Your hotel can’t have a successful social media strategy without followers. No matter how compelling your content is, it’s meaningless without travelers to see, like, share, and comment on your posts. Having a social following can make a huge impact on the effectiveness of your social media strategy.

Whether you’re just starting out with social media or you’ve been working on it for some time with little to show for, you may be wondering to yourself, how exactly do you gain followers on social media? First, let’s talk about the importance of having followers.

Who Are Your Followers?

Your social media following is a key group of individuals who have expressed an interest in your company and want to follow what you’re sharing. Whether it’s for travel tips, pictures from your property, or upcoming specials, you have captured the attention of a dedicated group of individuals. These followers could be past guests who are interested in staying again, or they could be future guests who are looking forward to their stay at your property.

Having followers is a great thing because it means that you have already won them over. After all, would you follow a store or restaurant online if you didn’t plan on patronizing them? Your social media accounts not only allow you to control your message and keep an ear out for what people are saying about your property, but it also allows you to provide information that will entice guests to stay with you or return for a repeat visit. Now how do you find people to see your posts?

Building Your Social Media Following

Do your guests even know you have a Facebook account? Do they know where to find you on Instagram? Are they even aware you have a social media presence at all? If the answer is no, then you have not been properly marketing your hotel’s social media.

Your guests already know you. Whether they’re staying with you now or have stayed in the past, they’re familiar with your property and brand. This makes them easier to convert into followers on social media, especially if they had a positive experience at your hotel. Marketing your social media to your guests rather than trying to fish followers out of the social media sea will help you grow your social presence quicker.

Take it Offline

The best time for a business to gain social media followers is while they’re actively and happily engaging with a product – for you, that means while they’re staying in your hotel. Make it apparent that you are on social media, whether verbally at check-in or by putting social media icons on your business cards and marketing materials. 

It’s also important to give guests a reason to follow you. Posting local events and specials that someone would want to follow is a great incentive for many people. You can even take it a step further and host a monthly sweepstake or giveaway for your social media followers. Guests can enter for a chance to win anything from an iPad to a gift card. With an incentive like that, there’s no reason for someone to not find and follow your hotel online.

Take Control of Your Social Media Presence

A well-balanced social media strategy includes thoughtful posting, online promotional ad spend, and offline efforts to help bolster your following. Learn more about how Travel Media Group’s Social Media solution helps hotels build and maintain their social media presence to increase brand awareness and encourage direct, commission-free bookings online.