16 Social Media Marketing Strategies for Hotels

Social media has become an integral part of the modern guest journey.

Today, customers browse social media when picking a place to stay. With social media network users projected to increase to almost 6 billion in 2027, hotels can increase visibility, boost direct bookings, and improve brand awareness.

As more people interact on social media, it has become a place for inspiration for the next trip. Hoteliers can attract new customers and retain loyal guests by posting regularly on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X (Twitter), WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Snapchat, and Pinterest.

You need to know the best social media marketing for hotels to connect and create authentic and lasting connections. In this blog, we will walk you through social media marketing strategies that can withstand both good times and bad.

Social Media Marketing Goals of a Hotel

Hote’s social media strategy aims to generate leads, drive traffic to a website, or increase direct bookings. When devising a social media strategy for hotels, you need to adopt a multifaceted approach according to the goals you want to achieve.

Here are some of the critical social media marketing goals for hotels:

• Build brand awareness
• Manage brand reputation
• Increase traffic to your website
• Improve community engagement
• Gain market insights
• Boost leads, conversions, or sales

To achieve these goals, you need a solid plan for engaging strategies and distributing content via social media.

16 Social Media Marketing Strategies for Hotels

A well-defined social media strategy will help you build a community around your hotel brand and make more bookings.

So whether you’re just starting with your social media marketing or looking for new ways to expand your customer base, here are the 16 best strategies to include in your plan.

1. Showing Real People in Your Photos and Videos

A picture will come to your mind if you try to remember something. It is simply the way our brains work. We live in a visual world, and as humans, we are visual beings.

Hence, hospitality social media marketing must showcase real people in photos and videos. It helps customers to perceive information more clearly and precisely.

When working in the hotel industry, you must know how to capture the spirit of your brand and share it with potential customers. Determine the order in which the images will appear, and the hotel facilities video will show, maintaining the distinctive brand features of your hotel.

2. Create Short-Form Videos

Considering the popularity among people, short-form videos are set to take your social media marketing strategy to the next level.

With nearly 3.5 billion global digital video viewers, you need a plan to get ahead of them. From TikTok to Instagram Reels, YouTube, and more, short-form video platforms can help you capture attention, engage viewers, increase hotel brand recognition, and boost sales.

Moreover, short-form videos are cost-effective in driving traffic to your hotel website. Consider the following options when deciding which type of short-form video to select for your hotel promotion.

TikTok Videos

TikTok is a video-sharing social media platform with over 1.7 billion users and content creators worldwide. It is a great platform to target Millennials and Gen Z, as they are its primary users.

Besides viral TikTok trends and dance challenges, hotels can share hidden gems in the neighborhood, introduce hotel staff, share a mini tour of the property, and encourage user-generated content.

Instagram Reels

For the photo and video-sharing platform, the average engagement rate on Instagram Reels for accounts with between 100 and 500 thousand followers stood at 6.59 percent.

Instagram Reels can be a great way to showcase your property, food, and services, share behind-the-scenes content, and promote special deals and discounts.

YouTube Shorts

YouTube shorts are a more viable option; with over 2 billion monthly logged-in users, it continues to grow in popularity, offering significant opportunities for businesses to reach young audiences.

Snapchat Stories

Snapchat is a photo and video-sharing app with 406 million daily active users worldwide, and snap videos can be a maximum of 60 seconds long.

3. Partnerships With Influencers

Identifying influencers, building relationships, and supporting them in exchange for exposure have become integral to hotel social media marketing strategies.

Partnering with influencers for hotel marketing is about building buzz among potential guests to increase visits and among planners to increase event leads.

Appealing to modern-day hotel guests, here’s why influencers matter.

• Showcasing your property
• Driving likable posts
• Influencers know the lingo
• Convey the experience
• Add credibility and trust

Today’s guests seek and enjoy an outsider’s perspective in addition to seeing the hotel’s marketing. Therefore, influencers provide a relatable and fresh perspective on hotel brands.

Consider these strategies when partnering with influencers:

• Exclusive promotions and discounts
• Influencer takeovers on social media
• Joint giveaways and contests
• Sponsored events and experiences
• Co-branded products or packages
• Influencer reviews and testimonials
• Influencer-hosted webinars or workshops
• Influencer-curated travel guides
• Cross-promotion across multiple platforms

As the hotel industry evolves, engaging influencers aligning with your brand is critical to success.

4. Be Consistent Across All Platforms

Consistency across all social media platforms ensures your hotel gets more engagement, impressions, and follows. It ensures a unified brand identity, reinforcing the hotel’s unique value proposition.

Whether on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or other platforms, maintaining a consistent tone, visual style, and messaging helps build brand recognition and trust among followers.

Here is how to achieve hotel brand consistency across all social media platforms:

• Define your brand identity and brand values
• Ensure you have a consistent visual personality
• Establish a clear brand voice
• Train and educate your team
• Monitor and review brand touchpoints

Consistency makes it easier for potential guests to connect with the hotel and reinforces the brand’s image as reliable and professional across diverse social media channels.

5. Offer Exclusive Promotions and Discounts

How do I use social media to increase bookings? You need to understand the psychology behind the discount strategy. Discounts are an irresistible sales tactic.

Customers like to feel like they got a bargain; they enjoy the social perception and, of course, the savings that come with making a purchase.

Here are some exclusive promotions and discounts you can offer as a hotelier through social media platforms.

• Early booking discounts
• Last-minute deals
• Flash sales
• Seasonal promotions
• Holiday specials
• Weekend getaway packages
• Extended stay discounts
• Social media exclusive offers
• Anniversary or birthday specials
• Member-Only Rates

By offering special deals and promotions, you can create a sense of exclusivity and urgency that encourages individuals to take action.

6. Enhance Hotel Review Campaigns

Every hotelier loves that feeling when guests open their hearts on social media and share their positive experiences with others.

Keeping a sparkling property and offering an excellent guest experience is not enough. You must tell people how amazing it is by getting your guests to fill out a review form and spread the word.

As a hotelier, you need to work towards review campaigns as they influence the decision-making process, customers’ perceptions of hotel services, and their evaluation of the hotel experience.

The question remains: how do you encourage positive reviews of your hotel on social media platforms without being too pushy? Here are some suggestions:

• Ask for reviews after the guest experience
• Make it easy for people to leave reviews
• Get better at customer experience management
• Improve engagement on social media
• Reshare positive reviews

Encouraging customers to post them on social media takes much time and effort. You must be proactive and encourage them to share their positive experience with you.

7. Provide Timely Responses

Are you responding quickly enough to your customers on social media?

With a slow response time on social media platforms, your hotel brand needs to take advantage of the opportunity to engage with potential customers and address their concerns. Providing timely responses is a no-brainer.

Firstly, you need a social media support team to delegate responsibility for your hotel’s social media marketing. Here are 8 effective ways to respond quickly to customers:

1. Set up automated responses
2. Establish clear response time guidelines
3. Monitor social media channels regularly
4. Create standard response templates
5. Leverage chatbots for instant responses
6. Use push notifications for critical messages
7. Conduct regular training for the social media team
8. Set up alerts for keywords and brand mentions

Timely responses make customers feel important and impact their brand experiences. Customers demand and expect that hotel brands interact promptly.

8. Shareable Content

Hotels benefit from posting shareable content on social media as it amplifies their online presence, reaching a wider audience. Shareable content, such as stunning visuals, promotions, and local insights, engages current guests while enticing new ones.

Here are some of the critical shareable content you can post on social media as a hotelier:

• Stunning Visuals: High-quality photos of rooms, amenities, and picturesque views.
• Promotions and Special Offers: Share limited-time discounts, packages, or exclusive deals.
• Local Attractions: Highlight nearby attractions, events, and activities to entice travelers.
• User-Generated Content: Showcase guest photos and experiences to build trust.
• Behind-the-scenes: Provide a glimpse into daily operations or staff stories.
• Interactive Contests: Engage followers with contests, quizzes, or polls.
• Virtual Tours: Take viewers on a virtual tour of the hotel facilities.
• Local Cuisine: Feature signature dishes from the hotel’s restaurant.
• Travel Tips and Guides: Offer travel tips or guides for the destination.
• Employee Spotlights: Introduce staff members to add a personal touch.
• Historical or Fun Facts: Share interesting facts about the hotel’s history or local area.
• DIY Travel Itineraries: Suggest itineraries for a perfect stay at the destination.

Shareable content is a powerful marketing tool to stand out in the hospitality industry, increasing the likelihood of reach and driving bookings and brand loyalty.

9. Use Hashtags

Hashtags develop algorithms according to your specific topic or category content and help followers/users indicate hashtags. Hashtags make all your content easily discoverable. Hashtags also propel content to reach more people and be discovered by users on social media platforms.

Here’s how to use hashtags for your social media posts:

• Create keyword-specific hashtags for your hotel brand
• Keep it simple and relevant, making it easy for people to search
• Utilize trending hashtags along with your hotel hashtags
• Use location-based hashtags to reach target customers
• Industry-specific hashtags connect your content with a larger community

Keep an eye on the performance of your hashtags. Engage with users who use your branded hashtag and participate in conversations around the hashtags you use.

10. Drive Direct Bookings

Capture guests where they are.

Many guests will check for a social media presence before finalizing bookings. By effectively utilizing social media management for hotels, you can drive more direct bookings and increase revenue.

Tips to drive more direct bookings on social media:

• Develop a solid social media presence
• Use social media to showcase your hotel
• Offer special deals and promotions
• Engage with your followers
• Utilize social media advertising
• Integrate social media with your hotel’s website
• Monitor and analyze your social media performance

Boost hotel revenue by driving direct bookings through social media, developing better customer relationships, and reducing dependence on third-party platforms.

11. Take Action From Comments

Leverage social media comments to boost hotel bookings. Actively engage with potential guests by promptly responding to queries, providing personalized recommendations, and showcasing your hotel’s unique offerings.

Utilize comments as a valuable tool for understanding guest preferences, allowing you to tailor promotions and packages that resonate. These comments on social media help create a direct pathway to increase bookings and drive revenue.

12. Identify Top-Performing Content Formats

Having great content is essential, but how you deliver it also matters. You must identify content formats that resonate with your potential customers to achieve goals. Some segments of your target audience may also be more accessible to reach with one content format over another.

When we evaluate different types of content formats on social media platforms, video is one of the most engaging forms of content. Online videos recorded an audience reach of around 92.3% among internet users in 2023.

Some of the most common top-performing content formats are:

• Short-form video
• Long-form video
• User-generated content
• Live streams
• Polls & questions
• Influencer collaborations
• Infographics and chart

13. Invest In Paid Advertising

According to Statista, ad spending in the social media advertising market is projected to reach US$207.10bn in 2023. Ad spending is expected to show an annual growth rate (CAGR 2023-2027) of 4.53%, resulting in a projected market volume of US$247.30bn by 2027.

Paid advertising is a strategy for reaching potential customers through social media channels. Paid ads include images, copy, video, or a combination of these can be one part of your overall social media marketing strategy.

Benefits of paid advertising:

• Increased reach
• Targeted audience
• Enhanced brand visibility
• Improved engagement
• Measurable results

To harness the full potential of social media advertising, you need to focus on the following components:

• Campaign goals and objectives
• Audience targeting
• Ad creatives
• Bidding and budgeting
• A/B Testing
• Ad Refinement

Facebook remains a top choice for hoteliers due to its massive user base and versatile ad formats. YouTube is also a popular video-sharing site for showcasing hotel aesthetics, events, dinner experiences, and other facilities.

Also, Instagram can help you reach a broad cross-section of your target audience. Moreover, TikTok helps hoteliers target the Gen Z crowd by showcasing the fun side of the hotel brand.

14. Enhance hotel reviews

Positive feedback establishes credibility, attracting a wider audience and encouraging reservations. It also fosters a positive online reputation, influencing travelers’ decision-making. Engaging with reviews demonstrates excellent customer service, further building trust and loyalty.

Here are some key ways to enhance hotel reviews on social media platforms:

• Prompt response: Timely and courteous replies show commitment to guest satisfaction, fostering positive relationships and online reputation.
• Encourage feedback: Actively seek reviews, encouraging guests to share their experiences, boosting overall review volume and diversity.
• Provide consistent service: Consistency in service quality builds trust, resulting in positive reviews that reflect a reliable guest experience.
• Incentivize reviews: Offer incentives, such as discounts or perks, motivating guests to share positive experiences and leave favorable reviews.
• Optimize user experience: Ensure a seamless and enjoyable stay, addressing potential issues promptly to minimize negative experiences and reviews.
• Leverage visual content: Encourage guests to share photos, creating a visually appealing online presence that captures attention and boosts engagement.

Enhancing hotel reviews also serves as user-generated content, offering authentic insights that appeal to prospective guests and can be shared across marketing channels, amplifying the hotel’s online presence.

15. Run a Contest

Contests prompt audience participation, increasing likes, comments, and shares, boosting overall social media engagement. Leverage user-generated content from the contest to showcase authentic experiences, attracting new guests and enhancing your hotel’s overall appeal.

Here are some ways to run a contest:

• Hashtag Challenge
• Photo or video contest
• Trivia or quiz contest
• Caption this
• Share & win
• User-generated content contest
• Like, comment, & win
• Sweepstakes or giveaway
• Polls and votes
• Treasure hunt contest

Contests can direct the target audience to your website or specific landing pages, increasing website traffic and potentially converting participants into customers.

16. Team Up With Local Businesses

Hotels collaborate with local businesses to create a symbiotic relationship and offer guests unique, local experiences. Collaborative promotions, shared on social media, amplify the hotel’s appeal by showcasing the diversity of nearby attractions, restaurants, and activities.

• Joint promotions
• Co-hosted events
• Cross-promotions
• In-house pop-up shops
• Co-branded amenities
• Community sponsorships

Social media platforms become potent channels to communicate these partnerships, attracting a broader audience and reinforcing the hotel’s commitment to providing a comprehensive and enriching hospitality experience.

Conclusion

Crafting visually compelling posts utilizing platforms like Instagram and Pinterest can showcase the hotel’s unique features. Effective social media marketing for hotels hinges on a strategic blend of engaging content, platform diversity, and customer interaction.

Strategic use of hashtags can expand reach and visibility. Consistent monitoring and response to customer feedback demonstrate a commitment to guest satisfaction. Collaboration with influencers and partnerships with local businesses can amplify the hotel’s online presence.

Therefore, implementing the best social media marketing for hotels can enhance brand awareness, drive bookings, develop an online community, and create a dynamic presence in the hospitality industry.