Inbound Marketing for Hospitality: How to Use Instagram

Ah, Instagram. It is the reason why our social media newsfeeds are constantly filled with “polaroids” of the day to day lives of our friends and family. Many businesses have shied away from using Instagram because they assume that the app is geared more towards person to person interaction. This may be so, but several industries could also benefit by jumping on the “faux-polaroid” bandwagon. Instagram has been a favorite for travelers and tourists alike as a means to document their trips and share their images with social media. If these potential visitors are on Instagram, so should all hospitality businesses be on Instagram. Hotels, restaurants and other similar industries are sorely missing out by not using this app as part of their strategy for inbound marketing for hospitality.

Because a picture can communicate so much almost instantly, Instagram is an awesome way to showcase your brand’s personality. Marketing has come a long way in that people no longer want to be distant from the company that they buy their goods and services from. By posting photos that highlight your unique personality as a brand, your target audience will better relate to you as a company. It gives your business a face to the name, so to speak. Give your inbound marketing for hospitality that personal touch by using this fun and creative app.

Instagram is also a great way to encourage visitors to come to your area and visit your establishment. Feel free to post any photos that are travel-related that you think would pique the interest of future guests. 

Instagram is a popular fun way for travelers to share their own photos with the rest of the world. Their purpose is not necessarily to make us jealous by the fact that they are in the Cayman Islands and we are not, but to share with us certain images and ideas in case we later find ourselves vacationing there ourselves. Mimic this tactic for inbound marketing for hospitality and promote your brand by posting photos of the places (i.e. yours) where viewers would possibly want to visit. Spice it up a bit and make those images really intriguing! The app can be really fun because it allows you to have lots of simple editing and enhancement tools, right at your fingertips.

Speaking of that super cool editing feature, it should be noted that among some social circles, Instagram has gotten a bit of a reputation. The reason why some people may turn up their noses at the thought of using Instagram is because some users “abuse the privilege.” I don’t believe that there is a platform out there that has more than its fair share of dogs wearing glasses, over-edited images of sunsets, close-ups of home cooked meals, or self-promotional “selfies.” As you can imagine, having your newsfeed flooded by a thousand pictures of your neighbor’s cat dressed up in costume is not an ideal situation. Don’t contribute to this reputation when utilizing your inbound marketing for hospitality by posting hoards of unoriginal, thoughtless content. Steer clear of posting numerous uninteresting photos and, even though the editing tools can be fun, try not to overdo it. The photograph should be awesome before editing, so don’t compensate by upping the contrast and adding filters.

Remember, the foundation of having a solid social media strategy is to intertwine all of your different networks. Instagram is one of the few social media sites that is solely photo-centric. It can be a great way to add to your inbound marketing for hospitality strategies by also posting relevant photos to your other connected sites. Interested users can then like, share, tweet or re-post Instagram images on their own networks. This results in even more exposure and recommendations for your company. So make sure that after you set up your Instagram account you integrate it throughout your different networking platforms for a more complete inbound marketing strategy for your hospitality industry business. For more tips how how to improve inbound marketing for hospitality and for more assistance on how to use Instagram and other social media networks, contact Paveya today!