Instagram is one of the leading social channels and has the potential to bring revenue to your hotel; however, you could be making common mistakes that can block that potential. Do you post frequently enough? Are you engaged with your audience? Are you using hashtags in your posts? If you answered no to any of these, you may be in danger of losing followers or worse, losing valuable revenue for your hotel.
Instagram is a powerful marketing tool when used correctly. This year it reached 1 billion users worldwide and holds a strong place among the top social channels. One of the reasons for its popularity is that it is so versatile and easy to use, yet there are common mistakes many people make. Remember each engaged follower is a potential guest and these oversights can potentially cost your hotel revenue. We will identify seven mistakes and show you how to avoid them.
Mistake #1: Not Posting Enough
Posting only once a week on Instagram can potentially cause followers to lose interest and drop from your account. You should be posting at least three times a week, though we recommend up to four or five times for optimal visibility and results. It helps to be consistent in your frequency and what days and times you post so followers will know what to expect from your Instagram account.
Posting frequency and consistency is important because, as a brand, you are establishing yourself as a trusted source for your followers, providing them with reasons why they should book a stay with your hotel as opposed to your competitors. If your account’s content is stagnant for days or weeks at a time, you could be in serious danger of followers dropping off and looking elsewhere. It could also deter new users, as a stagnant account would not provide any value to their feed.
Mistake #2: Ignoring Your Audience
You should engage with your audience regularly and when you receive comments on posts, you should respond. This establishes a relationship with your followers. It is also important to engage with other accounts. Liking or leaving comments on content from other Instagram users shows that you are an active presence in the Instaverse and users who may not have been introduced to your account otherwise will now have the opportunity to discover you. Tagging accounts is also crucial to expanding reach. Whenever you have the opportunity, always tag businesses and user-generated content to give credit and see how much of an impact it makes.
