7 Tips Which Hotel Businesses Can Use to Build a Powerful Presence on Instagram
The world of social media is compelling to its right. Not only does it provide people with a platform to connect with others around the world but it also helps businesses to reach a far larger audience as compared to what they could do through traditional marketing only.
By using social media, businesses can reach and engage people through various marketing campaigns which are run on different social networking platforms. These campaigns, in turn, create brand awareness, boost web traffic and generate leads which can, later on, be converted into loyal customers.
In the case of a hotel business, social networking platforms such as Instagram serves as the perfect channel for hotels to engage with users.
This particular platform enables hotels to project their story through its photo-sharing service which helps them to better connect with their audience. Moreover, it allows hotels to create a strong brand presence by building first impressions and personas through vibrant pictures and eye catching captions.
Since Instagram is a photo-sharing platform, the need to translate into different languages does not arise because user attention is gaged through great pictures which do not need a description to convey the message which hotel businesses want to users.
Another reason why hotel companies should use Instagram accounts is that according to a study, 48% of users prefer to use this social media network over other social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to choose travel destinations or to plan vacations.
However, a hotel business or any business for that matter cannot simply incorporate Instagram into its marketing strategy by uploading 50 pictures of your business. Rather the need to understand the power that Instagram provides to businesses and to devise a strategy through which they can use this power to its advantage is crucial.
While considering Instagram the major question which comes in mind is “how and what content to create?”
Generating quality content would be easy for hotels like Ramada Hotel Karachi, Beach Luxury Hotel, Hotel One Lahore, Hotel Javson Sialkot, Hotel Crown Plaza Islamabad, however small hotels in remote areas may find it hard to remain active on Instagram.
To understand how you can use Instagram to your business’s benefit, Jovago Pakistan, which is Pakistan’s no.1 online hotel booking website, brings you some great tips on how to manage your hotel’s Instagram account.
- Stay Unique
To build a strong brand persona and to generate leads, you need to share your individual personality and values with your viewers to stand out from the crowd. Sticking to what is important to you is crucial for gaining and maintaining followers. Moreover, sharing content which speaks about your story is important else you would lose out on your potential customers as they want to hear something different yet meaningful. By considering Instagram as an extension of your hotel photo gallery and using hashtags, you can engage with users in a compelling manner.
- Research your competitors
One of the key things to attract customers is to look at what your competitors are doing. You can do this by taking some time out to look at what some of the popular hotels in your area are doing and by browsing through the types of images they share and the hashtags which they use. By doing this, you will get an idea of what to do and what not to.
- Promote the local area
One of the best ways to attract customers to your hotel is by promoting the local area. By projecting the local beauty, both natural and man-made, and highlighting the local tourist attractions, you can allure customers to explore the place; at the same time encourage them to reside at your hotel while doing so.
- Let your main attractions shine
For creating a brand persona that is unique to you and which helps your hotel to stand out from the crowd, you need to showcase your main attractions as much as possible. You can further enhance these attractions by using a range of filters and layouts and then uploading them to Instagram. Make sure to show your main highlights in an enchanting manner that is both interesting and entertaining to your audience. You can include pictures of your hotel restaurant or pool and even pictures of those satisfied customers who have resided with you.
- Advertise your services and competitions
The probability of the success of holding contests is far greater on Instagram as compared to Facebook because it is far easier and quicker to enter. By organising competitions, you can boost your consumer engagement, by cashing on the opportunity to highlight the services you might offer by using them as a prize for your contests. For example, you can provide a couple’s massage free of charge as a prize if you have a masseuse at your hotel.
- Go behind the scenes
The key to attracting customers to your hotels not only lies in highlighting the services that you offer. Rather by showcasing the people who deliver these services, you can give a more humanistic touch to your brand which will, in turn, make it more attractive in the eyes of the customers. As customers will already be familiar with the staff thanks to your Instagram uploads, the probability of guests checking in with a positive attitude and hopefully extending it to a good review post-stay will be far greater than before.
- Capitalise on user-generated content
One of the best ways to use social media for building your brand is by letting others do the talk. Rather than you doing the talk on your hotel’s behalf, use the content generated by your guests to your advantage. As guests take photos of your property and then share their experience on social media, you can repost them on your hotel’s Instagram account. It will enable you to offer a realistic view to people by showing the hotel through the eyes of their peers. This strategy will reinforce a positive perception of your hotel and generate traffic towards it.
Instagram is a powerful social media offspring which a hotel business can use to their advantage by devising a strategy that is both effective while devising and implementing; keeping in mind the youthful audience of Instagram. You should develop a habit of continuously posting pictures with relevant hashtags to engage your audience using geotags to increase your visibility.
