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A Brief Guide to Hotel & Resort Social Media Marketing

A Brief Guide to Hotel & Resort Social Media Marketing

Brian Fitzgerald
Brian Fitzgerald July 3, 2014
A Brief Guide to Hotel & Resort Social Media Marketing

Social media can be said to be the electronic communication which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages and other content.

Why It’s Important for Your Hotel

If leveraged correctly, social media marketing can be a great platform to interact with your past, present and future guests in a unique way. This can create an online following for your brand and possibly encourage others to stay at your hotel.

Social media can also present an opportunity for you to respond to a negative feedback or comments about your hotel. People often use platforms such as social media to vent their frustrations about a particular brand. This in and of itself is not necessarily a bad thing, as long as you respond to the comment. Think of it as an opportunity for you to ratify the situation, which readers and potential guests usually see as a positive.

Getting Started on Social Media

There are many different websites that can be classified as “social media”, and it seems like there are new ones popping up every day. But there are a few social media outlets that might prove to be more beneficial to your hotel:

  • Facebook: This is the biggest social media channel available, and one you could certainly leverage. Start by setting up a Facebook page for your hotel and encourage guests to “like” your page and interact with you. Maybe even run an interactive contest.
  • Pinterest: Pinterest is classified as a “photo sharing” site. This can be a great place to show off your hotel if you host events or weddings. Start by creating a Pinterest account and uploading some photos.
  • Blogging: The SEO section of this guide touched a little bit on blogging by talking about how content is important. Blogging is a great way to create and disseminate useful information in a friendly tone of voice. And, it allows users to comment and interact with you and each other. Start by creating a blog on your website and blog away!

As you begin your social media efforts, here are a few tips:

  • Monitor Constantly and Consistently: It’s important to always monitor your hotel’s social media channels; social media never goes to sleep.
  • Provide Useful Value and Interaction: Don’t just do social media for the sake of doing social media. Your interactions with your guests or potential guests should provide some type of benefit that will encourage further interaction.
  • Respond to Both Positive and Negative Comments, but Especially Negative: Your social media efforts are an extension of your reputation and brand. So it’s especially important to maintain that reputation and respond to comments, especially negative ones.

 

Interested in Social Media Marketing?

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