9 Excellent Social Media Marketing Strategies for Hotels for 2022 (2023)

Social media have become an integral part of our lives today.

Given the immense number of users, various social media platforms offer numerous opportunities for businesses to interact with their audience.

It not only helps hotels to promote their business but also creates an effective online presence on the internet.

Did you know?

97%of guests use social media to share pictures of their trips. Even I!

This gives hoteliers an easy way to showcase their hotel and attract more guests.

Let's find out how to promote your hotel through social media below. I have developed the safe social media marketing ideas for your property here.

First and foremost, identify your target audience

Before implementing social media marketing strategies for hotels, you need to understand how hotels use social media to attract customers.

The answer to that is really extensive. However, there is one aspect you need to know – knowing and understanding your target audience.

That means you, as a hotelier, should familiarize yourself with your audience.

For that, let me show you some real-world statistics.

2 out of 5 millennialsadmit that hotel and travel images on social media influence their booking.

This proves that millennials will not choose a hotel for their stay without social proof.

Your credibility on social media plays an important role in your guest's purchasing decision. Basically, by carrying out your hotel's social media marketing, you have the opportunity to impress your guests even before they visit your hotel.

The nature of your audience certainly depends on the services you offer in your hotel. AND of course your hotel location.

To understand them better, dig up some historical data and find out what kind of guests visit your hotel often? Are they couples, millennials, companies, families or groups?

On the other hand, your target group also counts. Let's say you're currently welcoming families and groups, but now want to cater to businesses. So maybe you definitely need to come up with some new hotel marketing ideas.

Here are some fresh onesPromotional ideas for hotelsIn this case.

All you have to do is define an accurate database of your target audience and plan your hotel's social media marketing accordingly.

Top social media marketing strategies for hotels

Now that you've learned how to define your audience, it's time to learn how to promote your hotel on social media. Therefore, in this section, all social media platforms (the relevant ones) are explained with detailed steps.

Read, learn, and implement to see how it impacts your hotel's marketing game.

1. Facebook – create a profile, go live, advertise!

When I talk about the best social media marketing strategies for hotels, Facebook always tops the list. And needless to say, the popularity of this mass media platform. As the most trafficked social media platform, it offers you a number of ways to promote your hotel.

It goes without saying that Facebook is indeed an inevitable social media marketing approach for your hotel.

Create your company profile

First things first: create your property’s business profile. Make sure to add the required details and COMPLETE your profile.When you're done, follow these steps to get your Facebook Page up and running:

1. Create a new Facebook page. Name it under your hotel's brand.
2. Add a REAL profile and cover photo for this page. You can also keep a video as the cover.
3. COMPLETE your Page's profile by adding information such as description, category, address, phone number and everything else.
4. Keep your username so that others can identify you.

Some hoteliers neglect this feature, but it actually has a significant impact on your Facebook followers. A great cover photo, as shown below, can capture the attention of your audience. You should also change your cover photo from time to time.

After creating your profile, the next question that comes up is:

As a hotel, what should I post on Facebook?

Facebook is the best medium to share your content.

Why? Because there is no barrier of word limits, link or video size. The following are some types of posts you can create:

1. Picturesque nearby destinations and eye-catching images of your hotel's interior and exterior.
2. Short Videos.
3. stories and live videos.
4. Special offers, promotions and offers.

But just posting isn't enough, is it? The next important aspect is commitment.

How can I increase engagement on my hotel's Facebook page?

Here are some ways your Facebook Page can get higher engagement.

1. Encourage your guests to use check-ins or location tags on photos and videos. In return, you can offer attractive bonuses.
2. As of today, live video has the highest engagement.
3. Facebook also allows you to run interesting competitions.

For example:

Win a 2D/3N couples package at Royal Beach Resort. Get the chance to enjoy the luxury by following three simple steps:
-Like our page
- Like this post
- Tag your three friends

Trust me, this works wonders! It increases engagement on your posts and will attract a pretty good number of guests.

Add-ons: Facebook ads for hotels

Facebook ads help to target new audiences or even existing audiences who previously visited your site but didn't take any action.

Running Facebook Ads can help you in the long run to:

1. Increase your direct bookings.
2. Promote attractive offers and discounts.
3. Address a large audience.

Here is afull guide on how to start facebook adsfor your property.

You can also download FREE Facebook Ads templates to get you started.

2. Instagram – roles are the new deal!

Instagram is the second most popular social network, followed by Facebook. These two social media networks are linked. Everyone knows that Instagram is best known for sharing pictures and videos.

However, now there is an emerging trend of reels, followed by live videos, stories, commercials and boomerangs.

Instagram is currently the fastest growing media platform with 1 billion monthly active users.

statesman

Also, millennials are the largest consumer group of this platform.

And just to remind you, the human brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text.

Let's continue on how to get the most out of these most popular social media channels for your hotel.

Create an Instagram business profile

Similar to Facebook, create your hotel's Instagram business profile. Make sure you include all required information in your company profile.

IMPORTANT: Don't forget to add your hotel website link in bio!

You will be prompted to connect your Instagram profile to your Facebook business page. DO THAT.

Also, with Instagram, you can now experience cross-messaging between Facebook and Instagram. Update it and you can reply to all your requests from all the applications you use.

As a hotel, what should I post on Instagram?

Since the platform is particularly dedicated to images and videos, you should consider posting high-resolution and interesting images of your hotel's ambiance, services, and amenities.

Of course, users want to see the content that interests them, right? It's not really a hard cookie!

You see, travelers (and Instagram users) tend to like visually appealing posts. So you can share travel tips, local food tips, pictures of your area, upcoming events and discount offers.

Don't forget to add these with the new role trend. You can record and post short 15-30 second videos or a series of photos with enchanting music.

Use the most appropriate hashtags

Posting without hashtags on Instagram is tantamount to not posting (Yes, that's absolutely true!)

In fact, see pictures with hashtags12,6 %more engagement.

To get more engagement, you must first find the relevant and popular hashtags.

And you know what. There are also many tricks in adding these hashtags! Let me share the evergreen with you.

In case you don't know there are two types of hashtags:

1. super popular– #Instalike #likeforlike #followforfollow #igers #tagfortag and so on
2. Less popular-#instatravel #hotels #luxuryhotels #boutiquehotel #besthostel #hoteldeals #hotellocation and so on

My secret source says that it is important that you use both. However, by using less popular hashtags, you can easily rank high and be found by targeted users. On the other hand, using the most popular hashtags can increase the impressions of your posts.

BONUS-TIPP: Inserting a location is also helpful. Posts see 79% more engagement when a location is set. It also helps travelers find your hotel when they search for images of your location.

Try these tips and enjoy the surprises these hashtags have in store for you!

How can I increase engagement on Instagram?

When it comes to driving engagement, nothing beats stories and live videos. Let's go ahead!

Post Instagram stories

Instagram started Stories back in 2016. Since then there has been no turning back.

With Instagram Stories, you can click on the special moments of your day, ask questions or share quick updates about your hotel. These stories last 24 hours, which is the main reason for their engagement with Instagrammers (aka igers!)

If you want a story to stick around, add it to your profile as highlights.

You must be wondering that adding stories alongside posting regular content would take a toll on you. Well, that's not the case.

These stories are only intended to provide a glimpse of what is going on at your company. Here are some examples that might help you when adding your stories.

1. Discounts, ongoing offers and offers
2. Important Announcements
3. A little insight into your working life (aka hotel).
4. Conducting a customer feedback survey
5. ask questions
6. Upcoming Events
7. Pictures and videos behind the scenes of your hotel (#BTS)

Create a unique hashtag just for your hotel brand and include it in all your posts. (Just like we have for #eZeeTech.)

Ask your guests to tag your page in their photos, add the location and use your hotel's hashtag. In return, you should like these images, reply to their comments, and keep engagement consistent.

Shoot an Instagram boomerang

Instagram lets you do a lot more than just post a picture, story, or video. Boomerang takes a series of photos and stitches them together into a high-quality mini video that plays backwards and forwards.

Plus, you can turn everyday moments into something fun and unexpected. You can use it to show off some of your hotel highlights, exciting offers, discounts or anything unique you can think of.

Here is a blog that explainsInstagram Marketing for Hotels.

BONUS-TIPP: You can also repost your guest's posts that you highlight using the Repost app. You can find this app in PlayStore and AppStore.

We also have ready-to-use social media post templates at NO COST.

Get the templates, decide on the type of post you want to publish and start social media marketing for hotels.

share roles

Instagram Reels are the newest way to create and share short and fun videos about your hotel. You are the newest addition to this social channel.

With Reels you can record and edit 15-30 second videos with multiple clips with audio, various background effects and creative tools.

A business (i.e. public) account helps your feed reach a broader Instagram community.

With all of these tips, your post content is king. We have created some ready-to-use social media post templates for you for free.

Get the templates, decide on the type of post you want to publish and start social media marketing for your hotel business.

3. LinkedIn - share the perfect post

If you've been ignoring LinkedIn because of its B2B focus, then think twice. LinkedIn is another popular social media channel after Facebook and Instagram.

This platform is over630 million userson board, straight from the hotel owners to potential guests and even suppliers. This untapped potential customer base could do wonders for your property.

Create your hotel's website

Requirement: You can only create a page on LinkedIn if you have an account there. So first create a company profile. (This can be an owner, CEO or other member of your hotel.)

The next step isCreate Company Pagefrom your profile. Make sure to include all the required details (both on your profile and on the page) so your audience can learn everything about your hotel business from A to Z. Then ensure the following:

1. The name corresponds to the brand of your hotel.
2. You have an interesting and detailed description.
3. Upload a crisp and clean hotel picture - profile and cover photo.
4. Add a link to your website.

Review quarterly if there is anything to update or share with your guests. You can also consider changing your profile and cover photo to maintain engagement.

After setting up your profile, the next thing that comes to mind is:

As a hotel, what should I post on LinkedIn?

Social media itself says that you should share everything that's going on in and around your business. But to attract the right audience, you should post what they expect from you.

LinkedIn is not like any other social media platform. The audience is different, they are here to discover something that is really good for them.

You can share posts about your hotel's facilities, attractive offers, short videos, a virtual tour or similar.

This will help them gain insight into your property and might as well encourage them to book a stay.

Just like Facebook and Instagram, here you can add 3-5 hashtags to your posts for higher engagement.

Now, when we talk about engagement, let's look at,

How can you increase engagement on your hotel's LinkedIn page?

Your social media marketing efforts can only be considered fruitful if you are able to drive maximum engagement to your posts.

Here are some ideas that might help:

1. Start connecting with the right people.
2. Take the right steps to grow your followers.
3. Conduct polls, share carousels, post an engaging story and try to use all the marketing tools provided.
4. Join (relevant) groups and share posts to attract more guests.
5. Provide a timely response, be it negative or positive. Be sure to acknowledge them with a pleasant response.
6. Finally, be ACTIVE, that's all that matters!

The possibilities are endless, consider experimenting with this channel and let me know how it turns out for your property.

4. YouTube - Record and publish the best hotel videos

Videos have higher engagement than images and text content (you will definitely agree with me here).

At the moment,

YouTube attracts 2 billion monthly logged-in users to its platform.

Youtube

And why not?

To be honest, videos on Youtube have a huge impact as TV ads.

In this case, Youtube marketing for your hotel can bring you significant traffic and potential guests. Next to the"in-motion" videos of your hotelare more likely to drive the guests than the still images.

What kind of videos should I publish as a hotel?

1. A video tour of your hotel, capturing the amenities and services.(Including such videos will encourage your visitors to experience staying at your hotel.)
2. Video testimonials from your guests.
3. You can also record a time-lapse video of the nearby location, covering sunrise to sunset.
4. In addition to taking an internal tour, also shoot an outside video showing where your hotel is located.
5. Post videos of events or concerts happening at your hotel.

Now you must be wondering how to shoot the video and manage the investments involved.

Well, you can hire a freelancer to shoot and develop the videos. This is a one-time investment with a consistent return.

What else can hotels do on YouTube?

After you publish videos, your next goal is to rank them on Google. To do this, you need to be very specific when adding a title to your video. Take help fromGoogle-Keyword-Planerto determine which title works best for your videos.

Enrich your video by adding some extra tags like city, state and nice credits.

Make your video descriptions as detailed as possible. The description should also include links to your website and social media channels, and a phone number you can call directly. Respond to customer comments, especially negative ones, as needed.

5. Twitter – tweet, tweet, short & sweet!

To be honest, Twitter is actually a less prominent social media platform in the hospitality industry. However, given the speed at which its popularity is growing, it would be a huge mistake not to include it as part of your hotel's social media marketing!

At the moment,

There are 340 million active Twitter users worldwide.

Hootsuite

If done right, it can bring you potential guests and also drive traffic to your hotel's website.

TTwitter comes with the character limit. However, recently the character limit was increased from 140 to 280 characters. I'm sure you would definitely agree that it's difficult to market or advertise your hotel with only 280 characters.

In contrast – the character limit encourages the millennial guest to use it more. They often use it for quick updates, instant feedback on hotel service, their travel experiences and the like.

In short, Twitter is fast and talkative!

As a hotel, what should I tweet on Twitter?

You can tweet about your special offers, offers or latest updates. Using Twitter really is a breeze. Let me give you some examples:

Royal Beach Resort is pleased to announce a 30% discount on all bookings made between March 6th and March 10th in celebration of Women's Day. Use code WOM30

Or you can do something like this.

The Royal Beach looks forward to welcoming [name of person] on March 18th. Book your room if you want to meet this youthful sensation.

How can I increase engagement on Twitter?

When it comes to replies, hotels generally fail to reply (agree?) in a timely manner.

Be it your online reviews, comments on Facebook, tags, reposts on Instagram or even mentions on Twitter.

Don't forget to reply to anyone who mentioned your hotel page. Even if it's a good comment or a bad comment. (If it's bad, you need to make it a top priority.) Go the extra mile to apologize and reassure the guest of your high standards.

If you don't want to leave your reviews unanswered, download these FREE templates now!

Twitter allows you to keep a close eye on all the chats going around in your audience. So keep an eye on these chats and make the most of them.

For example: If a traveler has had a bad experience with the hotel in your area, you can suggest your hotel by replying to their tweet.

Happy tweeting!

6. Pinterest - Create Stunning Boards

Pinterest is one of those social media platforms that gets less recognition but has been a prominent player throughout.

In case you don't know, Pinterest is a visual image sharing platform.
But if you're using Pinterest, they're PINS, not images or images (beware!).

So if you upload an image (oops, sorry, a pin); You can add a link to this pin.

You can also link all posts to a specific location. Let's say if you upload a photo of your property and 100 people repin it, all 100 pins will still link to your site.

Set up a Pinterest profile

Set up a great Pinterest profile for your hotel. Your profile shows your profile photo, name, bio, and optionally your location. You can edit this information at any time.

You can also see who is following you and what boards, topics and people you are following.

Create your own boards

Pins on Pinterest are organized on boards.Pinterest is packed with these boards. DIY, quotes, fashion are some of the most popular. Basically, these boards are like your personal categories that you can use to classify your pins. Generally, Pinterest users follow specific boards or just your profile.

You can post your hotel's image with content and link it to your website by listing it on some trendboards. (Or you can just create your own board.)

Some examples of boards you can create are:

1. Boutique-Hotels
2. Tips for travelers
3. to eat and drink
4. Picturesque travel destinations

As a hotel, what should I post on Pinterest?

To talk about Pinterest as part of hotel social media marketing, here's what you can do:

1. Showcase the best features of your hotel, viz. Your rooms, amenities.
2. Post photos of everything that makes your area unique, from scenic destinations, beaches, hiking trails, mountain views to restaurants.
3. Highlight what people can do near your hotel.(Tipp: Create a separate board for family/guest activities.)
4. If your hotel has a restaurant, show some attractive pictures of your tasty treats (#foodporn). And if not, post photos of nearby cafes or takeaways.
5. Try to give visitors helpful advice or information when you have time.

7. WhatsApp - reach 10x the audience

I'm sure you must have a good understanding of what WhatsApp is and how it works. So let me help you with some core features that can be beneficial for your business.

If we talk about active users for WhatsApp, this channel beats all social platforms. It has2 billion usersworldwide. That's a lot of customers - potential and current to grow your hotel business.

While WhatsApp marketing doesn't allow you to post or upload photos, its messages allow you to reach all your audiences in a split second.

Also, you can now post stories on WhatsApp that will help you share any updates about what's happening at your property.

Business owners can download the WhatsApp Business app. It allows you to register and display your business as a recognized brand to your target audience.

We have a complete guide for hotels to make the most of WhatsApp's potential. Try it.

WhatsApp Business includes:

Business Profile:You can create a profile for your brand to help your guests find valuable information like a website, location, and contact information along with a free profile picture. You can also create a store catalog that includes multiple images, product or service names, prices, descriptions, links, and product or service codes.

Business-Messaging-Tools:Use the out-of-office message feature to reply to all your messages. This allows you to reply immediately to anyone who sends a message to your registered number. You can set an out-of-office message, a welcome message, or an introductory message (in case you're being notified for the first time).

WhatsApp-Web:You can track all your messages more efficiently and reply to your customers right from your desktop or laptop.

It goes without saying that this app allows you to share files and images and supports free voice and video calls. (Which helps you stay connected with all your guests at any time of the day or night.)

The best thing WhatsApp offers is that you can send multiple or bulk messages to as many potential guests as you like. All you have to do is create a broadcast group!

Today, your guests are barely away from their phones. This makes it a great opportunity for you to use mobile messaging platforms to communicate with them.

8. Influencers – connect and improve marketing!

The core idea behind itInfluencer marketing for hotelsis nothing more than word of mouth.

For this reason, influencer marketing is an important aspect of social media marketing for hotels.

Who are Influencers?

An influencer (also known as a blogger) is a person who, because of their authority, knowledge, position, or relationship with their audience, has the power to influence people's purchasing decisions. They have built a reputation for their knowledge and expertise on a specific topic.

They regularly publish posts related to this topic on their favorite social media channels. In this way, they generate a large following of dedicated people who pay great attention to their views.

Influencer marketing for hotels involves reaching out to the influencers associated with the travel and hospitality industry.

How do I do influencer marketing for my hotel?

First, find a hospitality influencer in your area. Try connecting with them to stay and promote your business. In return, offer them great deals, deals, or a free stay. (Tip: if you do this during off-peak seasons, you can really benefit!)

Ask the influencer to take as many photos and videos as possible when they stay at your hotel.

Once you've endorsed an influencer, develop a thorough marketing plan. This plan should also include pre-marketing and post-marketing ideas.

Later, use it thoroughly in your social media posts.

Zostel recently made a video with Shivya Nath(The Shooting Star), a famous travel blogger from India who has been traveling for almost a decade.

9. TripAdvisor – improve hotel reviews

This is not a hidden factTripAdvisor offers numerous benefits to hotelsand has become the most popular travel website over the years. On top of that, it's a no-brainer to consider this travel giant a part of hotel social media marketing.

Here's why:

1. The site receives about463 million unique visitorsevery month.
2. TripAdvisor users have contributed over859 million ratings and opinions.

TripAdvisor Media Center

Today, travelers use it extensively to determine where to go, who to stay with, and what attractions to visit. If your hotel's presence is NOT on this mega travel website, then you are surely missing out.

How do you do marketing on Tripadvisor?

Each hotel can write its description, the amenities it offers and everything that makes it unique. You just have to do that with great pictures.

Find out which category is right for you in two ways:

1. Depending on the type of accommodation, viz. B&Bs, boutique hotels, resorts and the like.
2. According to the audience or your services, viz. budget, romantic, family friendly, business or luxury.

Get the most reviews on TripAdvisor

The number of reviews on your TripAdvisor account is directly proportional to the bookings you will receive.

in simple words,

More reviews = more bookings = more sales.

TripAdvisor gives hoteliers two surefire ways to get more reviews.

1. TripAdvisor Review Express Program

TripAdvisor operates a TripAdvisor Review Express program that helps hotels collect more reviews on the site for free. In this program, TripAdvisor reaches out to your recently checked-out guests to provide a review of your hotel.

However, you can only enroll in this program if your hotel technology provider is a TripAdvisor connectivity partner.

If you want to know how this program works, you can explore it in detail here:

Additionally, you can set up automatic emails after guest check-out to collect reviews on TripAdvisor and other online platforms.

2. TripAdvisor Traveler Review App

You can add the very interesting TripAdvisor Traveler Reviews app to your hotel's Facebook business page(which is free).

By integrating this app, your guests can give you reviews on TripAdvisor from your Facebook page. And believe it or not, it's easier for guests to leave you a review on Facebook than on any other platform.

The central theses

Now that we've talked about what to consider and do when it comes to social media marketing for hotels, let's bring it all together.

By now you are familiar with the whole of carryingfrom your hotel's social networksmedia marketing. Right?

But what next?

Just KNOWING the strategies is not important. Your execution matters a lot.

Here are some of the essential things to consider for the long-term and fruitful benefits of these social media strategies.

1. Define strong goals

Let me ask you a question here – why should you start social media marketing for your hotel?

In any case, you must have a valid reason for doing so. But my point is - turn that answer or reason into your GOAL.

Indiscriminately practicing these strategies may not produce the desired results. So set goals to achieve them.

If you are new to social media marketing, your initial goal may be- Increase your followers to 10K.

On the other hand, if you are an old player, then your goal may be like –Increase lead conversion ratethrough these platforms.

2. Link your social media pages

Linking your various social media platforms is really important. This will help you have a balanced audience and traffic.

Most importantly, your profile picture and link to your hotel website are the same and added on every social media handle.

You should also check that all company information is correctly listed on each individual social media platform.

3. Cross-post

Cross-posting is the process of creating great content and posting it on multiple social media platforms. Ultimately, this would help you optimize your social media strategy across all platforms.

Additionally, it would also take less time and effort to keep your social media accounts active and healthy. It can help you retain your existing audience, expand your reach, and attract new followers.

Active social media channels will help you grow fast and get more followers.

4. Be consistent on social media

Now it is not necessary that you have to post every day. But the frequency with which you post should be consistent.

Let's say if you post every other day this should be consistent throughout.

It's okay to miss out sometimes, but don't let it become a habit (because we're experts at procrastination!)

You can reach more people by posting content regularly across all platforms. Plus, you can easily grow your online presence and increase website traffic.

5. Take advantage of paid advertising

Most social media platforms offer paid ads. In social media marketing for hotels, this is a boon.

You can get a significant budget and try to advertise on different social media platforms.

I have some great content to help you get started on Facebook andGoogle Ads for your hotel.

And I'm not asking you to run ads for years at a time. Try them for a few months, run experiments, and then decide after seeing the results.