The Best Ways to Interact with Guests on Social Media

by Brandon Bell | November 11, 2022

Having a social media presence is common knowledge for hotels these days. However, what’s not common knowledge is how to connect with guests via social media platforms successfully. This challenge becomes even more difficult as new social media applications consistently emerge. Often, it can simply be too much to handle for hoteliers, and they seek out professional help to conduct and manage their social media. Do not fret. Here are the best ways to interact and engage with your guests on social media.

Keep Your Eye on Comments and Messages:

Hotel guests constantly provide valuable feedback to hoteliers via social media and online review forums. Guests patronize so many different businesses and want to share their experiences with others as much as possible. Use this knowledge to your advantage by searching for comments or messages written directly at your hotels. Check your hotel’s social media comments sections frequently. Ensure you are responding to as many comments as possible, whether they are positive or negative. In addition, check your message inbox regularly. Guests use inboxes as a primary way to communicate with hoteliers and receive customer service. The best places to monitor for comments and message notifications are:

Facebook comments, messages, and reviews
Instagram mentions, tags, and comments
Twitter mentions and direct messages

Share Memorable Experiences:

Once you are listening to social networks, you will find a wealth of great content to share. Let your guests do the talking and amplify what they are saying. Their word of mouth is much more impactful than your hotel’s branded messages. You can amplify their voices and experiences by reposting and sharing their online content on your social media pages. A great way to find content to repost is by checking if guests tag your hotel in their social posts. When they do, all you need to do is ask for their permission to repost their content. This method allows you to find compelling content to share with your social audience quickly. Lastly, you can interact with your hotel guests on social media by including a solid call to action when reposting/resharing. Don’t be afraid to share a strong call-to-action once in a while, like accompanying a guest’s photo with a direct link to your booking website.

Host Engaging Digital Events:

The reality is not everything is as easy as it may seem. Suppose your social media initiatives are not performing as well as you would like. In that case, a great idea to increase noise around your hotel is hosting digital events like contests and giveaways. Sometimes, guests need the incentive to push them to post social content about their hotel experiences. For a small reward, your hotel will garner social content. Whatever the content or giveaway you decide to host, you must clarify in the post that by commenting, guests are permitting you to use their pictures as marketing materials.

Follow Social Media Etiquette:

When you begin optimizing your social media presence, there are best practices to help you achieve your goal. Some of the best social media practices are:

Keep it professional
Ask for permission
Use your best judgment

If you are ever unsure about the next steps as you progress in your social media strategies, refer back to these three guidelines to help you along the way. Be mindful and considerate as well. If you ever second-guess yourself, it is best to err on the side of caution. Social media etiquette is crucial if you want the right presence and want to send the right message but still follow the same rules as review responses for hotels.