Location, Location, Location! Make The Most of Yours on Social Media
Working in Social Media, you have to be extremely flexible and have an eye for timely pieces that will be interesting and engaging for a mass audience. You also have to constantly be thinking of new material so followers will engage with your brand. It is extremely important to know what performs well on the platforms you use and if there are any new trends to implement in your schedule that will then help you get the edge over your competition.
Use these strategies to make the most of your location on social media.
Find Your Social Media Unique Selling Point (USP)
When it comes to your hotel, the USP that you use on your website or in a brochure may not be the best USP to be utilized on social media. For example, your hotel’s USP might be room amenities, however, if your hotel is the closest in proximity to a beautiful landmark or has an incredible stretch of restaurants to fit every taste, you’ll want to highlight those features on your social pages.
When potential guests are scrolling through their feeds on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram all it takes is a quick swipe of the thumb to scroll right past your post. So in essence, you have less than two seconds to engage their attention. More than anything, your USP on social media has to be visually appealing to stand out in flooded newsfeeds because no one’s going to engage with your brand unless you give them a compelling reason to do so.
Embrace User Generated Content
User-generated content is the biggest social media trend in 2014, encourage guests to share their images and videos on social media platforms. Assign a unique hashtag so that you can easily sift through to collect the greatest images to share across your networks.
Travelers love to share their vacation experiences, and they’ll be even more inclined to share if you ask them, creating a library of images and videos you can use to engage with existing and potential guests. For example, guests of InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa provide some of the best performing images on their social media accounts.
Image courtesy of InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa
The new micro-video sharing is a trend to watch in 2014 and beyond, Instagram videos and vines are gaining popularity amongst travelers, in this age where we share more than we ever have before. It is great to try and utilize these too where possible. The great thing about user-generated content is that it is promoting you without being self-promotional. It also takes advantage of your selling points and location
Visually Inspire
It’s no secret that visuals and photos receive the highest levels of engagement on social media. The quick rise of Instagram alone proves that as humans we connect more with images, so keep your posts light on text.
When people are scrolling through their social media feeds at home and work, tap into their desires to be somewhere more relaxing, adventurous or exotic to capture their attention. One place that taps into these desires with visually inspiring posts as far as you can scroll is The Holiday Inn Resort Vanuatu. They use photos in most of their posts showing various activities in and around their resort and also feature a lot of action shots with posts featuring people enjoying the entertainment and amenities.
Image courtesy The Holiday Inn Resort Vanuatu
In today’s market, being an active participant in social media no longer means simply posting regularly so your page appears up-to-date. People want to see value in your posts, so give them a reason to follow you by feeding their visual appetite. Give them something to share and grow your brand.
Utilize the beauty of your property, amenities, and services as well as surrounding locations to achieve engaging posts with your potential guests.
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Credits
Natalie Athanasiadis works in online PR and social media marketing, she specializes in working with large clients in the hospitality and customer service industries such as InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa. Natalie takes a great interest in everything hospitality and social media. She enjoys sharing her knowledge on these subjects. You can follow Natalie on Twitter @natalieathana or Google+.
About the author
Are Morch is the founder and owner of Are Morch – Hotel Marketing Coach. Get more from Are on Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Pinterest | Instagram| Podcast