With 400 million active monthly users and an average of 80 million photos uploaded daily, Instagram has become a prominent channel for B2C marketing in a multitude of industries. It is especially effective in the travel industry as images play a key role in influencing consumers’ choices regarding destinations, accommodations and activities. Hotels can and should be using Instagram to promote themselves and engage travelers.
These pointers can help hoteliers to make the most of this platform to drive awareness of their property and increase bookings.
Fun images
Share images of guests enjoying themselves. Real people having fun will catch the interest of consumers, plus, photos with faces on Instagram get 38% more likes (Mashable.)
Hashtags
Use hashtags and encourage guests in your image captions to use the same ones. Come up with something catchy involving your hotel name and use it to brand yourself consistently when posting. Posts with at least one hashtag average 12.6% more engagement (Simply Measured.)
Events
Promote events at your property, large or small. Whether it be a party for the entire hotel to celebrate a holiday or just a pool volleyball game happening later in the day, post a photo or video depicting the event and encouraging guests to attend. This will also help to influence potential guests.
Local area
Share photos and videos of the local area. Scenery and attractions will catch the eye of the consumer. If they choose to travel to that particular destination, they will be more likely to associate your hotel with the local area.
User generated content
Encourage user generated content. Share photos that guests post at your hotel, occasionally adding incentives. For example, create a post telling guests to use a particular hashtag to submit photos of themselves in your hotel pool to receive a complimentary drink at your pool bar. This will prompt plenty of guests to post photos at your property and generate additional awareness.
Location tags
Tag photos with the location. Posts tagged with locations receive 79% higher engagement (Simply Measured.)
Don’t forget food
Post photos of meals at your hotel’s restaurant or cocktails at the bar. This is a selling point for consumers browsing travel.
Interact
Like and comment on people’s posts who are nearby or may be interested in traveling to the area your property is in. This will position your hotel in the front of their minds and drive engagement on your posts.
These tips should generate brand awareness for your hotel and increase engagement among consumers using the increasingly popular social platform.
About the author
Brianna Wenner writes for ICE Portal, a company that helps clients manage and distribute visual content to over 11 million unique visitors a month on 1,000s of travel and local websites around the globe in nine languages.
