Making use of social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook can be a really useful way of growing your brand and spreading the word about your hotel, reaching more people than you might if you were just relying on internet search engines or word of mouth.
If it hasn’t previously taken its place in your marketing strategy, then it really is time to think about how you can make the most of social media. However, when it comes to using social media networks to promote your hotel, there are rights ways and wrong ways to go about things and just as it can see an exponential amount of growth in your reach, it can also have catastrophic implications if not utilised correctly.
Travel has become one of the most popular topics in the world of social media, primarily because travelling or staying in a hotel is such a social activity in itself. People will happily share experiences and real-time photographs of their experience and if this is going in your favour, then it can have a very positive impact on your brand. Information which is shared via the medium of social media is generally regarded as being more credible than reviews which are featured on a hotel’s website and as people increasingly turn online for advice and recommendations, both via sites such as TripAdvisor and social media, it pays to take advantage of this and ensure that the information being put out about your hotel is positive. In fact, many people will now search Twitter for a hotel’s name or location just to see what is being said about it, so having a strong voice on social media is quite vital.
This leads onto one of the major pitfalls which many hotels are coming across; not responding on social media. If you have a Facebook page or a Twitter account then it is vital that you make sure it is checked regularly and that messages and tweets are responded to promptly, and visibly. It is seen as bad form for a brand to not acknowledge complaints or comments which are made, and so it is important to have a clear idea of how you are going to use social media as part of your marketing strategy. It is also key that the people responsible for checking the accounts and replying to guests have a strong understanding of what is expected from them and that they are confident to properly represent your brand in the social world.
Overall however, the positives of having a strong presence on social media networks far outweigh the risks or difficulties you might encounter. From being able to display honest reviews using the TripAdvisor Facebook Application to being tagged in photos of enthusiastic guests; the exposure which can come from social media is really unlike any other and is a really fantastic way of getting your hotel’s name out in the ether, ready to be discovered and experienced by future guests.
If you are unsure about how best to go about using social media then there are a number of companies who would only be too happy to implement it as part of a marketing strategy for you and, equally, there are a number of easy to follow guidelines on the internet which can help you find a place to start.
