source for travel inspiration (I) – Facebook & Twitter
When it’s a well known fact that social media validates a brand and increases its awareness, are you sure that you are making the most out of your hotel’s social media presence?
Social media allows hoteliers to bring their business forward, to advertise its strongest suits, and to communicate with travelers and/or guests, in the easiest possible way. This can result in increased bookings and ultimately, more revenue.
So we’ll be talking about the most important things that you have to keep in mind when launching your hotel’s profile on Facebook and Twitter. Also, keep an eye out for our article next week that will focus on Instagram and Pinterest.
施設の特徴：
- Facebook is the #1 site used for travel inspiration.
- In 2017, Facebook continued to be the most widely used social media platform. And considering the large variety of social channels, this is saying something.
- On average, the Like and Share Buttons are viewed across almost 10 million websites daily.
So it’s safe to say that having a Facebook profile for your hotel boost its visibility enormously. And here come a few tips and tricks that you can implement in order to make the most out of Facebook and its perks.
What to do:
Let’s start with the basics. Ensuring that the profile page is always up to date and contains all the correct information is crucial. Displaying a wrong address, email or website can end up costing you bookings and, therefore, revenue.
Analytics are also extremely important. When handling any kind of social media profile, it’s essential to know the public and the demographics. Check the analytics and get to know your audience and when is it most active. Research shows that the highest traffic occurs mid-week between 1 to 3 pm and on Thursdays and Fridays, engagement is 18% higher. However, this may vary, which is why it’s important to get the ins and outs of your particular audience.
We are now making our way into the most important feature of a Facebook profile: the content. This is the part that really allows you to establish your profile as an inspiration to travelers. So here are a few takes that we always encourage: first of all, be constant and reliable. This doesn’t mean that you have to overdo it with endless posts, but make sure that you find a constant rhythm and stick to it. No one wants to follow an inactive page that doesn’t throw much relevant content their way.
Next, always take into consideration that Facebook enables so many different types of features and content. You can opt for text-based posts, tell a story, go for visuals (photos, gifs and videos are most successful) and spice things up with little add-ons, which are designed to catch the attention: check-ins, moods, activities, stickers, hashtags, mentions, etc. No need to overcrowd them, by using multiple features at once, but you can definitely make use of all of them, gradually.
Further with content related tips, make sure that you promote your hotel by all of the visual means. Post photos and videos of the exterior, the rooms, the restaurant, the pool area, everything that you have to offer. To keep things organized, you can divide them by albums, so that profile visitors can go straight to what matters most to them.
Next up, personalization is always encouraged. The management and the staff of a hotel can be decision factors in the booking process. Travelers want to know that they are booking a hotel with great staff, that is involved, positive and helpful. So don’t be afraid to make posts personal, to focus on people once in awhile. Job promotions, events, holidays, jokes, all of these can be posted online. Let travelers know the human side of your business. The staff that likes their jobs. The manager that pulls a prank on the employees. Anything that can inspire a familiar feeling.
Last, but definitely not least… Engage. Engage. Engage. There’s a reason why it’s called “social” media. It’s not supposed to be a monologue. So it’s important to not let one single comment or review go unanswered. You can come face to face with a comment, a praise or a complain, a review. Make sure to be present and reply to each and every one of them. Offer useful information, requested details, words of appreciation. And as an extra step, you can also keep an eye on what people post on their profiles, regarding your hotel. It can be a check-in, a photo with the view from one of the rooms, from the restaurant, from the pool. A simple like from your part can make a difference and a comment is even more welcomed. It lets past, current and possible future guests know that you are involved and that you care about their feedback and experience.
For more reference and information, you can check one our best practices here: Facebook How-To Guide.
施設の特徴：
- Twitter has 317 million monthly users and there are 500 millions tweets sent per day.
- 37% of Twitter users are between ages of 18 and 29, 25% of users are 30-49 years old.
- The top 3 most popular interests among Twitter users are: technology, business & news and tech news.
Not a bad platform to advertise your hotel on, is it?
What to do:
First of all, it’s crucial to know that, content-wise, Twitter is more restrictive than Facebook. There’s a character limit that might make storytelling a bit harder. However, this is a great way of delivering shorter, more precise information and focus a bit more on visuals.
Twitter’s rhythm is more alert than Facebook’s. On Twitter it’s best to be even more present, more consistent. Posting multiple times a day is encouraged.
And regarding visuals, statistics show that tweets with images earn up to 18% more clicks, 89% more favorites, and 150% more retweets. So always make sure that the images that you promote are qualitative and eye-catching. Just like we mentioned in the Facebook section, opt for photos of your hotel, surroundings, pool, anything aesthetically-pleasing.
Content-wise, you can apply the same rules as on Facebook. Promote the hotel, the people, the guests, everything that your audiences might enjoy. Continue to be personal and show the human part of the business.
Don’t forget to build a community. Once again, engage. Follow other profiles, hotels, businesses, hospitality professionals and influencers. Make connections and engage with as many as possible. Build a positive reputation for yourself and be friendly and helpful. This is one of the factors that drives people into booking your hotel.
Also, don’t forget that Twitter is used in real time and requires fast replies. Answer travelers’ question ASAP and address comments and reviews, even negative ones. Just like in a Facebook profile’s case, audiences need to feel that you are present, involved and that you care.
The 4-1-1 rule: This rule was created in order to make sure that Twitter posts don’t get too sales-y. What it means is that for every one promotional/sales tweet, you should retweet one relevant tweet and post four pieces of relevant, original and engaging content. When checking out a profile for travel inspiration, travelers don’t want to come across a hotel that’s only about themselves. Revenue is obviously important, no need to hide that, but making sure that guests are having a pleasant experience is the factor that should take the spotlight on social media.
For more takes and insights about Twitter, we recommend checking out our best practice: The Top 10 Twitter DOs and DONTs.
