Leveraging social media beyond the big names January 29 2014 Facebook and Twitter get a lot of attention from hoteliers, but other platforms are well suited for the unique characteristics of the hotel industry. Highlights Pinterest and Instagram can help highlight a hotel’s visual properties. Pick a couple sites and excel at them, Reknown’s Daniel Edward Craig said. Determining a direct ROI from social media can be difficult. By Shawn A. Turner Finance Editor Shawn@HotelNewsNow GLOBAL REPORT—There is social media value for hotels beyond the big name platforms of Facebook and Twitter, sources report. Facebook and Twitter get a lot of attention from hotel social media managers simply because those outlets receive the largest share of eyeballs, sources said. Still, the hotel sector can lend itself rather well to other sites, too. “I don’t think there are sites they should not be looking at,” social media strategist John Sparks said. Eric Ziegenhagen, social media director for the 316-room Langham Chicago, said the ability to impart a highly distinctive visual impression on guests is an important element during the inspiration stage of travel planning. In short, it’s important to get people daydreaming about their next trip. “A lot of what we are doing in Chicago is extending the brand” through social media, he said. Ziegenhagen said Instagram and Pinterest have been successful endeavors for the Langham Chicago because the sites focus on images. The platforms have allowed the hotel to highlight the fact that it is located in a building designed by famed architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. The structure also was declared a Chicago Landmark in 2008 and entered into the National Register of Historic Places. “There are people who just want to look at pictures in their spare time,” Ziegenhagen said. Sparks added, “People want to choose their hotel based on what they see and what they like.” The Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers in Denmark is also using a variety of social media sites beyond Facebook and Twitter. The property is active on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn and Google+, said Martin Roulund Jakobsen, head of digital marketing for the property. LinkedIn has been an important piece of the social media puzzle for the Copenhagen Towers, especially as it relates to securing meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions business, Jakobsen said in an email. All members of the hotel’s sales team are encouraged to share content to their respective networks from the company page. “We use this platform to maintain a top of mind presence with our target group,” Jakobsen said. “Our strategy is to position ourselves as the innovative venue, not only when we talk about the venue but also when talking news and trends from the MICE scene. By using LinkedIn, we can keep a constant flow of (business-to-business) related content to the market.” Hoteliers also need to be cognizant of social media platforms located outside the United States, Ziegenhagen said. With that in mind, Langham Hospitality Group is active on Weibo, the primary social network in China. Before jumping into a foreign social media site, Ziegenhagen suggested taking time to understand the platform. “Spend enough time on them to learn what the rules are and then play by the rules.” Don’t overextend Daniel Edward Craig, founder of social media strategy firm Reknown, agreed that Pinterest and Instagram can be useful social media outlets for hotels because they incorporate the powerful combination of visuals and sharing of content. That said, property social media managers should pick out a couple sites they want to focus on, rather than trying to be all things to all people. “It’s best to do a couple platforms really well rather than do a mediocre job on a lot of platforms,” he said. Properties that have more resources to spend could take on additional social media sites, he added. Jakobsen said staff at the Copenhagen Towers generally spends one or two hours on social media each day, though that time is not spent consecutively. “We always keep an eye on our platforms so that we can react and engage timely.” At the end of the day, Ziegenhagen said a hotel’s social media content should serve as a value-add for followers. “When people unsubscribe, it’s like taking a channel off your TV.” Social media ROI Ziegenhagen said hoteliers shouldn’t expect to directly translate social media popularity with bookings through the platforms. Users, for instance, aren’t necessarily logging onto Facebook to reserve hotel rooms. “If you measure (social media success) by number of bookings, you’ll look like a failure,” Ziegenhagen said. “If you go into it looking for direct revenue, you’ll be disappointed.” Jakobsen said the Copenhagen Towers analyzes the source of the traffic the hotel’s site receives. The property also considers the intangible return on investment social media provides. “We know that we can amplify specific MICE business coming in due to our activity on social media,” Jakobsen said. - See more at: hotelnewsnow/Article/13040/Leveraging-social-media-beyond-the-big-names#sthash.J88AOwLy.dpuf
Posted on: Wed, 29 Jan 2014 16:46:41 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015