HIPR’s very own Corey Finjer recently authored an article featured on HotelExecutive.com entitled, “How Hospitality Brands Can Stay Competitive With Smart Content.” In the piece, she lends her expertise to explain the tried and true strategies that she and her digital team have implemented to ensure success for HIPR clients across a myriad of digital and social media platforms. Below are a few snippets of the tactics she explains in detail within the article:
1. Don’t Just Inform. Surprise, Delight, Inspire
Remember when Facebook posts by hospitality brands could easily be mistaken for recycled brochure content: photos of properties and destinations, highlights of amenities, special offers and programs? We’ve come a long way in a few short years, but the bar keeps rising and the way stories are told and shared continues to evolve.
Listening to communities on social media and posting targeted content with intrinsic value on a consistent basis is key. A well-balanced mix might include posts highlighting promotions and contests as well as travel tips and fun facts about a destination; glimpses into what’s going on behind the scenes at a property; and concierge recommendations showcasing nightlife, events and activities.
2. Become an Expert on Influencers and How to Leverage Them
In today’s social media environment, it pays to know influencers — third parties who shape perceptions and impact purchasing and lifestyle decisions by virtue of their visibility and their command of digital content in a particular marketplace or field. Follow and cultivate established influencers in the travel/adventure and fashion/lifestyle spaces, and keep a sharp look out for up-and-comers, with an eye toward figuring out who among them could best relate to your audience and brand.
“Listening” to and monitoring social conversations surrounding influencers, and making analytical sense of the tweets and posts touching on your brand, is critical to evaluating the effectiveness of social media initiatives and achieving success. That’s one reason we’re excited to be working with clients to uncover insights and identify influencers using a new service, Ground Signal, that bills itself as a “geo-social intelligence platform.”
3. Drive Engagement Through User-Generated Content
Once you’ve got your preferred social feeds humming, consider displaying them in a way that will encourage guests, who love seeing their posts, to write reviews, share comments and photos, and generally spread the word about what’s happening at your property. TINT is a tool that lets you pull in and curate branded or any hashtag content — effectively collecting what fans are saying about your brand, event or campaign across a range of social platforms and then displaying that content stream in mobile apps or on websites, in-room TVs, event walls or displays placed in the lobby or other public areas.
The stream can also be assembled based on geo-tags or specific social media handles. Loews Hotels & Resorts, by deploying TINT in public areas, has found that having a visual representation of social chatter is motivating guests to include Loews in their social media conversations. “Some of our properties are actually utilizing TINT in team-member cafeterias and backroom areas to showcase what’s being said about the property throughout the day,” noted Piper Stevens, senior director of brand loyalty for Loews, in an interview recently.
Click here to read the full article!