In today’s digital landscape, travelers turn to social platforms for inspiration and recommendations, and your hotel’s online presence holds the key to its success or failure. A robust social media presence is not just an opportunity for brand awareness but a necessity for properties looking to thrive in the competitive hospitality industry.

Whether you are a bed-and-breakfast or a luxurious resort, mastering the art of social media can significantly enhance your brand visibility and audience engagement, ultimately driving bookings. Are you leveraging the full potential of social media in your hotel marketing strategy, or is there more to be gained? This complete guide is a comprehensive resource offering expert insights, actionable strategies, and best practices to propel your social media to new heights of success in the digital space.

Why Is It So Important?

Most, if not all, hoteliers understand the importance of an online presence for their property. There are various reasons why being active online can benefit your business, including your guests being on there and your competitors being on there (or not). You can build a community of loyal customers and a strong brand reputation that reinforces your offline presence. 

Beyond engaging with your guests and competing with other hotels in the area, social media is a cost-effective way to market your property or brand. Creating a business page is free on every platform and grants businesses the opportunity to run paid advertisements if they choose to. While not necessary, paid ads are a vital feature of digital marketing and should be utilized if and when possible.

What Platforms Should I Utilize? 

With new social media platforms popping up left and right, being active online can be intimidating. Each platform has unique features that hoteliers should know about to ensure they pick the most appropriate ones for their properties. While there are more platforms than the ones listed below, these five are the most popular and effective.

Facebook

• Largest age group: 25-34 
• Ability to create a “Facebook Event” for things happening at the hotel
• Live stream capability
• Post text, photos, and videos
• Facebook ads

Instagram

• Largest age group: 18-24 
• 81% of Instagram users research new solutions or services using this platform.
• Photo and video-heavy
• Post reels, stories, boomerangs, and live videos
• Instagram ads
• Influencer opportunities

LinkedIn

• Largest age group: 25-34 
• 80% of B2B social media leads
• Good for business travel
• Short or long-form text
• Photos and videos
• Live stream capability
• LinkedIn ads

TikTok

• Largest age group: 18-24 
• Video prominent – posting clips of your property, hotel features, location, etc.
• TikTok ads
• Live stream capability
• Influencer opportunities

X/Twitter

• Largest age group: 25-34 
• 71% of users receive news and updates from X
• Short-form text prominent
• Photos and videos
• Use X as a customer service and guest experience platform rather than for engagement.
• Live stream capability
• X ads

Planning a Social Media Strategy

Before worrying about anything else, creating a social media strategy is the number one step to becoming active. The strategy is a comprehensive plan outlining how your property will leverage social media and its specific goals. While social media strategies are prone to change over time, these steps will start you on the right path to social success.

• Target the Right Audience: 
  • Identify the majority genders, ages, nationalities, income levels, and travel purposes of previous guests. This information will affect your platform choices and content style and improve your ad strategy.
• Choose Platforms:
  • Analyze where your audience is most active, explore platform features, and determine your bandwidth.
• Pinpoint Goals:
  • Hotel goals can vary per property. Some may want to increase brand awareness, promote events, or use it as an announcement/update platform. Whether doing one or all, creating attainable and measurable goals is critical for taking your profiles to the next level.
• Refine Brand and Tone:
  • Your online and offline presence should match to eliminate disconnect. Your reputation can be damaged if a customer books based on your social media but has an opposite experience when they stay. 
  • Create a clear brand image but keep a human element so users remember someone real is behind the profiles.
  • Adjust tone to fit each platform (ex, fun and playful on Instagram, informative and helpful on LinkedIn)
• Set Budget:
  • Put money behind organic posts to “boost.”
  • Create ad campaigns 1-2 times each month.
  • Hire a photographer and videographer each year to update the website and have new content to post.
  • Set aside money for influencer campaigns.
• Content to Post:
  • Using what you already have access to makes capturing content easier.
  • Property-Specific: room tours, dining options, events, property features, and specials/deals. 
  • Evergreen: holiday and national days, property/city trivia, staff/employee highlights, guest reviews, FAQs, and traveler tips and tricks. 
  • Seek out UGC to repost on your page.
• Create Content Calendar: Digitally or physically, lay out a calendar and start filling it out in this order:
  • Holidays + National Days (Christmas or National Employee Day)
  • Events (Concerts, Conferences, or Sporting Events)
  • Content Series (Employee Spotlights, Guest Reviews, Hotel/City Trivia)
  • Evergreen Content (Hotel Property and Features, Travel Tips, Seasonal Content)
• Analyze Metrics:
  • Content performance might vary depending on the type of post.
  • Monitor metrics within three months of your first post.
  • Keep track of your competitors’ performance to see what you can do better.

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Content Creation

Creating content can be daunting if you don’t know where to start. Luckily for hoteliers, content creation does not have to involve large-scale production. Content can be captured and posted directly from a cell phone. While hotels vary in niche, there are several best practices and examples of content that every property can integrate into its social media strategy:

Best Practices

• Tell Your Story: Use unique selling points (USPs) to differentiate you from the competition.
• Post Quality Content: Avoid “fluff.” Content should be insightful and informative or appeal to human emotion.
• Be Authentic: Stay true to your property; don’t advertise as something you are not.
• Stay Consistent: Stick to your content calendar and remain active. 
• Specs and Formatting: Make sure your content is in the correct format, depending on the platform. 

Content Examples

• Room/Suite Tour
• Room Views
• Amenity Tour (pool, fitness center, business center, restaurant)
• Employee Highlights
• Restaurant Menu + Specials
• Check-In Video
• Behind-The-Scenes
• Fun Facts or Quizzes
• Five-Star Review Repost
• Special Rates, Packages, and Other Deals
• User-Generated Content From Previous Guests

Once you curate multiple content pieces, it’s time to assemble your content calendar. A content calendar will keep you on track for consistently posting across multiple platforms. Create a physical or digital calendar to plan out the upcoming month. 

Posting 3-5 days a week is the sweet spot. Avoid posting on Saturdays or Sundays unless it is a holiday because users spend less time on their phones on weekends. To start, use the overall optimal times to publish content. Over time, you can track when your audience is active the most and adjust accordingly.

• Mondays from 10 a.m. to noon
• Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Thursdays from 9 a.m. to noon
• Fridays from 9 to 11 a.m.

Besides posting during optimal times and days, adhering to each platform’s specs and supported formats is essential. A video optimized for LinkedIn may not be optimized for Instagram. 

Leverage Each Platform

While the platforms have differences, many features allow for cross-integrating. Posts on Instagram can simultaneously be posted to Facebook if the accounts are linked. This same post can be resized and repurposed for LinkedIn and X. For link-friendly platforms, always include a call to action and a link at the end of your copy to increase website traffic and simplify booking. Put your website’s link in the bio on Instagram and refer users to it in the caption.

“Book now ➡️ hotel123456.com”

“Click the 🔗 in our bio to learn more!”

Are you lacking engagement on specific platforms? Run campaigns and contests to drive followers and engagement with incentives. Give out gift cards, company swag, or vouchers for their stay if they follow your page and engage with three posts. You can promote these contests with your other profiles! 

Although most content can be cross-posted, it is still important to incorporate unique posts for each of your pages. Users who follow you on Facebook may see no reason to follow you elsewhere. Utilize Instagram’s interactive features, such as polls, quizzes, or questions on your story, to get followers involved. Post your longer-form videos on TikTok and Instagram Reels. Drop behind-the-scenes content or giveaways on Facebook. Using each platform to its fullest potential will not only grow your audience, but the algorithm will reward your page and push it to users’ feeds.

Social Listening + Answering Comments/Messages

Previously, if guests had questions before booking or problems during their stay, they called the hotel’s front desk. In today’s world, social media has spurred an increase in online hotel and guest interaction. Hoteliers who use these platforms to create a welcoming and responsive community actively build customer loyalty and prove their trustworthiness to future guests. 

Social listening is the act of responding to and connecting with your guests online. This can take many forms, including direct messages, tags, mentions, and comments. Of course, the #1 priority is promptly addressing any questions or negative experiences the guest shares. But responding to the negative is not the end all be all. Engaging with positive reviews and feedback builds a community of guests who will continue to return to your property and recommend it to their family and friends. Always like and comment when your property is mentioned, answer DM’s, and repost UGC when appropriate. 

When answering questions and direct messages on social media, it is crucial to maintain the human element and authenticity. Too many websites and customer service systems have implemented chatbots. While they may be able to answer basic questions, chatbots cannot appeal to the human element. Often, users’ needs are not met, and they become frustrated. Be sure to turn on notifications and monitor your direct messages and comment section on each platform.

UGC + Influencers

UGC and influencer marketing have ushered in a new way of gaining brand awareness and increasing bookings. Beyond organic content posted by your property, these two forms of marketing provide honest reviews and experiences from guests. Seeking out UGC and influencer marketing opportunities should be a part of your social media strategy. 

It’s no secret that users trust the opinions of people they look up to more than the company itself. In past advertising campaigns, companies used celebrity endorsements to push their products and services. While this remains true on television and billboards, companies are now seeking influencers for their social media campaigns. An influencer is any user with a sizeable following who has the power to influence their followers’ monetary behaviors. They vary in “fame” (nano, micro, mid-tier, macro, and mega) and have different price tags. Hoteliers can measure ROI through content performance, including likes, comments, shares, saves, link clicks, and revenue. 

User-generated content (UGC) is brand-specific content that guests create and publish online. This can come through photos, videos, status updates, or reviews. Hotels must prioritize engaging with every UGC post, whether good or bad. Repost positive photos, videos, and reviews. Engage with negative UGC to ensure potential future guests see your concern and drive to improve.

According to a study done by Marketing Charts, 52% of Gen Zers and 50% of Millennials say they trust influencers they follow on social media. Everyone Social reports that 84% of consumers trust peer recommendations above all other advertising sources. So, how do you leverage or even attain UGC and influencers? Upon check-in, ask the guests to take photos during their stay and share them on social media. You may even provide incentives for guests to post and tag your property. Once they do, engaging and sharing the content is up to you. Make sure to like, comment, and repost when applicable. 

Influencer marketing takes more planning. Hoteliers can utilize online platforms to discover and connect with potential influencers, making the process smoother. Beforehand, set your budget and determine what kind of influencer will be best for your goals. How big is their following? How much does their content cost? Do they fit our niche? Will they have to fly to the property? These questions are essential to planning the best influencer marketing campaign. Once you have them answered, you can move forward with reaching out. Keep track of how the content performs on their platforms to improve your influencer strategy continuously.

Analyze the Data

Not only is it essential to keep track of influencer performance, but you should also regularly monitor the performance of your content. Through social media analytics, you can gain insight into your audience demographics and what content they like to see. Through this, you can adjust your strategy accordingly.

What Do They Mean?

• Engagement: the number of times a user interacts with your post (like, comment, share, save, repost).
• Engagement Rate: the number of engagements your content gets as a percentage of your followers/page likes.
• Reach: the number of people who see your content.
• Impression: the number of times a user sees your content (this may be higher than reach because users may look at your content more than once)
• Click-Through Rate (CTR): the number of times people click a link in one of your posts

How to View Analytics on Each Platform

1. Head to your profile
2. For Facebook: Select “insights” on the left-hand tab.
3. For LinkedIn: Select “analytics” on the left-hand tab.
4. For Instagram: Select the “hamburger” on the top right of your profile, scroll down, and select “insights.”

After several months of consistently posting, look at your analytics and best-performing content. As you build future content calendars, be mindful of what your audience enjoys and what will garner the most engagement. Don’t be discouraged during slow seasons if your social media also begins to slack. Remain consistent and relevant in social conversations to ensure you are ready for the busy season.

Make it Simple!

Starting a journey on social media is a challenge. Break it down step-by-step and work with what you have readily available. Focus on building your brand’s online presence and delivering quality content that showcases your property! As you continue to grow digitally, you can implement influencer campaigns and other advanced marketing efforts.

Due to the demand, it is more common these days for hotels to hire social media managers in-house. While this can be beneficial, outsourcing social media needs may alleviate the pressure on hoteliers. It allows them more time to focus on guests and manage property operations without worrying about an extra employee.

Also, it can save money. It doesn’t cost nearly as much as a full-time employee with benefits. You can count on a third-party provider because they won’t be out sick, take vacation time, or suddenly quit.