Why should hospitality venues use social media?

In today’s increasingly digitised society, creating an online presence for your business is now as instinctive as the menu in a restaurant or the treatment list at a spa.

As well as a website, the influence of social media is showing no signs of slowing down so utilising the appropriate channels and platforms for your hospitality business should be an essential part of any business plan, campaign or strategy.

Think about how much of your own free time you spend flicking through apps on your smartphone, tablet or computer and how many posts from various businesses you come across while doing so. Now think about how many people could be viewing content from your business in the same way.

With millions of people around the world accessing social media daily, it’s something businesses really can’t afford to ignore.

Don’t believe us? As of January 2017, these social media sites had the following amount of monthly active users worldwide:

Facebook: 1.86 billion, Instagram: 600 million, Twitter: 317 million, Snapchat: 300 million, LinkedIn: 106 million, YouTube: 1.3 billion

With figures like that, a business without at least one social media account is conspicuous by its absence – you can guarantee your competitors will be there. Just think about the potential audience your business could be reaching (and what you might be missing).

Such is its influence that social media channels like Facebook and Twitter are now frequently used to carry out online searches, just like Google.

When introduced to a business for the first time, many people now look to social media to gain an insight into the business’ ethos, others’ experience of it plus photographs and videos of the venue or its product.

So, as a hospitality business, this is something you should be looking to take advantage of when promoting yourself and your offer.

There are a number of social media channels available, the most popular being Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and LinkedIn. Each channel has its own unique attributes so while it may be tempting to set up profiles on all of them, as with any marketing campaign or strategy, it pays to take some time to think about your aims and goals.

Channels like Facebook and Instagram allow users to combine words with photos and video clips. But while Facebook posts can just include words, Instagram is led by visual content. Both are consumer led however, so are great platforms for maximising your potential for reaching customers and guests.

Twitter on the other hand is slightly different. With a character limit of just 280 characters, content needs to be more succinct and to the point. Twitter has traditionally been considered more of a business-to-business (B2B) platform but it has now become more popular with consumers too.

Snapchat attracts a younger audience, while LinkedIn is certainly a B2B platform – allowing hospitality staff to increase their – and their business’ – professional standing within the industry.

YouTube, like Instagram, is led by visual content – in this instance, videos – so is a great platform for businesses to give an insight into their world in a creative way. YouTube also offers analytics; this is a tool that allows you to find out more about the demographics of your viewers such as their age, gender and average time spent watching videos. This data can then be used to get a better understanding of the sorts of videos you should be sharing with your followers to maximise engagement.

As a hotel, your venue, location and physical offer are your strongest selling points. These are what will get people through the door so using visual aids such as photography and videos in your own way, on your own channels, will only help to boost these and generate interest and engagement with your offer.

Like your website and any printed collateral you may have, your social media channels are, effectively, a sales tool. However, they are also the best way to create an instant connection with potential customers (and existing ones) by generating online conversations.

Through regular posts and interaction, not only will you build up a recognition of your brand and an awareness of your physical offering, but also an indication of the hospitality and great customer service guests or customers can expect to receive during their visit. Be true to your brand and be sincere. Don’t create a false impression.

Social media has given everyone that uses it a voice (and presence) online, so take advantage of it and create your own. Your social media accounts should reflect and mirror your brand, but make them personable. People want to see the people behind a business, especially a hospitality one, so create a personality not just a profile. If they want standard information, people can visit your website. Social media should elevate your brand and bring it to life.

Of course, the fast-moving pace and reach of social media means those online voices are now also much louder and more influential. There’s no need for websites or a blog, whatever you want to say can be done in just a few characters in seconds.

This can have major pros and cons for businesses, especially those in the hospitality sector as people do tend to be very honest. Social media is personal, so expect personal views.

As well as creating conversations with guests and customers, your social media channels also give you an opportunity to thank people for their kind opinions and help rectify those who may have been less than satisfied during their stay. If managed well, not only can this help to build lasting relationships with guests, it can also help to build bridges with others.

Of course, we’ve all heard about the PR disasters where hospitality owners have responded irrationally to less than favourable reviews, so it’s important to have a plan in place on how to deal with such comments. Some things are better taken offline or dealt with in private, such as via direct messaging.

Such is the nature of social media that negative responses can be shared in seconds and, as we know, the potential reach of those posts is huge so the effect on your business’ reputation can be dismal.

However, responses posted with kindness, humility and friendliness also get shared and these will have an impact on your business that cannot be bought. It all comes back to that idea of customer service – the very foundation of any hospitality business. People are forgiving, they just want to know they are valued and their comments are being listened to.

All in all, social media offers endless possibilities and benefits. It’s worth doing your own research to see what channels are out there and exploring any which may be relevant. Don’t be afraid to research other, similar companies too and see how they are using their social media channels. It doesn’t hurt to take a little bit of inspiration here and there.

Think about what you want to get out of social media and plan accordingly. Social media is now a permanent fixture of modern life and all businesses should be embracing its potential. But be smart – make sure it ties-in with all your other marketing materials and is in line with your business’ ethos.