Mr. Patterson

Social Media & PR

Exploring Social Media Strategies: Creating Engaging Content and Navigating the New Facebook Page Format

By Burns Patterson, Executive Vice President, Middleton & Gendron

There are many aspects to an effective social influence marketing program, and many “how to,” articles out there, so with limited word count (always a good thing!) we’ll focus here on some of the recent changes that Facebook has instituted to page formatting and functionality and the opportunities that these changes offer to the hospitality and travel industry. We’ll also take a look at techniques on the Facebook platform that have proven effective in building the fan base for individual hotels and for hotel brands, and which have led to increased bookings and increased incremental revenue per room. Finally, we’ll review incentives such as sweepstakes, coupons and contests.

Facebook migrated all business pages to the “new” page format on March 10th, 2011 – and the changes offer opportunities for hotels to extend their social influence marketing further than ever before.

Before we take a look at the changes, though, let’s reaffirm that the basic rules of social media still apply. Compelling content that offers “value” to fans still rules. Brands that meet the needs of their fans, with offers, with customer service, and by fostering conversation and a sense of community, will reap the benefits with a loyal following that act as brand ambassadors, or as evangelists themselves.

We’ve met with prospective hospitality clients who have commented, “We’re providing everything a guest could ask for on our website – from virtual tours to online reservations – isn’t our Facebook page really just duplicating efforts?”

Two answers here:

• First, you want to be where your guests are. If they’re on Facebook - and with more than 500 million members spending an average of an hour a day on the platform, they very likely are – they often prefer to stay immersed in the Facebook experience rather than cross the “border” to the wider online world. Or, at the very least, they appreciate a seamless link from Facebook to related information on a website.
• Second, your brand’s Facebook page can offer a much more interactive experience for your guest than other channels of communication, in many respects.

Why would a person ‘like’ a hotel page, after all? We’re very social animals and we’ve grown up surrounded by brand messages. There’s a growing expectation and interest in interacting more directly with brands that are a part of our lives. Facebook permits a direct dialogue with a brand, or the real people behind the brand. Of course, we’re practical, as well, and we engage in this relationship with brands because we expect something of value in return. This may not be purely monetary value (though we’re very interested in that!) but can include “inside information” such as special tips or advance news, entertainment, and even the opportunity to participate in a likeminded community. We enjoy sharing our common experiences or recommending hotels that we trust to friends. Family guests who return year after year to a resort, road warriors linked by repeat trips to the same city, couples with fond memories of a romantic escape, all share a passion that will be fostered by a savvy hotel.

That’s the best place to start, then, in considering what may be effective content to provide on your hotel’s Facebook page. “What of value can I offer to past and potential guests on this page?” “Can I interact with people on Facebook in ways that I may not be able to elsewhere, or may not be able to as frequently and easily?” And yes, “What can I do on the page to increase bookings and incremental room revenue for my hotel”

Let’s take the last first, as revenue remains top of mind.

There’s the direct approach – and why not? Provide a tab on your page that links to a booking engine, and consider offering periodic discounts to Facebook users (the booking engine can be configured to recognize that Facebook is the referring link and factor in the discount). Use the page as a launching pad for cost-effective Facebook ads that promote specific packages. Have a wine-tasting weekend coming up? You can target the ads to people who have expressed an interest in wine on their Facebook profiles, further target by geographic market or age group, (among other parameters) and track the success of the ad with click-through rate. If you wish, link the ad to the hotel’s website and track conversion using Google Analytics.

When interacting with fans don’t forget that you can “upsell” (tactfully), if you don’t overdo it. It’s very typical, for instance, for guests who are fans of a hotel on Facebook to shoot off a quick post when they’re headed for a stay at the hotel. “My husband and I are arriving Friday night for a weekend getaway, can’t wait!” Often, we’ll see hotels respond, “Great news, we look forward to welcoming you!” This is very positive in that it’s at least responsive and upbeat, but there’s the opportunity to say more. Why not be proactive and continue the post with, “Can we help arrange a spa treatment or dinner reservation in advance?” Or, simply inquire if there’s anything special you can arrange. You don’t have to offer this all the time, but it’s nice added value for guests taking the trouble to engage with you.

Consider also a regular schedule of sweepstakes, contests and even coupons to build up the page’s fan base or as incentive for current fans. Remember that Facebook’s terms of service prohibit certain types of contests from being offered directly on the page wall. You’ll need to install an approved application, which will show up in the tabs on your page.

One of the most cost-effective and user-friendly apps we’ve found for sweeps and contests is called Wildfire. This app (see www.wildfireapp.com ) offers an easy template to layout sweepstakes, contests or coupons. A sweepstakes, by the way – is a random drawing, while a contest requires entrants to complete a task of some kind (uploading an essay, a photo, a video, or successfully answering questions).

Offer up a weekend getaway and support the sweepstakes with Facebook ads to your local market, linked to your page. Or, partner with an airline or invest in a pair of tickets and promote the sweepstakes nationally. Installation of the app itself, and supporting ads, can all come in for less than $1,000, and generate thousands of new fans. These are prospective sales leads, as you also have the ability to obtain their email addresses. We always require entrants to provide their email address and “opt-in” to receive company information at the time of entry. You’ll lose a few “tire-kickers” who don’t want to list their email, but there’s little drop-off and you’ll be left with a higher quality pool of entrants whom you can reach out to after the contest is over. Sweepstakes are a quick and easy way to start, but contests have the potential for more “sharing” among your fans, as you can set the template to allow for public “voting” on the entrants. Entrants are then likely to ask their friends to go to your page and vote for their entry. You might consider a photo contest, for instance, in which guests upload their favorite “moment” from a stay at your hotel – and fans vote on a winner.

In between promotions, maintain a rhythm and provide compelling content. Consider special offers; cocktail recipes from the hotel’s mixologist; wellness tips from the spa; tips from the concierge on area events (consider capturing him/her on video – even just a flip-cam); or links to positive coverage of the hotel. You might focus on stylish in-room amenities, perhaps with a link to a site on which they can be purchased for the home (toiletry items, a nifty showerhead). You might highlight hotel artwork with background on the artist if applicable. The list is bounded only by your imagination. Remember to experiment. Post at different times of day and track times that seem to get the most comments. Include a relevant photo or short video clip whenever possible.

How does the new page format and functionality impact a hotel’s approach? What are the most important of the changes?

The most intriguing change (long coveted by page admins) is the new ability for a page’s administrator to post on other pages as the brand. Up until now, if the admin of a hotel page went elsewhere on Facebook and sought to post to another page’s wall, the post would show up as coming from his personal profile. Now, an admin can post on behalf of the hotel on other pages, dramatically extending the page’s reach. The hotel might post to the wall of a relevant CVB, or on the wall of pages representing brands that are offered within the hotel (a champagne brand, for instance, or spa product). Don’t abuse this new privilege. If it’s a partner you have a relationship with, seek out the admins of the relevant sites to suggest in advance that you intend to offer some occasional posts.

Another interesting change offers the ability for you to display “featured likes” and “featured admins” for you fans to see. You can “like” other pages just as individuals on Facebook do, and even highlight the admins of other pages. As other pages return the favor, you’ll extend your reach.

New, as well, is the ability for admins to adjust the “notifications” section of the page. Now, you can be notified by email the moment anyway posts to your page’s wall or posts a comment. This can increase your responsiveness to fans.

Other changes include layout shifts: tab applications have moved left of the sidebar; a photo strip (same as personal profile) appears at the top of the page; and profile photo sizes have been reduced to 180 x 540 pixels.

What hasn’t changed? Facebook offers a valuable platform to build loyalty among your guests, foster a sense of community, and drive revenue per room.

Burns Patterson is Executive Vice President at Middleton & Gendron (www.mg-pr.com) a New York-based PR and brand communications agency that is one of the country’s leading hospitality, travel and lifestyle agencies. Mr. Patterson also heads the agency’s digital practice. His 20+ years in public relations have included roles as director of public relations for Madison Square Garden Sports Properties, and director of PR and new media for Historic Hudson Valley. Mr. Patterson can be contacted at 212-980-9060 or bpatterson@mg-pr.com Extended Bio...

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