Social media used to be a job that was conducted off the side of someone’s desk when they had free time.
NB: This is an article from WebRezPro
Nowadays, it can be a full-time commitment. The problem is most hoteliers simply don’t have the time or staff to execute a full-blown social media strategy, never mind hiring someone full-time to manage it.
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Worry not! We’re keeping it simple (and cheap) with a roundup of our favorite social media trends, free tools, and scheduling software to help strengthen your hotel’s social media presence, along with some easy social media ad ideas for those with a little budget.
1. Save time with social media scheduling software
There are a number of free and paid versions of social media scheduling apps that can help you plot out what to post, when to post, and where to post with a calendar. Then, when you have an hour or two (and the inspiration strikes), you can create and schedule your content for a week or month in one go.
Schedule content to a variety of accounts in one fell swoop with Hootsuite, a scheduling platform that also lets you respond to comments from the dashboard. Attach your own pics or tap into their database of royalty-free photos. Hootsuite also provides simple social listening tools, allowing you to follow hashtags or mentions of your choosing within the main dashboard so you can monitor conversations and engage. Hootsuite offers a very limited free version or you can trial a paid version for free. Other scheduling tools like Sprout Social and Loomly offer free trials too.
Posting to Instagram can be a little finicky, so we recommend the app Later, which also comes with analytics. We love it because it includes hashtag suggestions, saving you time and making it a breeze to post. Pricing is very reasonable and comes with image cropping or auto-resizing based on the social media platform. Oh, did we mention you can use Later to post to Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter all at the same time?
Word to the wise: You can manage your Instagram and Facebook posts via Meta’s Business Suite (that’s Facebook’s new company name for you old-schoolers out there). You needn’t run ads in order to use the dashboard, which can be accessed via your Facebook business page. You’ll never miss a comment or message and you can schedule content there as well.
2. Jump on trending formats
Now that you’re ready to schedule your social media posts, you need to create engaging social media content for your hotel! The traditional post format consisting of an image coupled with a description is a convenient option. But if you want to stand out and earn the chance to garner more organic reach, then pay attention because we have ideas to help you get more bang for your buck.
Short-form video: While short-form video is not exactly breaking news, its popularity can’t be stressed enough. Instagram favors Reels, and TikTok—which is nothing but short-form video—has more users than Google! Check out Instagram’s Reels tab for recommended and trending Reels to inspire you. Use trending audio or filters to extend your reach as people search those tags as well.
