Does your Hotel want a good Social Media Marketing Experience? Today we see many that are getting a little late into the Social Media game jump into it believing they will get a piece of the growing Social Media audience pie.
Their intentions are good, but the lack of a sustainable and effective Social Media Marketing strategy is a little alarming.
We see too many Hotels throwing spaghetti on their Social Media feeds believing it will stick.
When I do research and come and look at several Social Media feeds often I see that in most cases the spaghetti doesn’t stick because it is poorly executed, and it appears more like a mess. And in other cases, there is an over-focus on the Hotel that doesn’t take into consideration what the customer is looking for. Overcooked spaghetti also sticks to the wall but serving it to the customers will generate concerning word-of-mouth effects.
I design Social Media Marketing Frameworks for Hotels where I implement some important principles to move Hotels away from the spaghetti effects.
Here are 7 elements of a good Social Media Marketing Experience for your Hotel.
1. Listen to the bigger picture
Today it is critical that your Hotel reaches the right audience at the right time with the right content.
And this can only be done by improving your Social Media listening skills. This is a process that tracks relevant conversations, keywords, phrases, competitors, customers, industry, and leveraging new insight to discover growth opportunities.
Besides monitoring mentions about your Hotel in general, you have to analyze and give some relevant reflections to the insight.
Listening covers the bigger picture of the ongoing Social Media Engagement and will help collect valuable data and gain new knowledge.
2. Swift response comes with big rewards
Cutting through the daily Social Media disruptions is a challenge for many brands today.
But it is critical to understand that great opportunities show up in the strangest places today.
If your Hotel can respond swiftly with an appropriate message this can reap significant rewards.
Today many customers use their smartphones to seek recommendations from their Social Media Community about Hotels in any given area.
Being able to listen and respond to this time of real-time information will make your Hotel stand out from the crowd.
3. Build a Community
Does attracting a crowd of new customers to your Hotel have a place in your Social Media Marketing Strategy?
YES!!
Building an active Social Media community with fans, influencers, brand advocates and brand ambassadors is the secret sauce that will take your Social Media Marketing to the next level.
Your Community needs to know you are there for them, and that you care.
Tell your Hotel story, and then embrace your Community’s stories.
What makes your hotel unique? Why should someone choose your product or service? What’s so special about you? And what’s the STORY behind that?
Implement creative local elements that will add new values to the Community.
4. Quality will always beat quantity
Plan your Social Media Content in creative and effective ways.
I did research and interviewed Hotels. And typically, the number one challenge I find is related to content creation.
But often when I go behind this concern I find that real concern is more related to concern revolved around quantity.
Just to be clear Social Media Marketing has nothing to do with quantity. That is a total misconception that will take your Hotel down the wrong path if this is what your Hotels Social Media Marketing strategy revolves around.
Social Media Marketing is about putting relevant content into context. If your context drivers are built around quality, then your audience will end up taking the appropriate action steps.
5. Creating a successful Value Proposition
For a successful Social Media Marketing Strategy, Hotels must focus on what elements to concentrate on and which ones should be ignored or eliminated.
There are four key elements that Hotels need to look at here;
- What element(s) need to be raised
- What element(s) need to be reduced
- What element(s) need to be eliminated
- What element(s) need to be created
The ultimate goal is to find a path that allows your Hotel to optimize the customer experience.
6. The Customer Experience is found in the Customer Journey
Today the savviest brands create a Social Media Marketing Framework that implements loyalty and advocacy throughout the customer journey.
Hotels need to be on top of every snackable micro-moment that will add new values to the customer experience.
And it is critical to understand that your Hotel needs to take the intimacy, connectivity, and conversational experience from the in-person/offline world and inject it into its Social Media Community.
Introduce Hotel Marketing values to Social Media Marketing in creative and innovative ways.
But again, I need to come with a little warning. Social Media is not a Customer Experience Solution!! Your Hotel team still has to surprise and delight at the property.
Your Hotel Team has to be part of the Customer Journey. Happiness, Humanness, Authenticity, and transparencies are key elements and skills that your team needs to have.
7. Reciprocity and relationship
Customers are driven by their perception of what they will get from your Hotels or relevant competition offers.
And often customers are driven by where we can get the most for the best deal.
This is where you have to combine Community, Quality, Value, and Experience.
Relationships today in Social Media are built around quality and values. When you bring this into a Community you are starting to embrace win-win scenarios.
Focus 80% of your Social Media Marketing efforts to give to your Community. And NO not give away stuff for Free.
Many in the Hotel industry experience ‘Influencers’ that request an exchange of free services.
I will note that I recommend considering implementing Influencer Marketing at your Hotel. But make sure you know all the ins and outs before start exchanging service.
Reciprocity is an earned Social Media Marketing that arrives from the value your Hotel provides to your Community.
With a proper Social Media Marketing Framework influence from reciprocity and relationship will help your Hotel create a more valuable perception of your offering.
When your Hotel serves your community they will reward you back with serving you.
From a Hotel and Social Media Consultant’s standpoint, the Social Media Community can offer Hotels a one-stop-shop for managing their Social Media marketing such as the community infrastructure, database, listening functionality, profile management, collaboration, content marketing and management, and of course, the analytics.
A Social Media Community will help your Hotel to grow smarter and faster when you focus on the value proposition and collaborate in effective ways.
If your Hotel needs help to put it all together then make sure to let us know.
With the right team behind your Social Media efforts, it can become cost-effective and generate a new revenue stream for your Hotel.
We are in this together!
I need to let you all know that we are in on this together. If you need to vent, talk, cry, or just have some to talk with then I am here listening. Since I am working part-time at the local Kroger, I will to the best of my ability to work it out around my schedule.
But you can reach me here:
Email: hotelblogger@aremorch.com
Also, join us at our Facebook Group – Hotel Social Media Community
We will get through this unprecedented event together! #hotelstrong #hospitalitystrong
For any specific information on COVID-19, I recommend go to CDC, WHO, AHLA, AAHOA, and HSMAI. Also, follow information from your local authorities.
NOTE
We are starting to reopen some hotels again (Yay!!!). Make sure you follow their guidelines and say THANK YOU to those that now show a unique spirit to serve, and helps us all get through this!! #hotelstrong #hospitalitystrong
About Are Morch
Hi, I am Are Morch. Your Digital Marketing Coach and Customer Experience Expert specializes in creating effective digital customer experience offer for hotels while growing and scale customer acquisition and revenue.
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