7 Ways to Harness Social Media for Hospitality

Social media for the hospitality industry is a great strategy to market to guests.

After all, social media is where you can expect to find most of your potential customers — 74% of people use it when making purchase decisions. It’s a fantastic tool for reaching your target audience.

Of course, you probably already know that social media for hotels is important. The question is, how do you use it effectively? We’ll answer that question below in the form of seven simple tips for managing hospitality social media marketing.

Read on to learn more, and then look into partnering with WebFX — the digital marketing agency with over 2,000+ client testimonials — for more social media help! Just call us at 888-601-5359 or contact us online to get started with us today.

1. Interact with guests

One of the foremost benefits of social media for hospitality is the chance to interact with your guests.

This interaction starts with simply responding to people who post comments and questions on social media. You want to make everyone feel heard.

When someone expresses an intent to visit your area, you can personally respond to them by recommending your establishment. By addressing them in a personal and meaningful way, you can establish a connection that an ad can’t create, and hopefully generate a new lead.

Hospitality shouldn’t start only once someone walks through the doors of your establishment. When you know someone will be staying with you at some point in the future, be it a few days or a few months, look for ways to engage with them on social media.

If you can find the profiles of your upcoming guests, you can let them know that you look forward to having them at your establishment. You can also ask them about any preferences they might have for their stay, so you can make their visit extra enjoyable down the road.

Hear What It’s Like to Work With WebFX!

“All of my interaction with our account manager has been so positive. I worried about the amount of money I was spending and she has made it worth my while. I understand there is a team behind her as well but I have been so impressed. Her responsiveness is outstanding.”

Real Estate Rental

2. Offer special promotions

With your social media pages being such valuable marketing tools, you want to do what you can to draw people to them. One great way to do that is by using promotions.

Promotions aren’t unique to social media for the hospitality industry, but they’re extremely effective. You can use your social media pages to advertise discounts and events that people might not see anywhere else, encouraging them to follow you and engage with your content.

You can give users even more incentive to follow you, though, when you offer discounts or run contests specifically for your followers. These tactics allow you to harness the fear of missing out (FOMO) for anyone not already following you.

3. Use pictures and videos

Social media for hotels and other hospitality establishments isn’t usually the best place for big blocks of text. Most users scroll through their feeds quickly, and they won’t stop to read a paragraph about your establishment.

What they will often stop for, on the other hand, are visual graphics in the form of pictures and videos. And the good news is that, as a hospitality establishment, you have plenty of opportunities for using those mediums.

Whether you offer photos of your picturesque lobby area or videos of your guests enjoying themselves in your pool, social media users will likely pause to look at them. And with each image they see, they’ll be given one more reason to stay at your establishment.

4. Act as a local guide

Let’s face it: When people stay at your establishment, they’re not usually there for the establishment itself. Often, they’re using it as a base camp for exploring the surrounding area.

But that’s not a bad thing. In fact, it just gives you another opportunity to help them out! You can use your social media accounts to act as a guide to the local area. You can recommend the best restaurants, offer tips on fun local events, and provide information about local culture.

When you offer users this information, it shows that your interest in them extends beyond the walls of your hotel. If you’re willing to help your guests even outside your establishment, they’ll expect high-quality service inside it as well.

5. Take advantage of social media ads

Hospitality social media marketing isn’t limited to what you can post from your account. You can also use it to promote your establishment in the form of paid ads.

One of the advantages of paid social media ads is that they can reach people who might not have come across your account previously. In many cases, you can even use ad targeting settings to direct your ads to your target audience based on things like demographics and location.

You can accomplish a similar effect with sponsored posts. In that case, you’re still using organic posts from your account, but you’re paying to promote them in people’s feeds.

6. Repost social proof

One of the most valuable marketing tools you have at your disposal doesn’t originate from you, but from your guests. When people stay at your establishment, they’ll often post pictures and videos of themselves having a good time.

Keep an eye out for these posts. When people show themselves having fun at your hotel, they’re essentially doing the advertising for you — all you have to do now is promote it. Repost these social proof posts when you get the chance, so even more people can see them.

Be sure to comment on the posts as well, letting your guests know that you’re glad they enjoyed their experience and that you hope to see them again soon.

7. Respond to reviews

Social media for hotels may be a great place for you to talk about your establishment, but other users can talk about it there too. Social media is a common place for guests to express their opinions of their experience with you.

Sometimes these experiences will be good. When people praise your establishment on social media, be sure to leave a comment thanking them. You can also repost those good reviews as social proof for your hotel.

But sometimes reviews won’t be so glowing.

When you see a negative review, it’s important to act quickly. Start by responding publicly and offering to address the guest’s grievances, where everyone can see it. Then message them privately to genuinely work through the problem.

With any luck, you can turn most of your negative reviews into positive ones simply through good customer service.

WebFX is a Partner in Driving Results

Hear from HydroWorx, who saw a 131% increase in organic forms by partnering with WebFX

Watch the Video Testimonial

Get help with your hospitality social media marketing from WebFX

Still not sure how to make the most of social media for hospitality? Don’t worry — WebFX has your back. With over 28 years of experience in digital marketing, we know how to make your social media drive results for your business.

We can work with you to create and manage multiple social media accounts, doing everything from crafting scheduled posts to responding to reviews. We can also help you manage your social media ad campaigns.

Give us a call at 888-601-5359 or contact us online today to learn about our social media marketing services!

We Drive Results for Hospitality Businesses

• Dedicated account manager backed by 500+ digital experts
• Renowned for our communication and transparency

Get a Quote