Peter Wilkinson Panther Social Media
The answer to this question depends very much on who you speak to. Some bloggers have openly questioned the value of social media marketing for high end hotels, for example – whose very existence is defined by a rejection of “common” marketing techniques, relying instead on word of mouth. While others have wondered whether businesses that are dependent on their location need to worry about the Internet.
Social media, of course, is a digital representation of word of mouth. That’s its whole raison d’etre. So the argument that a high end hotel doesn’t need it because high end hotels only use word of mouth is redundant. As for businesses that rely on their surroundings to generate guests: at the end of the day social media advertising gives every business, no matter where it is or what it does, a chance to reach a wider audience.
On the other hand, the location specific nature of the hotel business rather destroys the possibility of defining a particular type of guest: and this, of course, makes mounting a social media marketing campaign seem, at first, somewhat tricky. If you can’t define your audience, how do you capture it?
For hotels, the answer is to start with your existing guests. Persuade the people already staying with you to sign up to your social network, and you have a potential army of evangelists ready to recruit others to your cause. You can advertise directly to them by posting last minute room rates and special “friends only” offers for discounted meals or drinks, creating followers who interact with you daily as a matter of habit, to see what kinds of competitions or giveaways they could be missing out on if they didn’t.
These days net savvy people (and that’s pretty much everyone) do their research before they spend their money. And the only research they really trust is asking members of their own social network whether they have bought, or used, or stayed in, a product they are thinking of paying for.
Have a look at some of the social media moves made by Hotels in 2011 and it seems unlikely that you’ll be doing yourself much of a service by ignoring the technology. InterContinental launched iPad and iPhone apps that allowed guests to enjoy concierge services both inside and outside of hotels. Marriott and Starwood both launched their own Trip Advisor clones, which allow guests to post reviews of their experiences directly. And the Ritz-Carlton group launched concierge services designed to give travellers top destination tips directly to their smart phones.
The thrust of all these social media moves has been the same – to broaden the guest’s experience and to turn the name of the hotel into something a guest can trust for more than just a comfy bed.
While location and price are still ahead of the game in terms of why guests pick a particular hotel, social media allows hotels in those locations to prove they are the best value for their price range.
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