Pinterest is a social media channel that allows users to share, save and upload images onto the site. Users are able to create multiple boards depending on what kind of theme or subject they would like. Users are able to literally pin and share images from all across the internet in a matter of seconds. According to Business 2 Community, Pinterest has over 70 million users and it is still growing. In addition to that, studies have shown that 88% of users purchase things that they have pinned on Pinterest. This social media channel has tons of visual content, so investing in Pinterest could really benefit hotels in the long run.
Every hotel has the ability to market the attributes that make it stand out from their competitors by using images to visually show their audience the difference. Keep in mind that your audience will retain 80% of what they see and only 20% of what they read, so good visual content makes a difference.
For Pinterest to be successful, you as the hotelier must be able to create your own visual content so that your audience may be able to view everything that your hotel offers. Taking great photos (using a high quality camera) of various locations in the hotel can showcase a lot about the hotel, from the different types of rooms offered to the pool and dining area. Good quality photos taken with the right filters and enhancements can really make a difference for the audience!
Once your audience begins re-pinning these onto their own boards, this will increase their chances of actually booking with your hotel when they decide to vacation around the area in which your hotel is located in. Just make sure that the pins link back to your website so that you are able to generate traffic when users click on your pins and re-pins.
Users have the ability to create multiple boards, so you can have multiple categories for anything you wish to pin. Once you have established and created your visual content to showcase your hotel, it’s time to create a personality for your hotel. Additional boards can include attractions or interests around the area that you find your guests generally like. This will provide your audience more knowledge about the local area around the hotel and what sort of attractions they can expect to see. Interests could include sports, music and festivals to show just exactly what is offered near the hotel.
Most hotels already have established accounts on other social media channels, so don’t forget to promote your new Pinterest account across all channels. Like all social media channels, Pinterest does require time to manage it, so be sure to pin at least several times a week to let your audience know that you are active.
Overall, Pinterest is a great social media channel to create visual content for. Pinterest allows you to share information visually about your hotel and various interests. If you are not on Pinterest yet, it is time to make an account and start sharing that visual content to your audience.
About the author
Tina Cheong writes for E-Marketing Associates, a company that helps independent hotels increase direct bookings and reduce reliance on OTAs.
