The Found Gen

Marketing That Works.

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How Hotels Should Use Social Media to Their Advantage

We all know that social media is a powerful tool when it comes to marketing your brand and driving engagement. Companies can seemingly blow-up overnight just by having a strong social media game. 

For hotels, it can be intimidating to carve a path within the social media realm – especially as a new property or as a property looking to upgrade its current online presence. 

While it can seem like many hotels have become a premier destination simply as a result of a few well-positioned photos plastered on Instagram or videos on Tik Tok, we can assure you that is not, in fact, the case. As in all things with social media, nothing is ever quite what it seems. 

The Evolving World of Social Media

Between Facebook crashes, Twitter bashes, and Tik Tok Mashes – social media is ever-evolving. It is easy to see how businesses and brands are quick to want to jump on the latest and greatest trends and feel immense pressure to be everywhere all the time. 

One of the most important messages we tell all our clients, no matter their industry, is that when it comes to social media – it’s a savant’s game. Marketing your hotel on social media should not be approached in the vein of Jackson Pollack to a blank canvas. But rather more Martin Scorsese to film: it’s going to be a long, arduous process with an exorbitant amount of takes but greatness is guaranteed. 

Pick Your Battles & Choose Wisely

Select a few (or less) social platforms that make the most sense for your brand. Today, Instagram is a top choice for hotels as it is a more aesthetically-driven platform with engagement that rises when content is heavier (read: longer posts do well on IG). Twitter is a fan-favorite for brands willing to get a little more edgy with their tone and engage with guests and the world at large. Tik Tok is a way to show your more playful side, highlight guest videos, and tease all sorts of great experiences. 

Transparency is All

We really hope you read that headline in the voice of Uhtred Ragnarson from The Last Kingdom (IFKYK). In our offices, we work with a number of hotels and brands within the hospitality industry. We abide by what we call “The Hospitality Rule.” Which is to say – we understand just how delicate it can be to market your property and business in the hospitality sector. Words matter. Response time is key. Transparency is vital.

When it comes to social media, being aware of the implications and complications of messaging and responding to disgruntled guests is imperative. Not responding in a timely and effective manner on social (even for just a comment) has been shown to reduce brand advocacy by up to 50%. Bonkers.

Hotels & resorts should use social media to build a community of like-minded people that will love the property and tell all their friends about it (and it doesn’t hurt if they have some help posting from the property to their feeds). 

If you are looking for a team to manage your social media presence for your property or business, get in touch today.  

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Should Hotels Even Bother with Blogging? Yes!

Here’s the thing: the digital age we live in makes it easier than ever to search for the information you need and want. More than likely, a potential guest will visit your website before their trip at least once and will also likely book online as well. 

(Fun fact: we even know a few Gen Z’s who have never actually dialed out from their cell phones.)

As more and more travelers are looking for fast and easy information, a hotel’s website should be able to tick all the boxes of a guest looking to plan a vacation of a lifetime. The last thing guests want is to call the hotel to get an answer to a simple question – especially one that could have been readily available at their fingertips. 

That is why blogging is so essential. When it comes to hotels, we want homepages to be clean, enticing affairs with low content. We want to feel the experience jumping off the screen. 

Once we’re hooked on the goods – consumers, as internet savants, then dive deep into a given site to learn more about the hotel, the area to which they’re traveling, and look for advice on things to do. That is where a quality blog steps in: to provide guests with bountiful insider information in one easy-to-find location.  A robust blog can convey the tone, feel, and overall experience of the property.

The Added Benefits of Blogging:

In case you needed more reasons to convince you that your hotel property should have a well-run blog page, here’s a couple key things to consider:

  • It Boosts Your SEO Rankings: Each new blog post serves as a new page on your website. Each new page, especially those providing valuable information to readers and Google users, gets you brownie points from search engines (okay, Google). Those brownie points add up to put your hotel higher than the rest on searches. 
  • It Engages Guests: Nowadays, it’s all about experience and engagement. If your site is just a placeholder, what does that say about the experience guests will have once they book? Give them a taste, welcome them to the experience of a lifetime, through engaging content. Keep them on your site – and keep them coming back for more. With a great blog presence, your site can act like a lifestyle experience rather than just another room to book. 
  • It Helps Share News: You’ve got updates, news, cool new food items on the menu. Share it on social but also on your blog. Gone are the days of traditional PR – today, most brands and businesses are leveraging their own blog as a place to share newsworthy updates to readers, guests, partners and more. 

Have questions about getting started on your blog or looking for an experienced team of writers and marketers to do the heavy lifting for you? Get in touch with our team today! 

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Travel Restrictions Are Lifting – What that Means for Your Hotel Marketing Plan

It is safe to say that the pandemic-that-shall-not-be-named made a big impact on the world. As we all know, travel and tourism has been one of the sectors most impacted over the course of the past 20 months. 

The good news is as the vaccine becomes more easily accessible globally and available to children (for now, ages 5 – 17), travelers are ready to hit the road, air, and sea. 

The bad news? Your marketing efforts waned a bit over the course of the pandemic due to border closures, travel restrictions, and a bonafide lack of demand. 

But to quote Bob Dylan, these times they are a-changing. 

So, here are a few ways that you can beef up your marketing strategy as travel restrictions lift. 

1. Align your Marketing and Revenue Management Strategy: When developing a strong marketing strategy, it is vital to align every aspect of the business. This means that direct booking perks, new offers, benefits and packages, and flexible cancellation policies should be known and out there for the world to find. 

2. Prepare Your Website: Your website should serve as a peek into what’s happening with the hotel and allow potential guests to find information they need to easily (key word there) book online. 

Take the guesswork out of the experience for potential clients and repeat guests. Example: the hotel is open and accepting reservations, our restaurant is currently closed during this time, the spa is taking limited reservations, etc.

In addition, make sure you highlight that the hotel is still taking proper precautions (and list those precautions as they evolve) to ensure the overall safety of everyone.

Lastly, it never hurt to have a blog that you continually update to highlight any new amenities, rooms, menu changes, etc. 

  • Implement a Flexible Cancellation Policy: This added peace of mind for guests can be just what they need to commit to booking with you. Life happens, as we’ve seen these COVID years; the assurance that they could rearrange their schedule or cancel without penalty puts less pressure on the guests.
  • Amp up your posting, blogging, and email marketing: if you slowed your pace, now is a great time to pick it back up again. Start showing what’s going on, start opening a more continuous dialogue with guests and travelers.

And, as always, continue to stay on top of any potential changes in travel restrictions. As the times are still delicate and flexing, it’s best to be informed so that you can better assist guests as they make their own plans. 

Good luck! 

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Are Promotions Worth It for Your Hotel’s Marketing Strategy?

It goes without saying that most people love a good discount. For hotels, a promotion is much akin to a fine wine. Yes, please. 

When it comes to booking travel, most guests have already made the decision to travel and where they want to stay by the time they go online to book. Promotions are just icing on the proverbial cake.  

So, are promotions even worth offering if guests are already willing to book at full-rates? Surprisingly, the answer is yes. 

Discounts, while sounding a little dirty, are actually good for the brain! In fact, every time we see or receive a discounted rate – we get a hit of dopamine. Dopamine is a hormone that is associated with feelings of pleasure and satisfaction. And dopamine is released when we get a deal (so much to unpack here, but that’s for another post). 

And once we are feeling good from receiving a deal – we are in a better position to spend more money. Counter-intuitive? Yes. Good for business? Also, yes. 

By offering discounts and promotions on room rates, and stays, you are better suited to incentivize guests to purchase additional items like food, spa treatments, extended stays, and – you guessed it – return visits. 

Now, this is not to say you should be tossing discounts around all willy-nilly. In fact, less is more. Keep your promotions brief and not too often, that allows for a culture of FOMO to be created around receiving these discounts and opportunities. That’s why you’ll see so many events listing “limited space” or sales for “limited time.” 

Get it while the getting is good.  

And for hotels and travel – the good is worth getting right now. 

So go forth and get some. If you have questions or need help in the execution of your marketing strategy – give us a call today. 

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Hotel Marketing In a Post-Pandemic World

For hotels and hospitality, trying to beat back the epic whiplash that has been the Covid Pandemic this past 19 months has been one for the books. 

Guests want to travel. Guests cannot travel. Countries have opened borders, countries have closed borders. Travelers need a covid test. Travelers need a vaccine. 

One word: chaos. 

So, as a hotel or a business in the hospitality arena – how do you focus on growth and driving bookings in the face of all the back-and-forth?

It’s simple really: you focus on the experience. We are all in desperate need of a vacation, or three. Guests are ready to go and primed for the pump, as they say. It’s not a question of are people ready to travel, it’s a question of “where to first?”

While the digital world has made of-the-moment marketing that much easier and more accessible, it is imperative to break through some of the white noise and make your property stand out. Guests need to go from “this property is on my list” to “I’ve just booked a trip!”

It’s All About Allure

A picture is worth a thousand words. As a content marketing company, that means quite a bit. If you haven’t updated your image bank during the pandemic, now is the time. Snap some Gram-worthy shots of food, rooms, and the overall experience of your property. Be sure to get photos that both capture the lifestyle and feel of the hotel as well as some standard lay-flats, and product shots. One key note: don’t use the same models in each photo – you want to extend the life of the photography and having a number of models at one shoot is a great way to do that. 

The photos should be used across mediums: blog posts, website portfolio, social media channels, and of course, email marketing. 

Create Enticing Promotions

When building promotions for your hotel, try and get creative today. Most hotels will also be offering promotions (stay 3 nights, 4 night free; credits at the restaurant or spa, etc). While all promotions are fun, it captures the attention better when your promotions are playful and unique. Create something that will entice guests not only to book with you but also to share in the joy of this great promotion you’ve created. Capture the tone and feel of your space and go wild. 

Don’t Go Too Deep into the New

A lot of times, when we are hungry for growth – we tend to throw a fair amount of ideas at the walls and see what sticks. The same is true for hotel and hospitality marketing. Trust us when we say: avoid this at all costs. Focus on key avenues that you want to pursue and see them through. Don’t waste time, energy and money trying to find out-of-the-box ways to drum bookings. 

You’ve got this. Guests will come. If you need help executing your marketing or creating new property-specific strategies, give us a call today. 

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The Scary Realities of Social Media Marketing

Effective marketing is all about meeting your people where they’re at. Increasingly, that’s on social media sites like LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. And while social is all the rage, it’s important to know just what you’re getting into before throwing all your eggs in one basket.

As you consider your marketing goals and opportunities for growing your small business, it’s important to be focused, strategic, and… realistic. Here are three social media realities you need to be aware of before investing time and money into your marketing campaigns.

3 Things You Need to Know About Social Media Marketing

  • It doesn’t drive a high ROI (for everyone) – Some people talk about social media marketing like its gold. They say if you just do a few simple things, you can strike it rich in no time. Not so much… Instead, the reality is that your social strategy may not result in a huge return on your investment, but does that mean you shouldn’t do it? Of course not!

There are several important reasons why your business should maintain an active social media presence. A big one in terms of cost is that it can be done relatively inexpensively. You don’t have to spend thousands or tens of thousands of dollars on marketing and advertising to see results. Consistently posting content and engaging on your social channels is enough to demonstrate your credibility and offer useful information to followers (which will translate into results over time).

  • It will not solve all your marketing woes – Some people turn to social media for instant gratification. From news to entertainment, we can track what’s happening in real-time. The challenge with marketing, however, is that it’s not instant. It requires you to be steady and consistent for the long-haul.

Entering a social media channel with the hopes of it suddenly driving up your business 10-fold will leave you sorely disappointed. It takes time to build your followers and establish your reputation. The best way to speed along the process and grow your business is to use social media in conjunction with the other two components of the marketing trifecta – 1) blogs, 2) newsletters and 3) social.

  • It isn’t just a numbers game on followers – it’s engagement you’re after – Having hundreds or thousands of followers sure sounds appealing, but how many people do you “follow” that you could really care less about? Simply having followers isn’t worth much if they’re not engaging with your content, products, and services.

By actively engaging with your target clients (rather than trying to reach the millions of people on the Twitter-sphere), your marketing efforts will be much more effective and impactful.

Social media is an important marketing tool your business absolutely needs to be using – as long as your eyes are open to the realities of what the various platforms can offer. Which channel(s) you should use will depend on your line of business and where your will-be customers are most likely to linger.

For help getting your social media strategy off the ground or taking your business to the next level, get in touch with us at The Found Gen.