Ms. Knutson

Sales & Marketing

Twitter, Tweet and Tube

By Bonnie Knutson, Professor, The School of Hospitality Business/MSU

Okay. Before reading any further, walk over to your computer, turn it on, connect to the Internet and go to this website http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhPgUcjGQAw. Now watch the 2 minute 26 second video clip entitled, Social Media Revolution. If this doesn’t give your thinking a new twist, nothing will. The term “social media” is a relatively new part of our lexicon. And, like many things in our lives, its meaning is in the so-called eye of the beholder – or should I say in the keyboard strokes of the consumer.

For some, it may mean Facebook, MySpace, or LinkedIn. To others, it may mean blogs, chat rooms, YouTube, Twitter, and Wikipedia. However you think about it, in essence, social media is simply a cluster of online tools that people can use to share information – their profiles, opinions, perspectives, insights, and experiences. And they are changing the dynamics of a hotel’s marketing and communication more quickly and forcefully than any other technology since the invention of the printing press. Before social media outlets took hold, promotional communication was basically controlled by the hotel brand. The who, what, where, when, why, and how of messaging was dictated by owners, managers, advertising agencies, and marketing VPs. They decreed what the message said, when it was delivered, to whom it was sent, and how it was sent. But that is no more. Hotels have lost total control of their message. Social media has democratized the hype and the role of both the brand and its customers. It has taken the conversation from a one-way function of B-2-C (business to customer) to a two-way conversation between B and C and more critically, between customer and customer – or perspective customer. Or as one marketing executive quipped, My brand image is in the hands of the inmates!

Social media is quickly moving from the fringe of marketing communication into the mainstream. An estimated eight out of ten U.S. businesses are already using social media to garner leads or drive traffic to its website, and 48% of them are increasing their social media budgets.

Even luxury brands such as Dolce & Gabbana, Neiman Marcus, and Saks 5th Avenue are starting to integrate social media tactics into their promotional strategies. They are discovering that it is no longer enough to have a website so they are exploring a variety of social networking tools to decide which fit best with their image, or whether should they use them all. They are thinking that it will a more powerful message to have an outfit featured on a blog post or on a Facebook page than merely on their websites because blogs and Facebook are really “word of mouth” advertising, and can be seen by millions of Facebook “friends.” On the other hand, their websites are seen as just another paid advertisement and only seen by those that click through to the page. Think about the potential for your hotel here – things to do and see, new services or facilities, special events, activities, business and leisure experiences. Forward looking hotels will examine their many online options to determine which, if any, will effectively support the brand’s overall positioning strategy.

The basic theory here is that of “swarm marketing.” Fueled by connectivity, digitally linked communities (i.e. consumers) are thought to behave similarly to a swarm of bees or a school of fish. That is, they tend to move together. The digital influence of a single guest (often called an “influencer”) can quickly become the actions of 100 guests. Think of the profound stimulus this could be to your marketing efforts. By carefully integrating various Internet communication platforms, your hotel can explore unique ways of communicating with current and prospective guests and enhancing a sense of community among them. Examples of hotel brands successfully using social networking are starting to surface. Some have a Face book page where guests can post “postcards” about their brand experiences. This encourages them to know each other outside the hotel’s environment, building a greater sense of community. Others have set up Twitter accounts so that guests can “tweet” their friends and family about their hotel experiences – often in real time. Still others use blogs to gather opinions about possible hotel events, or to update guests on renovations taking place in their facilities. And, of course, you, as owner or manager, could establish your own blog to disseminate updates and behind-the-scenes looks at the latest trends, events, programs, products, or services.

As hotels continue exploring social media as potential communication tools, their use can become more valuable because they can also be used for surveys, polls, competitive scouting, and idea generation. After all, if your guests find something in another hotel experience that might work at your property, they could blog, tweet, or post a picture to a photo gallery to spark your innovative thinking.

A word of caution, however. Social networking as a marketing tool is still in its formative years. For all of its benefits, it can also bring problems in the form of security, regulatory compliance, scammers, and undisciplined users. Consider, for example, the impact on your hotel’s image of a single YouTube posting of an inebriated guest walking out of your restaurant, or a tweet about a poor sales experience, or a blog on the subject of your restroom condition after a particularly busy day. It may be a case of “be careful what you ask for.” So if, after your due diligent research, you decide to enter the social networking fray, make sure you establish guidelines for both employees and guests. You will have to walk a fine line between encouraging employees and guests to use these sites, and establishing friendly policies and procedures for their use. This is particularly critical to protect proprietary information, personal privacy…and hotel’s brand image.

Since social media is still a new field, it is quickly evolving and every business – including hotels - is on a steep learning curvy trying to figure out how to best leverage this latest communication medium. Consequently, there are few, if any, formulas for successfully using this dynamic tool. Long ago, Futurist Alvin Toffler coined the phrase, High Tech, High Touch. He put forth the theory that the more technology invades, and to some degree controls, our lives, the more we need high touch – i.e. human interaction. Hotels have historically been a hallmark of personal social interaction among guests who share similar needs and wants. How social media can be used to augment that interface is just now beginning to evolve.

Whether your hotel decides to integrate social media into its marketing strategy is a judgment that takes careful analysis about if and how it can be used to enhance the overall guest experience, its impact on your brand image, and on customer value. Only then, will you have confidence in your decision to use or not to use social media tools in your hotel’s marketing strategy.

Your REVP will thank you.

Bonnie J. Knutson is a professor in The School of Hospitality Business in the Broad College of Business at Michigan State University. She is an authority on emerging lifestyle trends and innovative marketing. Her work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and on PBS and CNN. She has had numerous articles in industry, business, and academic publications. Bonnie is a frequent speaker for executive education as well as business and industry meetings, workshops, and seminars. Dr. Knutson is also editor of the Journal of Hospitality & Leisure Marketing. Ms. Knutson can be contacted at 517-353-9211 or drbonnie@msu.edu Extended Bio...

HotelExecutive.com retains the copyright to the articles published in the Hotel Business Review. Articles cannot be republished without prior written consent by HotelExecutive.com.