Ms. Lutz

Social Media & PR

The Next Wave in Social Media

By Didi Lutz, President, Didi Lutz PR

It is time to sit down and evaluate what your marketing team has done for the past eighteen months. Has your property adopted social media trends, or are you just starting? If you have a presence on social media, is it strategically aligned with your overall message? How do you coordinate traditional PR efforts with digital media? Is the message coming across solid and intact? Are your fans and followers engaging with you? Are you using the feedback constructively? Have you seen an increase in revenue? Exposure?

These are some of many, many questions you should be asking to make sure you are on track with the social media craze that has taken over the digital space. We now measure things like “post quality” and “digital influence” replacing references such as “column inch reviews” and the inclusion of a photo. We have come a long way and there’s no end in sight. There is so much opportunity for hotels to take full advantage of social media that it is important to understand where the next phase is going to take us. While predictions are just that, we are noticing that social media keep maturing. As we’ve said before, social networks are finding their place and space, and continue to evolve in ways that are helping us interact better with one another. In the end, connecting with others is a basic human need, and that is why social media have gained so much ground at a pace we feel we can’t keep up with.

One of the main reasons some business have not put too much effort into growing social media is revenue oriented. What is really the financial gain from having X number of Facebook fans and Y number of Twitter followers? Yes, there is a definite PR value that is evident, but does it really translate into sales, reservations, new guests, more money spent by repeat guests and VIPs?

My answer to this is: yes, it can, if social media is guided strategically and is constantly evaluated for progress.

At the same time, there are still some boutique hotels that are hesitant to adopt social media for a fear of not receiving the corresponding ROI altogether. Consider that you’re missing the boat, and you really have no other choice but to engage in the digital space. Communication has shifted to include a shared voice, a community of social media that aims to add value to topics, conversations and relay messages to others with similar interests.

With global economies still shaky, and the world reaching at 7 billion people this past fall, we are shrinking more than ever with social media. The internet enables us to become closer than ever, and there is a unique opportunity for hotels to not only be found, but to find ways to add value to a growing community of travelers.

Social Media trends for 2012

- Add value to the online community. It’s not enough to post and post and post, and self- promote your property. You need to understand conversation and be willing to spend time adding valuable content online. Whether sharing an article or commenting on a trend, your efforts have to trace back to the community you are reaching out to. Ask questions such as, “What would entertain them? What destination do they consider most exciting? What annoys guests when staying at a hotel near the beach or on a mountain? What amenities do they appreciate? Why?” When you take care of your online community, they will take care of you.

- Searching will change. Much relevant content from search engines will be pulled from social networks and personalization will be the guiding force. Therefore, the content posted on social networks will make a big difference as keywords are searched and as pages are indexed.

- Digital-influence will be a top priority. We see this already with trendy digital influence scoring sites, like Klout, but establishing a solid presence in social media is about how well you do it. This includes tactics in maintaining a powerful message, to frequently sharing and engaging with your fans.

- Train your staff. Hotels need a lot of brand ambassadors, and their employees are their number one ambassadors. Your staff should act as a task force monitoring social media and engaging under guidelines you set. Spend the money to train and enable them to help your hotel grow. Even if you have a dedicated expert who knows how to guide the strategy, social media is an ongoing conversation and that is important to remember into 2012.

- Privacy demands may increase. We saw this with the much publicized Facebook Timeline, where some users found it fascinating and others scary. What users share can be shared instantly and many people are turned off with this. At the same time, certain items, such as “Likes” and “Shares” or photos will have no choice but to become somewhat public. We are quickly moving in that direction and hotels have to keep that in mind when posting or sharing content.

- Curate your content. There are multiple vehicles and channels that we use to communicate on social media, and creating the right content takes time. It’s important that you have a PR professional guide this process, especially as much content becomes repurposed for other social networks. As content is shared, it becomes more powerful and influential in the digital space.

- Social media’s real-time power. Quickly accessible information from the digital space will be used to augment everyday occurrences. Already, your smartphone links Facebook and Twitter, so you receive updates on the go and in real time. In other words, for example, guests can easily know what a person is doing before they meet with them for lunch at a hotel, or for a drink at the bar. In a sense, social media is changing the way we handle business, and technology is helping us by offering us information we would not otherwise have.

- Marketing in hotels will have to change to include social media. While this is already happening, it will be important to shift priorities. It’s no longer “oh, and I have to do a Facebook post, too.” It’s about redefining the checklist to fit traditional media into social media, and not the other way around. This is a perception that is slow in changing, but one that is definitely shifting. Invest in time to make this change as it aligns with your property’s overall goals and objectives.

- Hire the PR professional who will understand where you want to go with social media. Whether you have someone in-house or outsource, it’s important you have someone who fits the bill to handle social media input and output. Interns are cheap, but they are not necessarily seasoned enough to see big picture as PR professionals do. While budgets are still awfully tight, if the social media process is guided strategically, it will make a difference for your business.

- Reward your guests. Everyone could use an incentive to share their thoughts on social networks. By offering an overnight stay, a complimentary appetizer, or a treatment at the spa you can get people talking and slowly open up. If you need to warm up the conversation and get the ball rolling, a contest or giveaway could do just that!

- Personalization on social media becomes an opportunity for hotels to service guests better. Hotels have a unique opportunity to extend personalization on social networks. Commenting on a post the guest left on the hotel’s page, or writing about the photo they posted, their dog’s name, or any tidbit offers information that can be useful on preparing for their next visit. Especially Facebook is a great tool for that.

- Measurement and accountability. In the end, GMs and hotel owners will want to see some tangible results from social media efforts, whether those are occupancy oriented or otherwise. Therefore, a strong measurement process will have to accompany any social media campaign and strategy, that will measure specific components i.e., level of engagement, post quality, digital influence, and how these contribute to the revenue stream of the property overall.

2012 marks a very important year in our global economy, where budgets are still low, but hopefully growing. It is time to focus on the right priorities for your hotel. In the end, adding value to your online community doesn’t simply impact your online reputation and build your brand. Social media also present hotels with an opportunity to embrace another form of social responsibility: establishing an open, ongoing dialogue. Ultimately, guests (and potential guests) who join your conversations, engage with your content, share and follow our messages may choose your hotel over another not just based on the rate, but because of the overall experience they receive.

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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