Did you know almost 70% of travelers share their pictures on social media, and from that, 50% of hospitality businesses and travel agencies gain business? Yes, that is the power of social media marketing. Even businesses are gaining popularity through social media marketing.
Social media marketing has become an integral part of digital marketing as it takes a business to a global and international level. It empowers a company to gain the maximum advantage of driving sales and organic traffic, side by side with increasing business awareness. Like any other business, social media marketing is also relevant in the hospitality industry.
Social media marketing, also known as SMM, is a cost-effective way of marketing through which a hospitality business can get a competitive edge by connecting with its target audiences daily.
In this blog, we will see how social media marketing can be useful for the hospitality business and how to make the most of it!
Thus, without further ado, let us get directly into the blog.
Table of Contents
Fundamentals of social media marketing
As of 2023, more than 4.5 billion people use social media daily. Businesses implementing social media marketing will gain the most due to the immense audience that social media platforms provide. With the increase in mobile phones, usage of Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and many other platforms has increased tremendously. According to a few studies, people with smartphones spend around 2 hours per day scrolling through various social media platforms. So why will businesses not use social media marketing to increase their revenue?
The fundamental things that a hospitality business must keep in mind while implementing social media marketing are:
1) Know your audience: Research the ideal customers that you have to target. For a hospitality business, it is essential to know the tastes and preference patterns of travellers to gain revenue from them.
2) Identifying the right platform: For a hospitality business, it is necessary to identify which type of platform they should use for social media marketing. It is preferable to Instagram, but it also depends on the target customers and the needs of the businesses.
3) Consistency: For gaining several potential customers from social media marketing, consistency is the key. Being consistent with the type of content you post can take your hospitality business to the next level.
4) Engagement: Social media marketing includes responding to the issues and queries of customers. Thus, engagement is an important element in retaining customers.
5) Analytics: Tracking the effectiveness of different campaigns is also part of social media marketing. Hospitality businesses must know their metrics through effective measurement.
Social media marketing is like an overall marketing solution. It can be used to increase sales and engagement through cost-effective methods.
Benefits of social media marketing for hospitality
In this section of the blog, we will discuss how social media marketing is important and beneficial for hospitality businesses.
Social media marketing has a great ability to expand business and increase brand visibility. Social media platforms increase the credibility of the business, which is crucial in today’s time. Hospitality businesses can share their unique stories about customer experiences, their space, and other amenities with the help of social media marketing.
When travelers or guests share their experiences on different social media platforms by tagging the business using hashtags, it helps the hospitality business gain a wider audience and win the trust of existing customers.
Social media marketing is a form of direct communication with the target audience or customers. It can tailor every piece of content according to the needs of the customers. Social media marketing is a strategic option to drive sales and increase organic traffic through influencer marketing, paid advertisements, and measuring effectiveness through analytics and metrics.
Setting your social media marketing goals
Setting goals and focusing on the main goals and objectives is a path to the right way to approach social media marketing.
Hospitality businesses must be well aware of their goals and objectives. Is their main aim to gain a large number of followers, or is it to generate leads through Facebook ads? Being aware of the goals and needs can help a business choose the right social media marketing campaign for desirable results. Aligning the business goals and objectives can help in making the content strategy accordingly and adjusting the strategies according to the needs.
Social media marketing is a dynamic process. A hospitality business must not be rigid but flexible enough to adjust to the changes that social media brings.
Strategies for Social Media Marketing for Hotels
Hotels can build a strong social media presence with the help of social media marketing. The four basic and most effective strategies that hotels can apply are as follows:
Show your face:
One of the most effective strategies for social media marketing is to not hide your face from your customers. The audience must be aware of the faces involved in managing hotels and your business. This can be done by sharing live videos and pictures of the amenities and facilities of the hotels. This will increase trust and the real face of your business. Sharing client reviews and guest testimonials through pictures and videos on different social media platforms. This increases the brand’s authenticity and credibility.
Another way to use effective social media marketing is to share employees’ success stories. This can give an impression of the friendliness of your hotel and business.
Short-form videos:
Social media marketing has taken a massive hit through short-timed videos on TikTok or Instagram Reels. Hotels can also catch the attention of people through these short videos. Sharing tours of rooms and common spaces can show the aesthetics of the hotel business. Showing videos and glimpses of dishes and the culinary experiences of customers and guests can help hotels gain a wider audience.
Another way to achieve effective social media marketing is through user-generated content. Encouraging guests to share their experiences and photos or videos of the environment of the living spaces can also help hotels gain more followers and increase brand loyalty.
Influencer marketing:
Influencer marketing is the most important aspect of social media marketing. Collaborating with influencers can enhance the hotel’s visibility and credibility. People trust social media influencers, and thus collaborating with them can give your brand a unique identity and increase its image.
Asking social media influencers to craft creative and engaging content can reflect the uniqueness of your business.
Exclusivity:
Social media marketing must include offering different and exclusive offers. Providing offers and discounts can attract customers to stay at your hotel and thus increase sales. Providing customers with complimentary lunches, room upgrades, and other amenities can help the hotel business and industry drive sales.
Thus, implementing these four effective methods in social media marketing can help hotel businesses and industries increase their brand visibility and boost connections with customers.
Channels for social media marketing of hospitality
A hospitality business can leverage the main four social media channels for effective social media marketing.
Facebook has a high number of daily active users. Creating engaging content for the Facebook page, updating about the changes and availability of hotel rooms, and informing about discounts and offers can increase engagement on the page. Using YouTube for showcasing visual content and client reviews can help reach a wider audience due to its power to reach a global consumer audience.
With the help of the right hashtags, posts, and stories, influencer collaborations can help gain a large number of followers.
Using TikTok as a social media marketing platform can help create short videos and share quick tips and different travel hacks, increasing the credibility of the business.
Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok are the basic platforms of social media marketing. These platforms can take your business to the next level.
Challenges and Pitfalls for the Hospitality Business in Social Media Marketing and Their SolutionsSocial media marketing can be challenging. In this section, we will learn about the challenges and the solutions to overcome them.
One of the major problems in social media marketing is getting negative feedback. When marketing on open platforms where one can engage with customers, negative comments and feedback are common. This can harm the company’s brand image.
To overcome this problem, replying and answering them professionally can help in maintaining your brand image. Customers will be satisfied when their problems are acknowledged and solved. Solutions can balance the negative comments.
Another shortcoming of social media marketing is social media crises. This occurs when there is a minute mistake in the post or videos that are posted. This can damage the brand’s identity.
Being calm during such a social media crisis and identifying the mistake can help you gain a reputable image for your hotel brand. Consistent posting, high-quality videos and images, relevant hashtags and geotags, influencer marketing, and running ads can help you make the most of social media marketing for your hospitality business.
Conclusion
Social media marketing has the ultimate power to take your hospitality business to great heights. It increases your hotel’s visibility online and engages with customers.
It is a cost-effective way to increase brand awareness and get data-driven insights. Learning, adapting, and constant improvement can help your business grow. People new to digital marketing must use social media marketing to build a wide community and loyal customers.
It’s time to like social media platforms today to get the maximum advantage!