In my previous article, I dove into social media — why you need to be there, how the channels work, and the benefits of the different networks. There should be no doubt you need to be engaging in social media – it’s obvious your customers are there. In fact, according to the Ad-ology Research “Travel and Vacation Services—Summer 2009” report, 47 percent of U.S. adult Internet users recently used the Web to research travel and nearly a quarter said social media influenced their travel or vacation decisions. Add to that, according to Forrester Research, that an almost unbelievable 62 percent of Americans believe the online reviews of strangers and it’s time to understand why and how you should participate.

The real question is what should you be doing to engage in social media channels? Your hotel has its own unique offerings — you know they are what create loyalty among your guests. So can’t tell you exactly what to say when you get online. My goal is to get you thinking about all the possibilities, and give you some ideas you can run with and make your own.

Engaging Key Audiences

You no doubt identified target audiences for your hotel and likely have ...