13 Effective Social Media Marketing Strategies for Hotels in 2024

Social media is used in the hospitality sector to engage with the audience and give them glimpses of the services provided. Social media marketing for hotels has the power to influence guests at the very initial stages of planning their vacation or business/work trips. In fact, according to a Travel Pulse article, 36.5% of people use social media for hotel and travel inspiration or ideas. Furthermore, 60% of these users use these platforms to share their experiences online. Therefore, it is important as well as profitable for hotels to leverage the power of social media.

As this year comes to an end, we list down some of the hotel social media marketing strategies to enter 2024 with a more social presence and move upward and onwards as the year progresses. Therefore, you might want to bookmark this blog and thank us later for the most engaging social media account/page! 

Hotel Social Media Marketing Strategies follow in 2024

Social media marketing in the hospitality industry is helping hotels and travel companies to be visible. In an industry so competitive and ever-changing, social media marketing in the hospitality industry is a necessity, more than an option. It allows hotels to give a sneak peek into their property and services, the luxury that awaits guests. 

“With the rise of social sharing and the correlating desire for experiences over material items (in particular by millennials), social media has become the go-to destination for travel-related decision making,”

-Allison Focella, Senior Digital Strategist at a United States PR, and social media agency  

Humans get influenced by other humans the most. A post or a video of guests having the time of their lives at your property would inspire the masses to dream and plan it for themselves. There are ample hotel social media post ideas that could attract people and increase engagement.

Following are some of the best social media marketing strategies for hotels:  

1. Clearly laid down and achievable strategies 

The first step in creating a social media marketing campaign for hotels is to prepare a basic structure or an outline of the strategy. Know your audience, and their needs and formalize strategies accordingly. Decide which social media platforms are you targeting and what content would go on them. Furthermore, establish some practices or guidelines so that the staff is coordinated.

Hotel social media marketing strategies should be specific and achievable. Do not be over-ambitious with your goals. Set short-term goals initially and gradually start planning for a longer term. Take the help of a content calendar to manage your content better. Specific objectives would help bring clarity among teams. Additionally, short terms goals will keep them motivated.

Must Read: Digital Marketing Strategies for Hotels

2. Promote the destination  

As important as it is for you to promote hotel property and services, is promoting the destination where the hotel is located. Spread awareness about the city/state in which you are located; about its rich culture and heritage or delicacies or the adventures it offers, etc. Make people feel that they are missing out on something great by not visiting the destination. Share posts, articles, reels, and videos about the best things to do in the town where your hotel/resort is, or the restaurants that guests just must see. 

3. Influence through influential 

Relatively new, influencer marketing can be a particularly good social media marketing strategy for hotels. It is a type of social media marketing where influencers a brand’s product and encourage their audience to explore the same. With a significant reach and prominence on social media platforms, influencers can promote your business like no other.

Influencers are offered complimentary stays and services at the hotel. Their stay and experience form the promotional content that is viewed by their followers. This is how influencer marketing works. It might sound simple; however, it needs a bit more planning than this. Make sure that you choose value-aligned influencers to promote your brand. He/she should embody the idea and image that you would want to convey through your brand.

4. Ask for Reviews  

Another crucial strategy for social media marketing in the hospitality industry is to ask guests/customers for reviews. Hotels could request guests to review their property and services in their social media stories and posts with tags. These could be reposted. This would increase engagement. More importantly, these reviews reassure other people about your services and build credibility around your brand name. Hotels could benefit from reviews a lot.

Reviews could also be taken on Facebook through a link. Send out automated emails to all your guests after their stay, requesting them to leave a review. Enable your Review tab on Facebook (which can be found under your Page Settings) thereafter. There will be a link that will redirect users to your Page’s Review section when they click, increasing the likelihood that they leave one.

Take a Look At: Hotel Email Marketing Tips

5. Engage Audience 

Any social media marketing strategy for hotels is incomplete without engagement. Engage with your audience through polls, short Q&As, short live videos of celebrations, festivities, etc. Create and use interesting, creative, and trending hashtags, and recreate trending reels. Request your guests to tag you in the pictures and videos they take at your property or while availing of services.

6. Be responsive and a learner 

This is important when it comes to creating a social media presence. Be responsive and interactive with your audience. Avoid tardiness at all costs. Even if the guest is not staying at your property or is not one of your regulars, be quick with your responses. This is a time investment that you need to make. Make everyone feel heard and cared about. Additionally, always be ready and open to learning. Analyze and learn from comments and adopt suggestions that come your way on social media content.

Check all the social media accounts at least twice a day. Respond to comments and queries at the earliest. Ignorance is bliss, but certainly not for hotels. Delayed responses would create a negative sentiment. This, in turn, would hamper business for sure.

7. Time your posts/reels 

Take advantage of peak posting times. If you time your posts right at or immediately before a peak activity period, there are increased chances of views and engagement. That engagement will take you up in the algorithms considerably. Knowing the right time to post can expand your reach and engage with your potential guests.

8. Learn from your competitors 

We, humans, tend to learn and pick on each other’s behavioral traits. Social media marketing also includes learning and taking inspiration from your competitors. Examine your analytics as well as your competitor’s. For example, you might find a strategy working for your competitor and use that information to tailor your strategy accordingly. Tools like Social Media Tacker and Rival IQ can help you with tracking competitors.

9. Posts that are diverse and please sense

Your content should be inclusive, creative and cater to diversity. Content that is biased and controversial in any way can ruin the brand image and what it stands for. Therefore, curate responsible and conscious content that aligns with your brand image.

Additionally, your posts/videos/reals/carousels should be pleasing to the sense and match your brand aesthetics.

10. Consistency is the key  

Consistency is of utmost importance in any social media marketing campaign or strategy. You start a practice/project, you stay consistent. Lags in the same would lead to a loss of engagement and followers. Inconsistency means all efforts going down the drain. It brings you back to square one, the most unideal situation to be in.

11. Play by the Seasons 

For the hospitality industry, seasons are one of the most crucial deciding factors for sales and occupancies. Therefore, seasonality should be kept well in mind while creating social media marketing strategies for hotels. This can mean curating posts for various holidays. Additionally, it can mean customizing your posts for the peak, mid and low seasons. 

You can highlight your hotel’s popularity, and early bird offers through posts. While for the low seasons you could post promotional or thematic packages and attract more people. Therefore, seasons should also influence social media marketing in the hospitality industry. 

12. Paid advertisements work 

It is a known fact that the best way to ensure visibility on Google’s search pages is through paid ads. With the increased usage of mobile phones, with less space for search results, businesses must work towards being seen at the top. Therefore, paid advertisements should be on the marketing strategy lists.

13. Offer value content 

Besides the aesthetically pleasing posts, hotels should also offer valuable content to their users. Provide them with information about the attractions of the destination you are in, the cheapest time and days of booking flights, ways to go light with your packing, travel guidelines, etc.

Content that helps masses to travel light, well-informed, and better could create engagement that benefits the business and guests, alike. Proven Partners, a real estate marketing agency, emphasizes the importance of tailoring yourhotel social media marketing approach to each social network.

Instagram, for example, is ideal for showcasing hotel amenities and guest experiences through high-quality images and stories, while LinkedIn offers a more professional environment for sharing industry insights and networking with corporate clients. Customizing your content to fit the specific strengths and audience of each platform can help hotels maximize their engagement and reach a broader audience effectively.

Social media is a boon for any business, and the hospitality industry too stands to gain from it. Through social media marketing, hotels can promote their business, and thrive in a completive environment. Services are more or less the same in every luxury hotel. However, their effectiveness and how well you are selling them are the deciding factors. While the former can only be experienced, the latter needs more intangible skills and effort. Social media marketing for hotels allows hotels to creatively engage with the masses, and hence, increase visibility and sales. It is the first touchpoint and forms the foundation of any guest journey. First impressions are the most important. You need to make one that displays your ethos!

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