Ms. Lutz

Social Media & PR

Social Media and Hotels: Should Hotels Be on Twitter Anymore?

By Didi Lutz, President, Didi Lutz PR

By this time all of you know what Twitter is, its capabilities, shortcomings, advantages and disadvantages. Most of you have probably decided by now if you will have a presence on the 140 character mass-marketing social media platform that has enjoyed immense popularity in the past year and a half.

Twitter simplicity and outreach, at zero cost, were very attractive at a time when the economic crisis started sneaking up in the US and took hold by the end of 2008. Throughout 2009, Twitter evolved, attracted even more users, and there were a number of predictions as to what the social network would turn into by the end of 2010.

Meanwhile, multiple businesses - including hotels – incorporated Twitter into their 2010 social media strategy [Side note: of course I think all hotels should have a social media strategy at this point – the trend is not a fad!!]. As a result, we saw hotels on Twitter talking about anything from special rates and menu offerings, to sharing inspiring quotes from the hotel owner or GM, and even talking to guests in the midst of a crisis. The JW Marriott in Indonesia did an excellent job using Twitter as a crisis communications tool to reach out to families, guests, media and the community when it was bombed in July of 2009.

So what have we learned from Twitter so far that can survive the stiff competition of emerging social media platforms that hotels can incorporate in their social media marketing efforts? Many hotels have already a presence on Facebook, which is a must have for businesses these days. When visiting a hotel website, it’s common to see the “f” (Facebook) and the “t” (twitter) symbols on the homepage, indicating that the property has embraced rich media via social networking. Hotels tend to use Twitter to push traffic from there on their homepage or Facebook page in order to complete a reservation, book a special deal, or just to browse.

The question now is, where does Twitter rank in importance in your social media strategy, and how should it be used within hotels? I have done some reading about how Twitter has evolved in the past few months and have outlined some suggestions that could be helpful to your approach:

• Twitter isn’t going anywhere. In fact, according to statistics dated March 30th, 2010, Twitter is still growing, and has turned into an integral form of self-publishing, global communication, branding, publishing, PR and marketing this year.
• Twitter has caught on outside of the US. The platform’s popularity is increasing at a faster rate internationally.
• The longer hotels have been on Twitter the higher the chances they will continue to tweet, probably because they have had more time to monitor the twitter-sphere correctly
• The more someone tweets, the better the chances they will establish a solid presence
• Twitter works better when links at added that direct traffic to the desired location, or just for sharing information
• Twitter lists are good organizational tools when a hotel wants to share messages to a specific group of people.
• Twitter increases exposure with increased use

These are some of the interesting aspects about Twitter so far. Clearly, as much as Twitter may or may not be around, say, five or ten years from now, another social media platform is likely to take over. Social media as a trend will continue to evolve, and will not go anywhere. For those hotels who are still on the fence of weather or not they should have a Twitter presence, examine your priorities. The biggest question I get is “will spending time tweeting get me reservations and bookings?” The answer is: it could, if you do it right, and use multiple marketing communications strategies to support your hotel.

It does take time and effort to feed the social media monsters. Facebook and Twitter maintenance require pretty much full time employees these days. I do believe that if you are on Twitter you should take the time to tweet well, even if you can’t tweet all the time (although, frequent tweeting is ideal).

As with all marketing communications and PR efforts, Twitter is another element to account for much as the use of it is free. You still have to account for the presence and the time involved in coordinating the account, communicating with followers, researching links, etc. Remember, quality surpasses quantity in truly effective hotel marketing outreach. Posting interesting, sharp, and well positioned tweets and updates will lead to quality followers who will be interested in your hotel because of what you talk about.

The worst I have encountered on Twitter, is links that go nowhere, fake links, or other Twitter accounts that just waste time. As Twitter is growing into a mass direct marketing forum, hotels need to learn to position themselves appropriately to reflect their branding, their caliber, and in turn, attract the proper audience. For example, continuously posting 10% off if you book today, or “15% off at the restaurant when you book today” will attract guests who find those specials appealing. Howver, think about, if you are a luxury hotel that constantly posts such “urgent” specials, shows desparation and hardly communicates any quality in the tweets. Occassional offers and truly good specials are encouraged however, because they will truly stand out to the right people you have attracted in the first place. There’s much psychology in the online world that hides in the messages and how they are worded for public view.

Finally, I think over time Twitter will keep evolving and hopefully each property will find its place in the platform. Remember, you have to make Twitter work for you, and that takes frequency, professionalism, dedication, experience and practice. Overall, the Twitter effort combined with other marketing communications and PR programs and initiatives, Twitter will continue to have the ability as a useful messaging and branding vehicle for your property.

Didi Lutz is an internationally acclaimed hospitality public relations professional specializing in boutique hotels, luxury travel, destination and tourism communications. Prior to starting her own business in February 2005, Ms. Lutz was the Director of Communications for the Hotel Commonwealth, a 150-room luxury property in Boston. Within the first year of the Hotel Commonwealth's opening, she established the media relationship that led to worldwide recognition for the property as one of Ten Best New Business Hotels by Forbes.com. Ms. Lutz can be contacted at 561-628-7422 or didi.lutz@gmail.com Extended Bio...

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