Why Hotels Are Keen On Harping The Power Of Social Media
A hotel business thrives on maintaining good relations with customers. No amount of advertising pays as much as positive feedback passed on by a customer in his friend group.
Now, social media too works on the principal of word of mouth publicity. Anything that is liked on social media immediately goes viral. Peer networking works to a phenomenal extend in social networking sites such as Facebook and YouTube.
It unarguably makes great sense for hoteliers to take advantage of social networking to expand their reach. A positive review and a blissful photographed clicked in a hotel when shared on social media can immediately attract attention of prospective tourists. It should also be taken into consideration that people tend to rely more on a feedback given by those they know and trust than on enticing pictures and words poured in a glossy advertising. No wonder therefore, hoteliers are keen to have a significant presence in popular social networking sites.
Statistical revelation
To get a realistic view on the impact of social media on hotel business, Facebook commissioned a study to Deloitte. The study concluded with following revelations:
- About 33% people accessed Facebook during vacation
- While 48% people post their vacation pictures on Facebook after returning home
- A good 50% people ‘liked’ a travel brand mainly hotels and airlines on Facebook
These statistics depict that social networking sites have become an intrinsic part of holidays in multiple ways:
- Positive comments and happy family pictures inspire people to travel,
- People also use social media to research for ideas and do travel planning,
- They do status update when off to their travel destination and
- Once they return from their sojourn, they love to share their travel experience with their friends and relatives.
Hoteliers realize that they can seek attention of their target audience on social media at various stages of consumer purchase flow. Hence it is quite natural that hotels should look to social media to expand their reach.
Social Media or Digital Channels
The term social media is more appropriate for use by users of social networking sites who take advantage of such platforms to connect with their friends and peers. For those taking entry on such sites for commercial interest, use of digital channels is considered more appropriate.
Over the last few years, the reach of these digital channels have grown phenomenally. Hoteliers should channelize their resources to harp on the unlimited possibilities these digital channels promise. They should make efforts to integrate digital channels in their overall strategy and gain more customers.
How we can help
Through experience, research and out of sheer passion we have mastered the art of social media marketing vis-à-vis the hotel business. At SEOWebPlanet Solutions, we work towards enhancing your web presence on prominent social networking websites and make concerted efforts to engage your target community in a way that translates into revenues. We make use of specialized software that helps enhance your business reach and enables you to track results.
