Today, social media is a must for hotels in marketing activities. However, you first need a plan to make the most of social media. If you get started before deciding on your goal and method in using social media, you would put in futile efforts which cannot pay dividends as much as expected.
There are many methods of using social media for marketing purposes. Therefore, you need to clarify your goal from the very beginning. When it is about social media, introducing your hotel to your potential customers might be the first thing that comes to mind. However, we could also have a look at how else accommodation industry can benefit from this influential marketing channel.
This would make it easier for you to determine your goals in social media marketing and derive more benefits.
Working towards brand recognition
You need to get started with introducing the name of your hotel, namely your brand. Social media could serve as an efficient channel to create brand recognition. If you work towards brand recognition, you need to share posts that emphasize your brand’s outstanding and striking aspects setting you apart from your competitors.
Introducing the hotel
Your hotel, without a doubt, features various facilities but introducing them to your target is not an easy task to accomplish. On social media, you could introduce facilities of your hotel via photographs/videos and show from the beginning your potential guests what they can expect from your hotel.
Creating groups
Social networks like Facebook and Twitter are quite suitable platforms where you can easily create and manage groups. Your Facebook page, or Twitter account, is your tools to bring such groups together but managing a group is a completely different role. Group management must also ensure optimum communication of your brand’s message to potential guests and evaluation of any kind of feedback delivered by them. Group management means bridging your brand with those who are, or have the potential to be, interested in your brand. When you achieve efficient group management, you could even see that repeat reservations of your previous guests significantly climb up. If your goal is creating and managing groups on social media, your priority should be ongoing engagement by users.
Direct sales
Many would say that social media is not the best channel for direct sales. To a great extent, they are right. Social media is primarily effective for promotion and introduction. When used properly, though, social media could also help you receive bookings via this channel. And you must be able to increase visibility of your campaigns and promotions, and come up with offers your potential guests would not want to miss.
Customer services
Social networks are where your guests are socially active. On these websites, it would be a good idea to respond to their questions before sales and clear any questions marks in their minds. Additionally, encouraging users to share their satisfaction with your hotel on their social media accounts would positively effect other users’ decision to book a room in your hotel. You need to be tolerant to negative comments on social media. Relieving your guests’ dissatisfaction not only prevents you from losing customers but also proves your intention to work for compensating dissatisfaction, increasing your reliability. We have previously shared with you how to handle dissatisfied customers on the Internet.
Internet is an indispensable marketing and sales channel for hotels. Today, hotels not using this channel effectively are bound to lag behind their competitors. Then, why don’t you sign up for HotelRunner, your most reliable tool, today, and outperform your competitors?
