If you know anything about the hospitality industry, you’re likely aware of the importance of direct bookings. Many hoteliers struggle with garnering direct bookings from guests with the popularity of OTAs. However, the fees these OTAs charge cuts into the money hoteliers make from each booking.

Getting those direct bookings may seem challenging, but it’s not impossible. With the popularity of social media, you can attract travelers’ attention while they’re casually scrolling through their feed, and with enough inspiration, you can encourage them to book directly with you.

The Social Media to Website Pipeline

In order to lead travelers away from social media to book directly on your website, you first need to grab their attention. High-quality photos or graphics and short, sweet, and relevant content are the best ways to capture interest. 

It’s also important to reduce as much friction as possible. If travelers have to search for your hotel on Google to find your website, they’re likely not going to go through the trouble. Instead, make things easy for them by always linking to your site in each post, or at least in your profile.

Make Your Social Media Audience Feel Special

Everyone loves feeling like they got a great deal. Creating special offers for your social media followers has many benefits for your hotel, even if it may seem counterintuitive. These special deals can still generate more revenue than paying OTA fees would get you.

For one, they help create an audience that is loyal and trained to book directly, saving you from costly OTA fees. Secondly, deals and contests encourage travelers to check your social account often for updates, giving them more opportunities to interact and engage with your content. This leads us to our final point, which is that all that engagement increases your chances of being seen by other travelers, which starts the process all over again.

Creating a Social Media Strategy

Having a solid social strategy to stand on is critical when you’re starting a campaign of special offers. If you’re not posting regularly or your content isn’t engaging, travelers aren’t going to interact with you as much as they might, and you’ll be wasting time, energy, and money.

If you find that your hotel’s social media accounts are often left unattended or your content is lackluster, the social media experts at Travel Media Group can help. Our social media team creates up to 5 custom and actionable posts per week, giving you the content and consistency you need to build your following. We can also help you target your ideal audience with ad spend so your hotel gets in front of the right eyes. Check out Travel Media Group’s social media solutions today!