Social media isn’t a flashy new trend anymore; it’s a fundamental marketing cornerstone.
NB: This is an article from WebRezPro
Fifty-two percent of travelers have chosen to visit a place after seeing its image or video in their peers’ social media, and even more (60 percent) post photos on vacation. Any accommodation business that wants to amplify reach and drive bookings should incorporate social media into their marketing strategy.
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and stay up to date
Keep reading to learn the best ways to use social media to inspire guests to book at your property and share their experience with friends.
Influencer Marketing
An influencer is basically what it sounds like, someone with significant influence on social media, i.e., a following who likes, comments, and engages with their posts. Because larger companies are reducing their influencer partnerships this year, a gap has opened for small businesses to step in. And it doesn’t have to break the bank. Most influencers cost under $100 USD per post and just under a third are paid in free products.
The trick is finding an influencer whose audience matches yours. Before you go on an influencer hunt, look at your guest data to determine who you are marketing to. The influencer who is the best match may not necessarily have the most followers, and that’s okay. Influencers with a smaller, niche audience may receive more engagement. Check their engagement rate (total number of interactions divided by total number of followers, multiplied by 100) and be on the lookout for spam comments. Bots are not a worthwhile target audience.
Bots aren’t the only issue you need to watch out for. Has the influencer or their followers had a PR crisis lately? Steer clear of anyone who does not align with your values.
Once you’ve chosen an influencer, make sure you’re on the same page regarding content type and schedule. Talk brand messaging beforehand, so they know what points you need to get across. That said, allow them creative freedom. They know their audience better than you do and what they post has to mesh with their other content.
As with any other marketing initiative, you should review the return on investment. Use UTM parameters, promo codes, and unique hashtags to measure engagement (and revenue!) generated by the influencer campaign.
