Invite colleagues
Over the past few months, I have found myself speaking more frequently with marketers within hotels about the use of Social Media within their organizations. I guess this is a reflection of the profile this channel is receiving in the marketing trade magazines and the increased use of social media by the marketers themselves in their personal time. It is also a tacit acknowledgment that simply relying on coupons and discounts to keep guests coming is not getting the traction it once did.
So, with the trend towards this online channel, I thought it maybe timely to share some best practices for the hotel marketer. Here are some suggestions about what you can do at the hotel level in engaging and building connections online.
Firstly, for my soap box rant...... Many hotels are jumping into social media without understanding why, what where who etc.... just some 'feeling' that they should be doing something with social media.
But, and here is the good new.... with the help of a little discipline and structure, hotels can develop a fantastic fan base on various social networking sites (SNS) and get followers on Twitter/Sina etc (Micro-blogging).
However, don't let the number of fans or followers you have act as a barometer of your social media success. Sure, it is one indicator but I suggest many other metrics should also be considered.... (thats another post).... So, now you have all these fans/followers... what do you do with them?
Bothering your online visitors to press release after press release or simply relying on coupons and discounts to keep them interested doesn’t work anymore. Take a hint from several online savvy brands including the IHG, and go the extra mile to ensure that your visitors turn into enthusiasts and spread your message for you.
Here are a few basic tips you should remember:
1. Make them feel special with personal incentives. When Accor Hotel recently ran a promotion where people could win a trip to Sydney by having people invite their friends, they saw some clever people set up fan pages and asking their friends to vote for them to win the holiday. The marketing team from Accor Hotel's in China found a great example of someone that had developed a great fan site to gain votes for their competition and rewarded him with a night at a Novotel Hotel. This converted an interested competition registrant into a Accor Hotel fan... a smart move!
2. Create an open and transparent dialogue. Many hotels have yet to take a position on what to do with 'negative' online content.... some choose to do nothing, others try and negotiate with the blog site to take down the negative comment and some choose to reach out to the author.... I am a proponent of active engagement.... so where we find both positive and negative comments we as marketers leverage this. Instead of pushing it under the rug, reach out to the author, find out what the situation was, and work to correct the error. Taking the time to contact them personally and trying to correct the situation will in some cases result in a follow up post but in the more positive tone. Another way is to select positive comments out and reward the authors with free or discounted dining... If the author is not expecting this then they can become great advocates and if they are influences within a community the buzz created cannot be underestimated...
3. Give fans and followers the tools to spread your message. It’s fantastic to have a fan base, but how can they tell their friends and family if you don’t make it easy? Even a luxurious 5-star resorts they should take the time to create enthusiasm. Among general tweets and discussion, use Sina Microblogger or/and Twitter to seek out hotel visitors and recommend everything from entertainment to meals to drinks. “Nice to have you back! Thanks for checking in on Foursquare!” etc. “What are you looking to drink tonight?” .. not overly commercial but more conversational and certainly not hard sell.
4. Feature fans- your hotel is just four walls without them. So why don't you have a social media champion wall, where you could have a YouTube (Ku6, Youku or Tudou etc) Concierge who tapes guests all around the hotel. Or what about building a photo wall from the facebook fans... bridging the gap between hotel guest and visitors who have left the hotel to return home. Instead of filling a video log with promotional chatter, lets get the guests to speak for them, to build a connection with others and have legitimate content not some marketer pushing the same old messages....
5. Establish social media only promotions. Develop a culture of social media in your hotel guests.... For example have a special bar drink that is only available via a tweet or a facebook status update.... Or some special dining offer that is only open to social media "twit ups" or Foursquare meetings. ... Meeting your fans and followers on their terms gains great respect, and proves your hotel as a functioning extension of the online community and has a distinctive difference in a cluttered hotel market.
Anyway, just some practical ideas and I would welcome you to log in and put your ideas and comments in the section below.
Written on Monday, 29 March 2010 22:39 by Matt McDougall
