Stewart Moss, Managing Director at High Level Software, part of the Zonal Family, joins us for a quick Q&A to explore how hoteliers can leverage their social media presence to drive revenue, from the role social media plays in the booking journey, to engaging with consumers and what a hotel’s social media strategy should include.
Social media uh is extremely important for hotel in 2 3 it’s become an integral part of the hospitality industry uh playing a significant role in shape in the guest experience and influencing bookings social media provides a direct line of communication between hoteliers and and guests of the future it allows
Hotels to engage with their audience uh before they stay or even after this day uh respond to reviews both positive and negative in a in a consistent Zone and really demonstrate their commitment to get satisfaction before you get there put a safety net around the booking the reputation management is is
A really important part of the social media as well the hoteles really should be responding quickly and uh in a consistent tone of voice to anything that customers leave on their pages and the direct bucketing opportunities assid me from there especially people are using Facebook to book their hotels and
They’re researching the hotels through Instagram prior to staying the fact that 60% of those 18 to 34 year olds are visiting with Pages before have even made their decision uh highlights the influence and the importance of these platforms people are now gathering information and assessing your reputation uh before they stay with
You and I think when you talk about gen Z or gen Z in particular they want to see different things from your business than than really have been uh highlighted before they want to know about um sustainability they want your Venue to be accessible you know I might
Not stay in a suite but I might stay in a year they want to be accessible at all levels uh they want to know how it’s going to improve their Wellness or extend their life if you will people are gathering information assessing what you’re about before they’re staying and then you’re giving
Them some authenticity to to really have Credence to their search and also it does really influence decision- making I think positive reviews engaging content captivating visuals on social media can greatly influence the decision- making process and I think by showcasing the hotel’s unique features highlighting uh the positive experiences you can have we
Only get so many weekends a year you really are putting a safety net around that booking and influencing that that Journey before they even arrive with you hoteliers should have a well- defined social media strategy that aligns with their overall marketing goals uh this strategy should include clear objectives about target audience
Identification content themes posting schedules and performance metrics what are we aiming to do with all this time and work share compelling visual content leverage user generated content if you’ve stayed in this Lively Hotel and then posted about it respond and reshare and again give Credence to the fact that
You will have a great time here it’s kind of a social media prescription if you like for how you can spend your time with this hotel and we won’t let you down for example we’re very close to the Yorkshire Dales here so I would be looking uh to Target groups uh with a
Walking interest I’ll be looking to Target you know dog walkers of of the UK cuz this is a dog friendly hotel I wouldn’t be selling I’d be communicating I’d be engaging with them and saying look we have this great property that oh here’s a dog doing
Exactly what you would like to do and here again is how we’re going to give you a great weekend and a great day in a hotel such as this one where they’ve got an excellent food and beverage area they’ve put a living wall behind you so if you’ve got an
Opportunity to put something in place that encourages people to engage with you and talk about you that’s marketing for free and I think I’ve seen people do very very elaborate things that are very very expensive wonderful and beautiful but I’ve also seen people do things like
Put a map as a large sticker across a stairwell which isn’t expensive but then people people are taking pictures of it because we are here and again people want to talk about the great stay they’ve had and they kind of want to take the boxes so if you’re given them
Something to take at dinner fantastic something to take as they wake up fantastic and then something as a point of Interest around the hotel it doesn’t have to cost the Earth but there’s something there that’s of interest to them to take a picture it’s extremely important to be
Responsive to both good and bad comments because uh your guest the future reading what you say and how you respond to those messages areas where we think it’s especially important is uh brand visibility and awareness you can reach a wider range of people than you could have ever reached before uh customer
Engagement and relationship building so always think about having just maybe two or three people responding rather than a lot of different people to get that consistency of tone and again you want to be authentic and you want to show people how much you care about the comments that they’ve given about your
Business and their time with You