Ms. Horwell

Sales & Marketing

Breaking the Social Media Code: Adding to your marketing toolbox

By Vanessa Horwell, Founder & Chief Visibility Officer, ThinkInk & TravelInk'd

Hotel marketing is difficult, from every angle. Hotels are selling an experience -- a complex combination of amenities, services, facilities and value -- not a tangible product that consumers can hold in their hand. And they are selling that intangible product using one of the least tangible marketing instruments -- the brand -- as their primary tool. Talk about a hard sell!! Add to this already difficult equation a marketplace where there is now more supply than demand (in most destinations), and the prospect of marketing a lodging property successfully truly becomes a task for the bold and brave.

Of course, we know that only the bold and the brave read this column, and you don't need to hear from us about the challenges you face on a daily basis. So instead, how about we focus on something positive by adding another tactic to your marketing toolbox?

I'm talking about social media marketing, and unless you're one of the five or six people left in the world without a Facebook account, or you're the guy in the Microsoft commercials working from the bamboo hut on that South Pacific island, you've most likely heard about it. In fact, you're probably pretty familiar with the concept of social networking and curious about its revenue-generating potential. You might have even tried setting up a profile for your hotel, or encouraged your executives to join a network like LinkedIn to "network".

Yes, social media marketing is one of the newest, most exciting marketing trends out there and its potential for revenue generation and brand development is enticingly high. But there is a caveat: like any marketing tactic, ad-hoc implementation will only achieve limited results at best.

The most effective social media marketing campaigns are those that are well integrated with the marketing initiatives that you already have in place. For a social media program to achieve a noticeable level of success, it has to work with your overall marketing strategy, not against it and certainly not as an afterthought.

Social media marketing is not rocket science, but it requires skills

"But what is the key to making a social media strategy work for my property?"

"How can we approximate the success that other industries have had in our industry?"

"How can we use it to bring in dollars and to sell rooms?"

These are all valid questions that I hear every day from clients, and so here's how you can get the most out of your social media strategy...

Create a great social media presence

The foundation of a good social media campaign is a brand or property-specific profile on sites like Facebook, Twitter and Digg, among many others. This profile is the face of your company or property to the world and it is what those people know about you, so you have to make it great! The secret here is to use ALL of your existing resources. Even though there isn't a lot of copy on a Facebook profile, it's important to have professionals write your bio and maintain it to ensure that it's timely, professional and above all, grammatically correct. Use the best professional photos that you have. Emphasize the best aspects of your property and downplay the worst. And before launching, make sure that you check with those in charge to make sure that what you've created presents a true picture of your company and is in line with its brand image and values. Don't forget, once you put something online, it's there forever!

Recruit from within

After your profile, the next most crucial building block to social media success is your social network. Use your company's existing contact lists, including loyalty program databases, comment card contact data, sales sheets and employee referrals to send invitations to join your network. Starting with a strong, interested group of "friends" is important and will ensure that your network will continue to grow organically throughout your campaign.

Involve all of your profit and revenue centers

Rooms may be where the money's at, but ask any bartender and they'll tell you F&B is where the action is. Social media responds well to the former, but really lights up with the latter. Using social media to promote an upcoming event, for instance, has twice the benefit. It may help to increase attendance at the event, but it will also increase awareness of and give your property a sense of action and excitement. You're not advertising an aspect of your brand; you're inviting participation with the brand. This interaction is the reason that social marketing is so important - because if your customers are interacting and getting involved in your brand, they will feel more loyal to it when it comes time to pull out their wallets.

Traffic is important, but content is king

While we're on the subject, placing too much of an emphasis on generating website (or foot) traffic through social media efforts can create unrealistic expectations. Let's take for instance, the event that I mentioned above. What's important is the reputation that the event creates for your property both online and offline, not the actual number of people who attend or dollars spent at the event. Quite simply, social marketing is more about what people will take away, not what they'll come and get.

Don't just throw money at it

...particularly not at the expense of other marketing initiatives. Think of social media as a teeter-totter (ah, memories of childhood games in the park): by applying pressure at one end, you get a huge lift at the other. Social media can generate amazing results because of its most basic concept: taking word of mouth and making it go at the speed of electrons. The content that you share with your network has to be interesting, exciting and stimulating. The whole purpose of these activities is to have your "friends" share the info with their "friends", creating buzz about your company and spreading the word about your brand. This is the real currency of the social media world, and odds are you're already banking.

Social Media + PR = Success!

Social media is all about sharing, so be sure to share your positive press. Post links to news articles featuring your property or your market, and let the people in your network be the first to see any news you generate internally. Post your press releases and your calendars. Your PR department (if your hotel has one) should always be involved with social media content development.

Use the tools social networks make available to advertisers

Many sites, like Facebook and MySpace, offer a wide array of tracking, advertising, and targeting tools that you can leverage for your campaign. Capabilities range, at varying costs, from placing a classified ad on the network to executing a profile-based targeted ad campaign (users in your major draw markets that list travel as a hobby can see a home page ad from your hotel) to sponsoring an application. These networks can also help you analyze your demographics and help you pinpoint who's really interested in your brand.

Social marketing is the most promising emerging strategy for hotels, and represents an almost incredible potential for brand awareness, brand definition, customer dialogue and revenue generation. But it must be implemented as part of a comprehensive marketing and visibility strategy, and it must gain acceptance and buy-in across hotel departments. Following these guidelines can be the beginning of a beautiful social media relationship with consumers - and one that can be very profitable for your property too.

Chief Visibility Offer, ThinkInk & TravelInk’d Vanessa Horwell is the founder and Chief Visibility Officer of ThinkInk & TravelInk’d, a public relations and visibility firm that shuns press releases in favor of storytelling. She has spent the past 18 years working with companies in the US, UK and Europe, developing successful campaigns and strategies for their brands. Ms. Horwell is a senior level strategist who works with companies in North America, EMEA and Asia-Pac in developing winning media campaigns, building relationships with influencers, and improving visibility through a unique style of public relations. Ms. Horwell can be contacted at 305-749-5342 or vanessa@thinkinkpr.com Extended Bio...

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