![10 Ways to Engage Your Followers on Instagram](https://revenue-hub.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/instagram-shopping-1024x576.jpg)
Instagram is a social media platform that is a main source of travel inspirations for a large number of users.
NB: This is an article from SiteMinder
‘Instagramability’ is now known as one of the top ways audiences plan their next holiday and destination. A large part of the travelling workforce are millennials who also make up a large portion of overall Instagram users. Hotels have a huge marketing opportunity to take advantage of, with around 89% of millennials on Instagram who are becoming more comfortable with making purchases on social media.
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Some noteworthy uses of Instagram for hotels include:
Advertising for brands
Recently, advertising for brands on Instagram is becoming more readily available. Many pages already have the action buttons to ‘Call’, ‘Email’ and ‘Get Directions’. Select businesses now can also include ‘Book’, ‘Get Tickets’, ‘Reserve’, or ‘Start Order’ CTA buttons.
As for direct messaging, businesses can now see important new customer messages in their main inbox, instead of in the pending folder. They can also mark messages with a star and filter conversations to make it easier to follow up with enquiries.
A Facebook-style news-feed algorithm
Gone are the days when Instagram was a free-for-all: based purely on chronological order. Instagram itself says you can now ’see the moments you care about first’, through the help of a highly complex algorithm determining which content Instagram believes a user would like to see. This is based on:
- Likelihood you’ll be interested in the content
- Your relationship with the person posting
- Timeliness of the post
If hotels provide the high quality, aspirational content that Instagram users are looking for, the Instagram algorithm could actually be highly advantageous.
Instagram is growing in popularity with older users
Don’t assume that Instagram users are outside your target demographic. Although skewed towards the young, it is growing in popularity among older age groups, with around 65% of Instagram users being baby boomers.
How to market your hotel on Instagram
Instagram is about sharing your individual personality and values. Staying true and genuine to your property is vital for gaining and maintaining followers. If content isn’t relevant, users soon drop off.
Think of your Instagram as an extension of your hotel photo gallery, but don’t discount guest input. If you search using a hashtag or your hotel’s name you might find travellers have already posted photos of their time at your hotel. This will make it easier for you to find people to engage with.