Ms. Halpern Lanz

Social Media & PR

The Communications of Social Media

By Leora Halpern Lanz, Director of Sales & Marketing Services, HVS International

Why is this increasingly influential method of communication becoming even more prevalent and critical for the hotel industry?

How can we intelligently participate in this medium? Social networking has been in existence since the first man and woman learned to communicate. Before the advent of social media sites on the Internet, social networking included making sales calls, “working the room” at a trade show, following up with a phone call, and just touching base to reaffirm a client relationship. So professionals in the hospitality industry have always networked. But now that social media sites have created more intimate communities of friends with commonalities, social networking takes on an even stronger significance. With smart phones, iPads, or laptops in our hands 24/7, we have access to our “friends” at any given point in time. The opportunity to dialogue and engage with guests who “like” or “fan” us is ever present.

Social media marketing has opened new avenues for hotels to connect with guests. Although traditional forms of media are still important to those guests who use them, social media can be utilized in novel ways to create a sense of value, trust, and connection between hotels and their fans. The extent of influence that social media wields is limited only by one’s imagination.

Social media as a communication platform has emerged rapidly and established itself as an integral part of marketing strategy. To keep pace with the growing influence of social media, hotels must hire the right talent to manage their presence online. With the Internet as the touch point for nearly every travel deal or reservation, hotels must have a social presence online. With this online presence, it is essential for hotels to communicate consistent brand messaging; a hotel’s online voice must mirror its public relations, sales, and operational messages.

Why have social media burst on the scene with such rigor and loyalty?

Why is it that people turn to review sites to hear what strangers have to say about a hotel before they turn to the official hotel website for any information?

Over the last several years, there has been a noticeable shift in trust from “institutions” (the official website, for example) to “communities” (TripAdvisor, Expedia, or other online communities). People tend to rely on word of mouth based on others’ experiences before they trust the hotel itself. The popularity of social media sites and the volume of activity they register can be tracked:

• There are more than 500 million active users on Facebook and over 900 million objects that people interact with, in the form of pages, groups, events, community pages. (source: Facebook)
• More than 30 billion pieces of content (web links, news stories, blog posts, notes, photo albums, etc.) are shared each month on Facebook. (source: Facebook)
• TripAdvisor LLC attracts more than 50 million unique monthly visitors, has 20 million members, and offers over 40 million reviews and opinions. (source: Tripadvisor.com)
• Over 105,779,710 registered users on Twitter exchange 55 million tweets a day on average (as of April 2010). (source: Huffington Post)

Not all that long ago, when a hotel issued a press release, the information was distributed to news services, pitched to reporters, and posted on the website. This is a “push” strategy – the information is pushed out. Today, the release is abbreviated for Twitter, linked to Facebook, and guests can immediately comment on the information or package and even ask questions. The hotel can respond immediately and engage that guest in a dialogue. This is the prelude to forming connections and relationships, and hopefully forging advocates for your hotel or brand. This is a “push-pull” strategy. Information is exchanged. It is “engagement” marketing rather than “interruption” marketing. And today, “connections,” particularly to those who are considered influential to others, can be keener for hotels than the number of “impressions.”

Good news travels fast, but bad news travels faster – more so online.

How does a hotel or brand handle a social media crisis? Social networking platforms are a great place to tap into your potential guests and engage them in conversation, but if the exchange is not handled appropriately, it may do more harm than good to a brand’s reputation. Social media platforms are indeed a place for casual conversation. However, a casual approach is not necessarily appropriate for hotel brands; these platforms are really an extension of your marketing and front office on the web. It is thus more important now than ever for hotels to have social media guidelines in place to acknowledge, address, and respond appropriately to loyal and potential guests and prevent any social media communication crisis.

What does this mean for a hotel?

It means we really need to consistently provide the experience so the word of mouth is always at work in our favor. We must deliver the positive hotel experience. The online hotel review sites are an online “word of mouth.” The user-generated review content and e-“word of mouth” also mean that hotels need to be among those communities listening. Hotels need to monitor and participate in the conversation (not just push out content) and respond properly, projecting the proper “voice” for the hotel. By listening and contributing to the conversation, hotels can potentially prevent a problem before it starts, or before it gets worse.

How can hotels make use of social media?

• Concierge services: Extend guest services beyond the front desk so that guests can ask questions even before they get to the hotel.
• Online reputation management: It’s essential to monitor your brand reputation online – what is being said and where – and to address any negative comments before they damage the brand reputation.
• Customer services and recovery: Another great way to use social media is by shifting a portion of your customer service online and having it tap into related conversations, proactively reaching out to people talking about your brand/product.
• Promote and sell last-minute deals.
• Merchandise through location-based platforms like foursquare and Facebook.
• Generate honest feedback and guest reviews online. Some important guidelines for projecting the “voice” and “personality” of the hotel:
• Fish where the fish are: If your guests are not using Twitter or foursquare, you need not spread yourself thin and be there either. Focus your presence where your fans are looking for you.
• Be relevant: Alter and reposition your content to fit the needs of your different social media outlets. Just as you wouldn’t use b-roll footage for a print ad, you wouldn’t put a whole press release into the 140 characters of Twitter.
• Keep your messages consistent: You need not post information promoting your romance package on Facebook and then information about your ski package on Twitter. Focus on one package at a time and adapt the message for each medium so that your fans are hearing it in different ways, in appropriate venues.
• Be specific: Share examples. Share stories. The more specific the information you converse about, the stronger the connection you can make with your guests.
• Be respectful: Although you want your online voice to best represent and project your personality and brand, be smart about the language. Once your words are “sent” to cyberspace, they’re there forever and can be tracked, retrieved, forwarded, etc. Read the post over again before you hit the send button. And do not share confidential information.
• Don’t oversell or over-promote: If your Facebook page has continuous postings from your hotel, but no responses or questions from your fans, you are not engaging. You are not connecting.
• Be honest and authentic: These traits come through in a successful online presence and can really allow fans to trust you as a friend.
• Respond quickly: In this day and age of immediate communication, hotels should really monitor the conversations and respond to questions or issues within a 24- to 48-hour period, if not sooner. A swift response can prevent a potentially uncomfortable public situation from getting out of control.
• Know your hotel: Be familiar with amenities, rates, packages, attractions. In this manner, you can share specific and detailed information and be trusted as a meaningful resource of information.
• Be familiar with your hotel, and brand promises and personality: In this manner, communications can help to subliminally project vision, mission, and goals.
• Possess good communications skills: The social media manager must display excellent writing skills and professionalism.
• Be aware of social media policies specific to your brand.

The Bottom Line.

Social media sites have brought about a revolutionary change in the way we now communicate and exchange information/content, bringing people together. If you have not already done so, integrate social media into your hotel’s sales and marketing efforts and ensure that all messages are consistent, while you engage and develop relationships with a wider base of fans, followers, and guests. And be sure your sales professionals, social media manager, marketing staff, and concierge and front desk team are well trained in the art of making connections and social networking.

As Director of HVS Sales & Marketing Services, Ms. Lanz works directly with a myriad of hotel and hotel companies, hospitality related services, and other entertainment and recreational venues. In this capacity since 1999, she provides strategic marketing and communications planning, innovative sales training and action planning, revenue management guidance, social media marketing and publicity, and overall marketing consultancy. Ms. Lanz has been an active leader and participant, staying at the forefront of hotel strategic marketing and communications. Ms. Halpern Lanz can be contacted at 516-248-8828 ext. 278 or LLanz@hvs.com Extended Bio...

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