Winning in Social Media For The Hotel Industry
Posted by Patrick Murphy on Wed, Nov 02, 2011
Digital marketing for hotels is a rapidly developing game. We believe it’s best to get digital marketing for hotels running as fast as possible – because soon everyone else will be doing it too. So what’s first? Here are some practical ideas to get the ball rolling, and fast.
Extend your customer service to the social media realm
Use social media for customer service. Be sure to go looking for customers to serve rather than waiting for them to come to you. What we mean by this is that your social media manager should be trawling other social media sites and forums looking for potential customers to reach out to. So if you’re a hotel in Vegas why not try visiting the Vegas page on Facebook and seeing if there is anybody you can assist? People often use these pages to look for recommendations and tips before visiting a city. If someone wants some tips, why not reply back to them and direct them to your blog on “Top Vegas tips”? Don’t go for the hard sell. Just be helpful, and build a relationship. When a relationship is formed, that user may consider your hotel.
Use incentives to boost social media numbers. Most social media users demand something in return for their interaction. So how about asking users to post their favorite photos from a holiday, and offering a free night B&B to the best photo? A simple way to boost numbers, popularity and reputation.
Take advantage of mobile apps and location based sharing
Location based social media was born for hotels. Apps like FourSquare and Facebook checkins can help boost reputation and offer incentives for people to stay at the hotel. How about a free welcome drink when users check in online when they arrive at the hotel?
Integrate a booking engine into your social media profile. Special booking engine apps exists to make the booking process seamless through a Facebook page, and give the ability to offer special discounts exclusively for fans.
Interested in learning more about hotel booking engines for Facebook? Get in touch with us today.
Check out our FREE webinar 'Building A Social Media Strategy' for more information.
