Organisations are always looking to use marketing to support their wider business goals. Hotels are no different, as marketers recognise that a mix of tactics is essential if brand recognition and awareness is to be developed and improved in the long-term. One aspect of this process is influencer marketing, which has become increasingly popular in recent years as digital technology plays a bigger role in the research carried out by consumers.
As Scott Cook, co-founder of Intuit, points out, a brand is “no longer what we tell the consumer it is – it is what consumers tell each other it is”. The statistics don’t lie – research by the ODM group has found that nearly three-quarters of consumers use social media when making decisions on purchases, while a separate study by Nielsen discovered only 33 per cent of customer trust ads, but 90 per cent do trust peer recommendations. Bearing this is mind, should influencer marketing be playing a big role in your plans?
Influencer marketing
Word of mouth recommendations have always played a big role in growing a client base, as people like to use products and services that their friends and family have already used. Influencer marketing takes this basic premise to its next level, as influencers have a huge online presence and can encourage people to reach the action stage of the customer journey. Hotel marketers can use influencers to boost their activities, as third party recommendations are an excellent way of adding credibility to a hotel’s own claims. So how should organisations identify the right influencers?
There are three key factors that hotel marketers need to consider:
Audience reach –How many followers do they have on social media? And how long have they been active on these channels for?
Brand affinity – Do they have expertise and credibility within your field? Celebrity endorsements are not always the way to go if there is no direct connection.
Strength of relationship with followers – Are they regularly in contact with their followers? And do they have a high level of engagement with them?
Choosing the right platform for your audience
Hotel marketers have to think about their branding efforts and identify the right platforms. For example, Pinterest and Instagram can be very useful because of the visual nature of posts, which allows business to showcase the quality of their rooms. With over 70 million unique monthly visitors, Pinterest can be the perfect way to leveraging your brand’s influencers and boost conversions. As part of this process, you also have to think about your audience and what platforms they will respond best to. If your research shows that Twitter is the best customer service tool online, make sure you shape your strategy to factor in this information. What can influencers add? Having a group of brand influencers is a great way to positively market your business through content creation. Organisations should be cultivating their customer lists to make sure that happy customers share their experiences with the web.
Among the activities they can take part in include: Get customers to upload photos of themselves using the hotel rooms and the other facilities on offer at the building. This is an excellent way to boost brand recognition in a trustworthy way.Use discounts or competitions to encourage the creation of more user generated content. For example, hotels could hold a competition for the best picture of the view from a hotel room. Develop case studies from people who have stayed at the hotel. The more information the better, as testimonials can help sway consumers during the decision making process. Be an active participant on social media platforms, responding promptly to queries and complaints.
Doing this will not only engage your audience, but also generate positive coverage online. Have a thorough review process Influencer marketing is not an exact science, so setting tangible goals and monitoring your progress is essential. There is no point in continuing with a strategy if the evidence suggests it is not working as hoped. By having a thorough review progress in place, companies can make sure they are staying on top of their marketing activities. They are also able to tweak these plans as they see fit to make sure customers only encounter first class branding.
