Social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat are powerful tools for this, allowing hotels to reach and genuinely connect with their base easily.
Read on for 5 ways to leverage social media in your hotel response to coronavirus.
Share your story so guests still listen
Storytelling is a vital marketing strategy for every business – and hotels are no different. Hotel marketing isn’t only about location and great amenities – your vision, your values and your brand personality all make you unique. Social media thrives on good stories, even during COVID 19 closures. Your hotel may need to alter your storytelling content slightly, but it’s still important to keep sharing your story with guests to maintain brand awareness. Post behind the scenes video interviews with staff, share how you’re responding to COVID 19 in terms of business operations and keep creating stand-out visual content that gets your brand noticed in an Insta grid.
Tell guests how you’re responding to COVID 19
Supercharged cleanliness and social distancing will need to become the new normal for when hotels can open again, and many guests are likely to have some anxieties over this. Using social media, make sure you demonstrate the specific steps you're taking to meet new coronavirus demands. Use videos on Instagram or Snapchat to explain your new, extra hygiene protocols, demonstrate new social distancing policies in practice and share some video interviews with key staff responsible for maintaining the new policies. Not only will this reassure guests, it will give you vital authority as a hotel that takes their safety seriously.
Customers are loyal to brands who make them feel special and valued. So even though guests can’t visit you in person, it’s still important to reward them for following your accounts and actively choosing your brand. Even better, creating valued content will lead to increased shares and tags by followers, increasing your brand awareness further.
Some ideas to add value include:
◉ Put together some exclusive content. Share new recipes from your restaurant, or a signature drink from your hotel bar for guests to enjoy at home.
◉ Create some fun quizzes. Facebook is the perfect place to share an entertaining trivia quiz, helping to entertain your guests with fun content during this time. Quizzes are also a powerful way to generate extra guest insight data.
◉ Host a tempting contest. Reward your guests with an exclusive prize draw contest. You can host multiple contests as part of an engagement building strategy, or go big with a grand prize contest to increase your social media profile.
Ask guests for honest hotel reviews
While you’re having to pivot your marketing and business-as-usual response thanks to COVID 19, now is the perfect time to ask for genuine feedback from past guests. Make sure to use your guest WiFi database to get in touch and ask for feedback from recent guests, but don’t skip feedback requests on social media. People love to share their opinions, and social platforms make starting an engaging conversation easy. Use Instagram AMA (ask-me-anything) sessions, Facebook polls or upload engaging questions that ask guests how they really feel about your hotel brand, past stays and what they really want to see you offer for future bookings. You’ll make sure you’re aligning with guest trends and preferences, but it’s also a key way to make guests feel engaged, involved and understood.
Promote your hotel’s reopening across your networks
When the time comes for you to welcome guests back safely, you’ll need to let your guests know you’re ready. Social media is the perfect tool for this.
◉ Offer your social media followers promotional discounts to encourage direct bookings, for example Snapchat or Instagram Stories specific offers.
◉ Use your followers to generate important SEO ranking content for your hotel. Ask for user-generated content from guests to reassure and encourage other bookings.
◉ Use video across your networks. Highlight the new steps you’ve introduced to be a Covid-secure hotel and film your great location or fantastic amenities.
To wrap up
Engaging with guests during Covid19 shutdowns is paramount for hotels wanting to welcome guests back. Social media is essential to this – allowing hotels to share their brand story, keep connecting with guests and demonstrating how much they value their loyalty, ready to welcome them back.
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