We have already covered the topic about social media becoming one of a sales channels for your accommodation business. However, there are a few other aspects how being present and being active on social media can bring benefits and serve not only as an advertisement space but be a great channel for communication with your guests.
Depending on what is your main guest audience, you need to be present on the certain channels. Various researches show, that more than 75% of consumers will "consult" with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram before they make a decision. You can be present on every of those channels. It's a good practice because you will get coverage on a bigger scale. However, your main guest group might tend to visit one of those channels more than the others. Therefore, you need to know your guests and you need to know their preferences.
Let me give you some examples:
➢ if you are hotel, more focusing on business travelers, then you should be more active and more visible on Twitter. This will be the first platform that these guests will interact.
➢ if your property is in the honey moon destination or you are focusing on the romantic gateways for couples, then think no more and concur the world of Instagram.
➢ if your main guest clientele is families, then you should be active on Facebook. Most people will look for accommodation in various groups, other people suggestions, so make sure to appear among the rest of the options.
Being on the channel, is just a half job done. It is called Social media not without a reason. This means, that in these platforms, you actually need to socialise with people. It is not enough to post a picture or a thought and then forget bout it. Engage with your followers, with people who are responding to your message online. You need to make people feel heard and cared for. If you get a bad review on your social media profile - react to it. Respond as soon as possible, because other people will see that you care. You shouldn't be afraid of bad reviews. I'm sure that there will be at least one bitter review, but that's life. So you need to show to the others that you are willing to fix the mistake if something unpleasant happened because of the hotel's fault. And if someone left a bad comment just because of a bad mood - accept it as well and cheer the person by finding nice words and answering to their comment.
Thoughtfully used social media can play a serious role in your marketing strategy. Good visual information is one of the most important factors for the accommodation businesses as guests want to see in advance what they get. However, you shouldn't focus just on your property. Think bigger! Share information about events going in the country, city or your area. People might be looking for info about a certain celebration and if they find your post, they might start reading more and checking your profile. Leading them to make a reservation. Social media helps to define your brand, helps to increase the traffic to your website and definitely boosts your SEO. Being present on social media plays an important role in how your hotel is perceived by your guest, which directly affect the number of bookings.
Most of the platforms give you a chance to do targeted advertisement. This is absolutely amazing, because you can spend not too big amount of money but reach the right group of people. Make sure to have different content types shown to correct groups of people. This will increase number of direct bookings and will create a targeted network of your guest types.
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Phrase "If you are not on Facebook you do not exist" seemed funny at the beginning, but it became a reality. If you want your business to succeed, you need to be visible on various social media platforms. Those can be called the marketing tools at your finger tips. People are using these platforms for information purposes, sharing the experiences and looking for recommendations. We want it or not, but opinions of people now define our businesses. So use this tool correctly and make sure that your brand is seen as active, social and well represented on all possible channels.