Why Social Media Marketing matters more than ever to hospitality marketing

The use of smartphones has not only changed the way people consume data and interact with each other but also the way they travel. Now more than ever, people are using their mobile devices to plan every aspect of their trips, whether that’s out for a meal or a weekend away. Combined with the many social platforms that are now out there, this has created an incredibly flexible ad powerful marketing platform for the hospitality sector.

A recent survey by eMarketer found 51.8% are using their devices to complete travel bookings - a figure expected to rise to 86.4% by 2019, while ThinkWithGoogle reports 49% of all hotel searches take place through mobile phones.

Following the idea that consumers are now looking for a complete travel experience, booking companies within the hospitality and travel industry like Tripadvisor and Airbnb are becoming even more mobile focused. It’s not enough to simply sell the service using traditional strategies anymore.

This is thanks to the increase in brand popularity across social media platforms. Consumers, in particular Millennials, are focusing on the bigger picture when it comes to planning a trip or holiday. Decisions are now based on what they will get out of the trip as a whole and if they are being offered a fully immersive experience.

That’s why building up your brands following to spread awareness via social media is key.

Develop a strong strategy

It’s essential to first develop a strong content and marketing strategy. Using each of the social platforms including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter enables you to market your product across a variety of channels allowing your customers to locate you easier as well as spreading awareness about what you have to offer. It also encourages your guests to share their experience’s firsthand producing organic content for their friends to see, publishing your products to a new audience.

People are inspired by others’ opinions of where to visit, stay and what activities they should try. New figures show 97% of millennials share photos and videos of their travels online with 89% planning their travel activities based on content posted by their peers online.

With 73% of travellers using a mobile device to research a trip in 2016, it is therefore key to have a strong online presence.

Another way of boosting your companies persona is through reaching out to your customer reviews and comments, this is also a good tool for complaint management. It’s a more personal and direct channel for you to interact with your customers.

Video is vital

According to Hubspot, in 2017 video content will represent 74% of all internet traffic. This is why it is essential to be publishing high quality video content across your social media channels.

It is a great way to showcase what your hotel/restaurant/bar has to offer as well as the surrounding area, events and to get a general feel for the location.

According to Google’s Traveller’s Road to Decision report, 66% of people watch travel-related content while thinking about taking a trip.

Other avenues such as live video, VR, and aerial photography/film are growing ever more popular and are a key way to separate yourself from the competition.

It’s all about content

At UNBXD we pride ourselves on creating high quality content for our customers, it is an excellent way of encouraging your audience to make bookings as well as showcasing the venue and what you have to offer.

Stepping up your content in the form of blogs and long form copy raises awareness about events and activities in surrounding areas. Innovative and interesting city and travel guides are incredibly useful in generating continuous conversations and increasing interaction between consumers and the brand in an unforced manner.

With people doing more searches than ever before prior to booking, inspiring organic destination marketing is particularly useful in upping brand visibility through successful SEO and keyword implementation, incorporating a subtle call to action.

To find out more about our Social Media Marketing and Content Creation retainer packages, get in touch with a member of the UNBXD team today.