In our previous post, we began to dive into social media and how you, as a hotelier, can transform it into a source for travel inspiration. More specifically, we talked about how you can optimize your hotel’s Facebook and Twitter profiles, in order to make sure that they appeal to travelers and are going to be a reason for them to choose and book your hotel.
Now it’s time to explore two more social media channels with very high levels of popularity: Instagram and Pinterest. Slightly different from Facebook and Twitter, these platform are all about visuals. Looking back in history, visual communication has clearly preceded verbal one. Fast, highly expressive, and easy to understand visual content such as photos, videos, graphics are almost like a universal language. Think of them like a silent movie. Putting all of the information out in the open, without a single word.
Of course, promoting your hotel is a complete and complex process, which includes both text and images. But Instagram and Pinterest are the perfect means of arousing that travel wanderlust in any person. They enable a different approach than Facebook and Twitter, but nevertheless, an equally effective one.
Also, it’s imperative to know the number one argument behind the importance of using social media channels such as Instagram and Pinterest. Posts that include images produce 650% higher engagement than text-only posts. This is because visuals are the most attention-grabbing type of content that users can understand and engage with ease. Also, it has been predicted that 84% of communications will be visual by 2018, so the time to start focusing on channels that revolve around visuals is now.
Good to know:
- Instagram has over 500 million active monthly users.
- It is used by 48.8% of brands — a number that is expected to rise to 70.7% by 2017.
- 75% of Instagram users take action, such as visiting a website, after looking at an Instagram advertising post.
What to do:
First of all, since Instagram is clearly focusing on photos (and sometimes videos), you have to always make sure that your content is of good quality. It might be something that you need to invest in, but it can also be learned. Plus, Instagram is well-known for its filters, which help make any type of photo more aesthetically pleasing. Emphasize on striking images, on pleasant colors, shapes, anything that might catch the attention and retain it. This is where you want and can advertise the best quality of your establishment, the most beautiful rooms, views, breakfasts, surroundings, etc. Also, once in awhile, go for informative pieces, like infographics, which are known to have a very successful engagement rate among users.
