Socialmedia is in a state of constant evolution. Or more correctly, our understanding
of social media continues to evolve and change in light of how it can benefit
businesses. In the early days of Web 2.0, when early adopters began to hop on
the social media bandwagon, there was a lot of talk of “free advertising” and
“promotional opportunities”, but our understanding of the medium has grown to
include much more than that.
In
social media, the end user holds the reins. Each user decides what they like and
what they’ll follow; they can hide content streams or seek out specific ones,
liking and sharing only what appeals to them. This creates a community based on
a shared interest.
Build
Community.
Build a community around your hotel social media profile by creating and
sharing content that has its own momentum, content that people will voluntarily
share and like. Avoid the temptation to simply post deals, advertisements, or
promotions. Thinking of social media simply as “free advertising” will not
inspire you to post compelling content, and no one will share it. It has to be
interesting; no one opts in for spam. This means, too, that it can be very
valuable to Like and Share content from other hotels and businesses you
respect. While some will balk at the idea of even mentioning their competitors,
users are following your feed for one reason: is to find great content. Sharing
a funny post from another hotel or related brand gives your feed some
credibility and a more rounded-point-of-view. Your followers will enjoy reading
your feed, they will associate your informative feed with your brand, and in
this way they’ll actually be listening when you do post promotions and advertisements.
User
generated content. Travel photos and stories are the most popular content on social
media sites. More than ever, your guests are sharing their own pictures of your
hotel rooms and everything you provide. While this removes some control from
the hands of the hotelier, user-generated content provides you with
opportunities to be memorable or to make an impression. Your efforts in
creating a great hotel will not go unrecorded as everyone with a camera (which
is everyone these days) will share all those details you painstakingly thought
of. Also, it’s free content that has the potential to go viral. Users will more
likely see and share content created by their friends, and a hotel social media
profile gives them the space to do it.
Viral content. As the term
suggests, viral content spreads exponentially on its own. One person who likes
a video may share it with everyone they know, and their friends in turn share
it with everyone they know. The value here is that even through multiple
degrees of separation, everyone who shares your content will see that it is
branded with your name, and they will associate this great content with your
brand. Keep the user interested and on
your hotel social media profile and they will share everything for you, raising
the potential for your content to become viral.
Paveya
employs experts in social media marketing to most effectively leverage the
opportunities and tools provided by your hotel social media profiles. Want to
know how? We think of the whole concept of inbound marketing and how your
attract your bookings. Let’s talk about
how we can help you grow your business, contact Claiborne at cyarbrough@paveya.com or 855.372.8392.
