It is vital to keep your social media accounts healthy to ensure maximum visibility as well as drive revenue for your hotel. When a channel is mismanaged, it not only hurts your brand, but can also deter guests from booking. Imagine you are planning a vacation to the beach. You have chosen a few hotels, but when you look at one of their Facebook Pages, you see negative reviews that have gone unanswered, low quality pictures of the hotel, and the most “recent” post is dated several months ago. Overall, their online presence does not spur confidence that this will be your best stay, so you decide to book elsewhere. Your hotel should always put its best foot forward when it comes to your online reputation to avoid driving guests to choose a competitor.
Online Travel Agencies and websites are no longer the sole driving force that influences guests to book. Social media is vital for the dreaming phase of travel and, according to PostBeyond, 55% of users will engage with related social media content while planning and booking their destination. With that being said, here are a few bad practices to avoid when managing your hotel’s social media channels.
No Dedicated Social Media Manager
Social media channels need constant attention and it is crucial that you have someone designated to specifically manage your accounts. Why is this important? Social media is more than posting and responding occasionally to guests. A successful, impactful presence involves creating and maintaining a thoughtful strategy that is tailored to your specific hotel’s needs. Actively navigating the ever-changing landscape of social media marketing is a must. A social media manager will dedicate the time to learn about your hotel’s specific niche, run reports to get an idea of your audience and study what content will drive your target market to follow so that guests will ultimately book their stay with you as opposed to a competitor.
Not Maintaining Your Account
A first impression is everything. When someone visits your social media account and sees outdated photography, an empty “about” section, no responses to reviews or comments on posts, or worse, notices that the last post you did was dated several months ago, it is not very enticing. Guests visit your hotel’s social channels to get a feel of what you have to offer, what their stay will look like, things to do in the area, and who you are as a brand. You want them to feel right at home and know that their stay with you will be their best stay.
Bad (or no) Photography
We have all heard it many times before, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” and in the case of your hotel, photos will give your guests their first glimpse at your property. Poor quality photos, or worse, no photos, will detract. Having your staff take photos throughout the day is a breeze and you can also draw from user generated content. Investing in professional photography is also helpful to showcase your property and entice guests.
No Paid Efforts
Paid is key in growing and maintaining followers on social media channels. Hotels looking to optimize their social media ROI should be investing in organic and paid social media. Paid efforts can not only grow your social channels, but they can also gain bookings, promote special packages, and drive website traffic. Blue Magnet can show you how to maximize your ROI with an integrated paid and organic strategy.
Not Engaging With Your Audience
Guest interaction is crucial to your hotel as it shows them you are listening and that you care about the quality of their stay. It also shows potential guests that they will be taken care of when they book with you. Be sure you are engaging with your audience and responding to reviews in a timely and professional manner. Follow our best practices for responding to reviews on your social channels.
No Calls to Action
Once guests visit your social media channels, you should drive them to an action, preferably one that leads them to your website and encourages bookings. Without being too pushy or overly promotional, be sure to include calls to action in some of your posts such as “book now,” “learn more,” or “enjoy our special deal.”
This soft call to action generated 8 link clicks, which drove traffic to the client’s website.
Maintain A Healthy Social Media Presence
Mismanaging your hotel’s social media channels can be detrimental to your hotel’s bottom line. Avoiding the mistakes we have outlined above will help your hotel keep users engaged, gain new followers, and secure booking from potential guests. Now that you have a clear understanding of what not to do, it is time to take your social media efforts to the next level. Blue Magnet is here to help; learn more about our social media services and how our team can assist in enhancing your hotel’s social started by contacting us.
