We know that YouTube is one of the world’s largest search engines, but before you broadcast your channel to the world take a few minutes to make sure it looks fabulous! Video is a powerful tool for the hospitality industry. A video tour of your hotel, an interview with your staff or a quick cooking demo from your hotel chef can really engage a potential guest and give them a taste of the great experience they’ll have at your hotel. You can even integrate YouTube’s must-have app into your hotel’s Facebook page for even greater exposure.
Your job isn’t over once you’ve set-up your YouTube channel, that’s the easy part. You must have content! When you set-up your account, be sure to have at least two videos to upload…and more in the works. These 6 YouTube optimization tips won’t work for an empty channel.
Now, it’s time to optimize! Below are 6 hotel marketing tips to engage potential hotel guests on YouTube.
- Post videos worth sharing. Your hotel videos should be interesting, informative or entertaining. It’s great if you’ve created your YouTube account, but like they say, content is king! Great content is important in your hotel YouTube videos–even more important than high production value. Videos such as virtual tours are great to showcase your hotel, but it’s not likely to be shared. Are you hosting a singing group who just did an impromptu performance in the lobby? Take a quick video and share! The more you diversify your content, the more likely your videos will appear in relevant searches and be shared.
- Keep it short. Most shared YouTube videos are under 5 minutes. If you have a long video tour, think about dividing it into multiple videos. Shorter videos are more likely to be watched and shared by users.
- Link with your website and other social media accounts. A link to your YouTube channel should be included everywhere you have a “Like Us on Facebook” button or “Follow Us on Twitter” link. When you post a new YouTube video, share it! Embedding the video on your website and posting about it on Facebook and Twitter are great ways to extend your reach.
- Optimize tags and compelling video descriptions. Optimizing your tags (similar to keywords) and video descriptions ensures that you will show up in relevant searches, not only on YouTube, but Google as well. Tags can be specific, such as your city and hotel name, or more general, such as “hotel tour” or “chef tips”. The more relevant your video is to a user’s search, the more likely they will watch and share!
- Monitor and respond to your comments. YouTube is social! Users are able to interact with, share and comment on videos, which can be great insight into what potential guests like about your hotel or what they want to see more of. Answering questions, removing spam or offensive comments and keeping up with user feedback are just a few reasons to regularly review your video comments.
- Create a snapshot of your city. Your hotel’s YouTube channel is not only an outlet to post your videos, but it’s a chance to build a community. Similar to other social media sites, you have the ability to add “friends” and create a list of your favorite videos. This is a great opportunity to connect with local businesses, visitor bureaus and restaurants, or find other videos relating to your city. This city snapshot is a great resource for both current and future guests.
With these 6 tips, your hotel will be a YouTube star! It might take awhile for your videos to reach the 91 million views of my favorite dog video, but with a little optimization, users will be sure to find your hotel on YouTube.
