Last week I published Part 1 of the Social Media + Hotels series.  This week we are focusing on the word that everyone keeps bringing up…Millennials.

A couple years ago it was easy for a hotel to stand out on social media and “woo” Millennials with some creative social posts.  But as more and more companies are getting in on the action, simply pushing photos and branded content at target markets becomes detrimental.

Marriott in-room screens

With more options for a guest to choose from on social media, it is simple to block the brands that appear unauthentic and lack relevancy.  Millennials WANT to create content.  They are creators more than any other generation in history.  Why waste time creating a lot of content when your guests have already created better content for you to utilize?

Brands, please.…If you want to develop successful digital content strategies, campaigns, and sustainability, you need to understand the DNA of creator and community engagement. It’s imperative.

~The Digital Social Contract

Understand this, the #1 goal in your marketing strategy is to create relationships, not to create content.  Many hospitality brands are thinking too short-termed about social.  Viral videos and having one famous person posting about you are worthless in the long-run.  I call that “social infatuation.”  You’re obsessed with a brand or celebrity for a second and then you forget about it, because the brand failed to recognize a fan needs nurturing.

To really capture new guests and retain current guests, you need to develop that relationship and create a purpose.

Atura Hotels website guest social hub

Sounds easy, so what’s the problem?  The problem lies in the fact that the purpose is often forgotten or misconstrued.   Many brands mistakenly believe that the main goal is to get people to post about you.  But that’s where their social strategies fall short.  The correct priority is to get your guests to see that as a brand, you care about them.

Social media gives you an extremely valuable opportunity; to make communication a two way street.  Too often I see companies say, “Post with our hashtag, post with our hashtag, post with our hashtag”…but they don’t say anything else.  That’s the definition of one-way communication.

Offering an incentive like, “Post with our hashtag and win a trip to San Francisco,” is a step in the right direction but still not as powerful as it could be.

To really be successful with Millennial marketing, hotels need to respond and demonstrate appreciation for the audience and fans who have invested a social media post talking about YOU.  Failing to reciprocate for your fans is like failing to say thank you when someone holds the door open — after you’ve asked them to hold the door.

Don’t waste an opportunity to create that relationship with guests.  They want your love and affection.  A simple, “Hey Quinn, great picture!” goes a long way.  And if you got 10,000 posts and can’t respond to everyone, how about displaying that content on your website or lobby screens for people to see, and then letting them know.

“Thanks to everyone that posted for us.  We got SOOO many posts that we can’t thank you all individually, but check out your pictures on our website and lobby screens to show our appreciation.”

These extra demonstrations of respect for your guests are what will allow your hotel to stand out among the competition.  It’s too common and extremely frustrating to see a poster with just a hashtag and nothing else.  Show a purpose, and be the reason that the guest wants to post.

47 percent of millennials are influenced in their purchases by social media, compared to 19 percent for all other age groups.

~Deloitte

As travel among younger generations continues to grow, hospitality brands need to focus on being a part a of story rather than being part of a social media network.

Sofitel Dubai The Palm Resort & Spa – In Room Social Channel

Old content is a killer.  Fresh content can drive more conversions, higher awareness, and increased acceptance.  Outdated display platforms make you wait extended periods of time to update your created content loop.  What good is a five week lag time in an age when we are trying to shoot a pod through a tube at 700 mph to transport people from LA to San Francisco in 30 minutes. Five weeks is an eternity!  

It’s like grandma always said, “If your social media content isn’t always fresh and relevant, how will you build a real relationship with your guests?” (she actually probably didn’t say this).

Nobody wants “social infatuation”.  Why waste your time with content that doesn’t excite and drive long-term relationships?  The technology is there, and hotels are seeing the power.  Is your hotel a part of the change?

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I wrote a hospitality trends article back in 2014 about the increasing applications of social media in the hospitality industry.  It’s already out of date.  And it seems with the speed that consumer habits are changing, by the time you’re done reading this updated version, it will be outdated as well.

But I’ll give it a shot.

”   They say that 52% of travelers change their original travel plans due to Social Media.  “

Before coming to TINT, my background was in hospitality.  I graduated from the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell and worked at hotels and restaurants in Dallas, Philadelphia, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua.  I did just about every job, including a stint as an Omelet Artist at Four Seasons Philadelphia.

Now that I work at a social media technology company, TINT, I have an interesting view of tech trends within the hospitality industry before they actually take off.

Over the next three weeks I’ll take you through three big trends with social media, how they relate to the hospitality industry, and how hotel managers can make that statistic work in their favor.

Part 1: Creating a social media highway

This year, it’s about storytelling.  Social media alone isn’t enough for hospitality companies to get by.  Hotels need to create authentic, visual, and interactive experiences for guests that facilitate a deeper connection with their brand.  

Viewing a hotel’s social media posts used to be siloed within each social network. In the past, there was a trade-off. Hotels wanted likes and follows but they also wanted reservations. To get likes and follows, hotels would have to steer guests away from the reservation page to the hotel’s content on external social sites like Facebook or Pinterest. Not very productive for the Hotel or the user.

That’s all changed.  Hotels now have the ability to place specific social posts within their website and on displays in their lobbies to create an engaging experience for a guest from reservation to check-in to check-out. Hotels can choose to display content created by their social media team or posts from guests. We’ve seen the latter be particularly effective for telling a compelling story. We call this second category “User Generated Content.”

Why User Generated Content?

Why does User Generated Content matter?  Because 77% of hotel guests read reviews before booking their hotel. Your guests’ social media posts are actually small but trusted reviews.  By harnessing those posts, you can strategically place relevant “reviews” in front of guests while they are deciding whether or not to book.

Social reviews have a distinct advantage over other types of reviews — in addition to creating compelling content for a Hotel website or booking engine, these reviews reach the personal audience of each guest that posts about their stay. Given that social media posts or pins from friends is reported to influence 59% of global purchasing decisions, these social reviews are extremely valuable.

 The

Broadly, 46% of consumers consult social media when making a purchasing decision. In the past guests had to go back to a hotel’s social media page and sift through all types of posts to find that information.  Now the hotel can make that process easier by displaying the relevant content when and where it matters most to the guest.

With technology platforms that aggregate all types of media content, brands like Loews, Marriott, Six Senses, and Hilton are working to take guests seamlessly from social media content on the web to social media content on-property. Seeing posts from their vacation in the lobby of the hotel has turned out to be a fun experience for guests — one that encourages them to not only share more photos, but to tag the hotel in all the great experiences of their vacation. Incorporating social media into the hotel experience that can make the guest experience more fun, the hotel’s social media presence more robust, and ultimately, increase reservations.

The social media highway is not just about keeping web visitors on a branded site. It’s about seamlessly including social media in the hotel experience throughout a guest’s entire stay. 

Hotels are getting creative with what they display on Lobby screens. From announcements, and social media posts to other digital content like videos, weather, and webpages.  Using a small device hooked into the back of a TV, hotels can manage that TV’s content from anywhere in the world.  

Today, it’s easier than ever to keep guests engaged with the content you want them to see.  The content that you display can not only show the guest that they matter to a brand, it can show them that they should become your brand evangelists and share more to their followers.

Check out Part 2: How Gen Y and Millennials are changing hospitality marketing

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