Tips encouraged
Social media for hospitality is an essential part of any brand or business attempting to reach new customers.
Our social media feeds are filled with images and descriptions of what our friends and family are doing, who they are with and where they are having these experiences.
We share photos of the latte art on our morning coffee, the fabulous bar we discovered on the weekend and the view from the cottage where we spent our long weekend. We love to show off to our friends.
But what does this mean for hospitality, and how can your brand leverage social media to increase sales?
Let’s look at our 7 tips for social media for hospitality to help you find your place and your people and cut through the clutter.
1. Know your lane
Before you begin to dominate the social media world, it’s essential to understand where your specific hospitality business fits.
Hospitality is a vast industry. From restaurants and travel to experiences and more, clearly understanding your offerings and goals will go a long way in shaping your social media.
Social media for hospitality is a noisy and competitive space, and it’s incredibly easy to get lost chasing leads that aren’t a good fit for your business. Pick a lane and focus on becoming a big fish in a small pond rather than a small one in a massive digital ocean.
2. Create brand awareness
Increasing brand awareness is one of the most important benefits of using social in marketing. The content you post has the potential to reach not just your followers but also their network, the networks of those people and so on.
Developing quality content that engages your audience positively influences brand awareness. Aim to impress your followers with exciting content that invokes a reaction. The more significant number of your followers that react with a like or comment, the further the reach of your post and the chance to make them aware of your brand. Remember, first impressions last, so always create quality content.
Advocates of your brand may share your content and make recommendations to their network – be sure to thank them for the free advertising!
3. Looking for recommendations
How often have you seen a Facebook post looking for recommendations on your feed?
We look to our friends and family for recommendations on where to go, stay, eat and drink. We trust their judgement and want to know about their experiences. Social media is a great place to answer those questions.
People will list off places they’ve been, tagging the social pages of their favourite place to get a laksa or where to stay while on holiday. It helps when brands have an up-to-date and lively social presence to support the recommendation. Including opening hours, menus and reviews make it irresistible!
4. Customer service
Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter provide excellent opportunities for two-way communication between businesses and consumers. Plus, millennials love to use social to connect.
The days of picking up the phone to talk to a business are numbered. People prefer to give restaurant reviews, rate accommodation, ask questions about opening times and menus and voice their complaints in plain view of everyone on social media.
If your brand is on social media, you must promptly respond to queries and feedback to build credibility. Ignoring customers is bad for business.
Review sites like TripAdvisor and Zomato (formerly UrbanSpoon) are also important. Claim your business and monitor the information and what is being said. Respond to the bad reviews just as you would on social media, showing others that you care.
5. User-generated content
If there’s one thing people love more online than eating food, it’s sharing photos of it. Sharing is the name of the game when it comes to social. Brands can gain much free exposure when customers share photos of themselves at their venue.
If you are a hospitality brand, encourage your customers to share photos of themselves at your venue, tagging the business and using branded hashtags. Let them know on your social pages and offline marketing, such as posters around the venue where you are alive on social media and the hashtags you want them to use.
6. What about social media advertising?
You may have noticed we haven’t mentioned advertising on social media. Advertising has the potential to grow your audience and increase sales. But first, you need to ensure your social profiles are up to scratch, or you risk visitors ‘bouncing’ before they connect with your brand.
Put a little love into your profiles before investing time and money in advertising. To stand out from the crowd, apply the following tips to your social efforts:
- Choose the social platform(s) that will be the best fit for your business.
- Be active on them and post quality content.
- Monitor and engage in conversations with your community.
- Look for user-generated content that you can repost.
Make it your goal to create a buzz around your brand, with everyone talking about it and lining up to bring you business.
7. Don’t ignore new platforms (if the fit is right)
We’ve already touched on this briefly, but it’s worth repeating: when a new social media platform hits the market, you don’t need to be on it. That said, you should test the waters. You’ll never know if a new platform is right for your hospitality business if you don’t do any research.
Think about how many businesses brushed off TikTok as a flash in the pan and missed their chance.
