The Power of Social Media for Hotels

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.