The Evolution of Influencer Marketing for Hotel Industry

Earlier consumers used to make buying decisions as and when they came across TV ads, newspapers, or magazines.

These days consumers are making most of their decisions after hearing from online personalities aka influencers.

Influencer marketing for hotels acts as a powerful marketing tool helping them to attract potential visitors and increase their booking rates. A report from Edelman states that around 35% of consumers trust what influencers say.

In this blog, you will learn everything about what influencer marketing is, the benefits of partnering with an influencer, and the exact steps you should follow to select the right influencer for your hotel brand. 

An overview of influencer marketing for hotels

Influencers aka the opinion leaders have the capability of convincing their followers. After all, every hotel these days is interested in increasing their online visibility on social media and connecting with their audience.

In simple words, influencer marketing means when a hotel brand collaborates with a social media personality who has an engaged audience on various platforms including Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, etc.

Hoteliers get various benefits by tapping into influencer marketing such as maximizing their brand exposure, reaching a wider audience, or generating leads out of it.

A few years back, hoteliers used to engage with their guests by showing glossy ads and throwing promotional content on social media. But this strategy isn’t going to work anymore as consumers want personalized experiences.

Influencers are the NEW trendsetters for hospitality brands as potential guests tend to value their opinions before choosing a place.

Research studies found that brand sales increased up to 5.2x after they decided to collaborate with influencers.

According to an influencer marketing study conducted by Tomoson, influencer marketing reaps great rewards for brands because, for every $1 spent on influencer marketing, businesses generate $6.50.

Why should hoteliers collaborate with influencers?

We are living in the world of social media where influencer marketing has become the GODFATHER for marketers to create relatable and more personalized experiences.  

When hoteliers collaborate with influencers, they expect a rise in booking rates because influencers have built close relationships with their audience and nurtured them consistently by providing quality content. 

According to Statista, 4.59 billion people used social media in 2022 which is going to rise by 6 billion in 2027.

The above figures state that the number of people joining social media is constantly increasing so it becomes an opportunity for hoteliers to find potential guests by leveraging influencer marketing.

Social media influencers create a WOW experience by creating social media marketing strategies and convincing travelers to book their stay at XYZ Hotel.

Benefits that Influencer Marketing Provides for Hoteliers

1. Drives brand awareness

You would expect your hotel guests to be aware of your hotel business before booking their stay. That’s truly possible when they understand your hotel business. With influencer marketing campaigns, hotels can increase their brand awareness and reach a wider audience.  

Influencers get more engagement and online visibility than regular social media users. Millennials and Gen Z mindlessly scroll on social media to find out about travel and other activities that interest them the most.  

So, if you are underestimating the power of social media, you are losing an opportunity to reach a large number of people who might be interested in your accommodation.  

When influencers talk about your property on their social media feed, you get more eyeballs on your premises.  

2. Cost-effective way to WOW your guests

Partnering with influencers is more cost-effective than traditional marketing methods. If you are choosing traditional ways to market your product, then you need to have deep pockets.  

In influencer marketing, you are not paying for exposure, but rather paying for leads or bookings. 

Even if you are a startup, you can still build your brand by collaborating with micro-influencers who don’t charge much and have a strong influence on their audience. This way, you can save money and create BUZZ about the brand. 

The Tourist Authority of Thailand, for instance, came up with an influencer marketing campaign and asked travel influencers to visit Thailand. 

They had to talk about their visit to Thailand on social media so that other people could experience the same. The campaign worked well by capturing the attention of 1 million people and the country was able to attract tourists.  

3. Get more bookings

Hoteliers who invest in influencer marketing get booked up for weeks or months in advance. When an influencer talks about your hotel, people genuinely show their interest and intend to book a stay at that property. 

Because influencers treat their audience like a friends, people trust their recommendations.  

People feel when a social media influencer posts content and talks about their personal experience at a hotel, then they are more likely to enjoy their stay. Thus, it would lead to more bookings.  

Oberoi Amarvilas in Agra, for instance, wanted to attract visitors from around the world. The hotel planned to start an influencer marketing campaign.  

For this, they partnered with well-known travel influencers who had a strong presence on social media platforms such as Instagram and YouTube.  

They were invited to experience the hotel rooms and then asked to share those experiences by capturing snapshots of the Taj Mahal from hotel rooms and balconies.  

Influencer marketing for this Oberoi Amarvilas captured the attention of domestic and international travelers and got more bookings.  

4. Reach a  wider audience

When a hotelier partners with influencers, they can reach a wider audience, which is next to impossible in the case of traditional marketing channels.  

As influencers have similar target audiences as your hotel, it makes it easier for you to place your property in front of those guests who are unaware of it.  

When influencers create engaging content on social media and share personal experiences at a property, you can discover new and relevant audiences.  

Steps to choose the Right Influencer for hotel Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing becomes successful on the first go because influencers never push your products, they influence people by creating relevant content.  

Your marketing strategies will go to waste if you select the wrong influencer. 

To find the perfect influencer for your hotel, here are 4 steps you should follow-  

1. Identify your target audience

Before doing an influencer search, think about your target guests- who they are, study their needs and preferences, etc.  

Once you understand your target guest's challenges and preferences, demographics, psychographics, lifestyle, habits, etc., then you get clarity as to whether that influencer aligns with your brand identity or not. 

For Instance – If you are running a family-friendly inclusive resort, then you may want to partner with family travel influencers, not the trendy travel industry influencers who are young and unattached.  

2. Be clear about your goals

In this step, you need to ask yourself a few questions before investing in influencer-

• What is your objective behind collaborating with an influencer? Do you want to create a buzz about your brand, or do you want to increase hotel bookings?  
• Decide on short-term and long-term goals for this campaign 
• How do you measure metrics for influencer marketing campaigns?  

Once objectives are laid out, the next step is to keep track of metrics. Numbers such as reach, engagement, and conversions give you insights into how well your marketing efforts are working.

After that, you can set up regular meetings with travel influencers as to how you can improve such metrics.  

3. Find influencers relevant to your brand

Here, you need to find relevant influencers that are relevant to your niche and match your brand audience. 

While partnering with influencers, don’t just look at the number of followings.  

The number of followers doesn’t suffice your goal if the influencer does not have an engaged audience. 

There are several ways to find the right influencer for your hotel marketing campaign such as

• Performing a Google search. You can find the right influencers by searching for specific words or phrases. For example – Top 10 travel influencers in the US.
• Do a quick research on social media platforms by typing keywords or using hashtags such as YouTube, Instagram, etc.
• Lastly, there are various influencer marketing platforms you can choose from. Some of these are Upfluence and Influencer.co, Aspire IQ, etc.  

These platforms allow you to select influencers based on various parameters such as niche, location of influencer, and number of followers they have.

4. Choose the influencers

Now, it’s high time for you to narrow down the list and pick the right influencer that aligns with your brand vision and values. 

Selecting influencers with large followers isn’t the right option every time because less than honest individuals will buy fake followers. 

These fake followers are not likely to engage with your content.  

Don’t just run behind influencers who have 20K followers. Check the number of likes and comments on their posts to ensure whether they are credible or not.  

Best practices hoteliers should follow for influencer marketing campaigns

1. Have clarity of goals and objectives

Your influencer marketing campaign starts with setting goals and objectives. Ask yourself what the goal behind collaborating with influencers is –  

• Do you want to increase direct bookings?
• Do you want to build a community?
• Or want to promote a specific aspect of the hotel?  

Such clearly defined goals for your hotel influencer marketing help you translate those goals into measurable objectives. 

2. Select the right influencer

Firstly, you need to find influencers whose content aligns with your brand and who share similar values with you. 

Secondly, analyze key metrics to measure the success of your influencer marketing campaigns such as reach, engagement, impressions, and conversions so that you can formulate your campaign strategy accordingly.  

3. Set up a creative brief

Another best practice that hoteliers should follow is to create a detailed comprehensive plan such as campaign goals, a timeline of the project, deliverables your influencer will provide, and setting up deadlines as to when influencers will post the deliverable.

4. Monitor the influencer marketing campaigns

You can assess influencer marketing campaigns by keeping track of various metrics such as engagement, reach, and conversions. 

After analyzing such metrics, it becomes a deciding factor for you to see whether it’s worth investing in such a marketing strategy or not.  

The other way to measure the engagement rate is by monitoring the number of likes, comments, and shares in are getting on their posts. Constantly monitoring such data helps you to tweak your marketing strategy accordingly so that you can get optimal results.

End Notes

Investing in influencer marketing is a GOLDMINE for your hotel business as it helps you to increase your brand awareness and get direct bookings. 

With the increasing popularity of social media, brands are hoping for this trend. People have a misconception that influencer marketing is a brand-new concept, however it has been there for several decades. 

If you are unsure of how to find the perfect influencer for your hotel, the above steps surely help you to choose the right influencer that aligns with your brand vision and mission. 

Also, you need to assess influencers based on other factors as well such as quality of content, reach, and engagement within the hotel industry.