In the dynamic world of social media, staying ahead of the curve is essential for hotels to attract and engage their target audience. From short-form video content to interactive experiences, the list of trending content seems to be never-ending.
Luckily, we’ve rounded up the six trends that your hotel should be embracing right now to showcase your properties, foster community, and connect with guests on a deeper level!
1. Short-Form Video Content
With the rise of social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and Snapchat, consumers are increasingly drawn to bite-sized, visually captivating videos that convey information and entertainment in a concise and impactful way.
They typically range from a few seconds to a minute and have become a dominant force in the realm of social media, offering hotels a unique opportunity to showcase their properties, amenities, and experiences with creativity and flair.
By leveraging the power of short-form video content, hotels can grab the attention of their target audience, ignite their curiosity, and leave a lasting impression that drives bookings and inspires wanderlust.
It’s no doubt that TikTok is the number one platform for short-form content, with its explosive growth, TikTok has become a powerful platform with a high per-post engagement rate, outperforming other social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Its active user base of over one billion worldwide makes it an effective tool for hotels to advertise and enhance their brand image. Its captivating and entertaining nature makes it an ideal platform to engage potential guests.
Short-Form Success Stories:
Ritz-Carlton’s #rcmemories campaign: The Ritz-Carlton successfully leveraged TikTok with their #rcmemories campaign. By encouraging users to share their favorite memories from their stays, the hotel generated organic, user-generated content and boosted its profile on the platform.
Is it really lights out for long-form content?
Even YouTube – which dominates the long-form content arena – is jumping on the short-form bandwagon. They introduced ‘Shorts’ in 2020, much similar to TikTok’s model of vertical videos that last up to 60 seconds. But, it begs the question, does that mean you should give-up any long-form efforts?
Hilton Hotels went viral on TikTok with a 10-minute video that accumulated over 35 million views.The unique creative approach of the video, featuring famous creators and influencers, helped it stand out on TikTok and drove viewers to the direct channel, by using ‘traditional’ methods of long-form content to stand out from the bite-sized crowd. The sudden shift in length created buzz, poked-fun at the short-form craze and definitely got people talking.
It’s no debate however, that in today’s fast-paced digital landscape, capturing users’ attention within seconds is crucial. Short-form content excels in this regard, enabling hotels to make an impact quickly and effectively.
How Do You Make Video Content Worth Watching?
The success of Hilton’s TikTok video highlights the significance of creating content that is unique, engaging, and resonates with the platform’s users. Collaborating with influencers and creators can help hotels leverage TikTok’s popularity to enhance their brand image, but more on that later.
Visual storytelling through video content allows hotels to create immersive experiences that capture the attention of social media users. It goes beyond static images and brings properties to life.
Your Hotel can create captivating short videos showcasing the property’s unique features, amenities, and experiences. Highlighting stunning views, showcase luxurious rooms, or demonstrate exciting activities available onsite.
Top-tip: Use ‘trending’ sounds and audio on the platform to boost potential clicks & reach!
2. Utilizing User-Generated Content (UGC)
Encouraging guests to share their experiences through UGC is a powerful strategy. User-generated content showcases real guest perspectives, creating trust and credibility. It also fosters a sense of community among past and potential guests.
Leveraging user-generated content, behind-the-scenes footage allows hotels to offer a unique perspective that goes beyond traditional photo galleries. This enables potential guests to experience the property virtually and fosters a stronger connection.
Here’s some helpful tips on how to leverage the UGC trend for your hotel:
- Photos: Encourage guests to share their best photos taken during their stay at the hotel. You could set a theme or specific location within the property to focus on, and offer a prize or incentive for the best photo!
- Storytelling: Invite guests to share their memorable experiences or stories related to their stay at the hotel. This can be done through re-sharing and reposting Reels or TikTok’s made by guests, on your properties channel – but always remember to credit the source of the content! Examples include, the guests enjoying the amenities, nearby attractions and locations, relaxing by the pool or enjoying the food and drinks to their own narration or trending audio.
- Hashtag Campaigns: Like the Ritz-Carlton’s viral campaign, creating branded hashtags specific to the hotel encourages guests to use them when sharing their experiences on social media. This makes it easier to track and aggregate UGC related to the hotel, and also allows guests to connect with each other and share their stories. Consider offering incentives, such as featuring the best posts on the hotel’s social media accounts or offering special perks for guests who use the hashtag.
3. Influencer Marketing
Collaborating with travel influencers or lifestyle bloggers allows hotels to tap into their large and dedicated follower base, by mixing both UGC content and influencer partnerships users are given an authentic experience of staying at the property, much like scrolling through TripAdvisor reviews.
Here are some key benefits of including influencer marketing campaigns in your social strategy:
- Increased Reach and Exposure: Influencers have built a loyal community that trusts their recommendations and engages with their content. By partnering with influencers, you can significantly expand reach and gain exposure to a wider audience.
- Enhanced Credibility and Trust: Influencers are seen as trusted voices within their respective niches. Their recommendations and endorsements carry weight and can influence their followers’ purchasing decisions. When influencers promote a hotel, it adds credibility and trust to the brand, as their audience perceives the recommendation as genuine and authentic.
- Targeted Audience Engagement: Working with influencers who have a niche following that aligns with the hotel’s target market ensures that the marketing efforts reach the right audience. Micro-influencers, in particular, often have a highly engaged audience with a genuine interest in their content. This targeted approach helps hotels connect with potential guests who are more likely to be interested in their offerings.
4. Build A Community
Building a community for a hotel involves more than just attracting followers on social media. It requires creating an inviting and engaging environment that encourages users to not only engage but also return.
One effective way to achieve this is by organising competitions, giveaways, and interactive campaigns. Competitions and giveaways serve as powerful tools to generate buzz around the hotel and its offerings. By offering enticing prizes such as discounted stays, exclusive dining experiences, or spa packages, you can create a sense of excitement and incentive for users to get involved.
In order to participate, encourage users to follow the hotel’s social media accounts, like, comment, and reshare the promotional posts on their own story/pages. This will drive engagement and interactions and expand the hotel’s reach as users share the content with their own followers.
These initiatives not only attract new users but also foster a sense of belonging and connection, creating a loyal community of followers who actively support and promote the hotel.
5. Social Causes
In today’s world, guests are increasingly conscious of social and environmental issues. They want to support businesses that align with their values, including hotels that actively engage in social causes. By supporting and promoting initiatives that resonate with the hotel’s values, such as sustainability, community development, or charitable programs, you can capture guests’ attention and cultivate a deeper connection based on shared values.
One effective way to showcase the hotel’s commitment to social causes is by sharing stories and updates on its involvement. This can include highlighting initiatives such as plastic-reduction campaigns, local beach clean-ups, or other sustainable practices implemented by the hotel. By sharing these stories, hotels not only raise awareness about important issues but also demonstrate the positive impact they are making in their communities and the environment.
Creating a dedicated hashtag related to the hotel’s social causes can be an effective way to promote user-generated content (UGC) and encourage guests to share their experiences on social media. You can encourage guests to use the hashtag when sharing photos, stories, or reflections about their involvement in socially responsible activities during their stay.
By re-sharing these posts on the hotel’s own social media feed, they not only showcase guest participation but also inspire others to get involved and support the causes.
6. Interactive Content
Augmented Reality (AR) integration is revolutionizing the way hotels engage with their audience on social media and beyond. AR is reshaping user engagement in the hotel industry, pushing the boundaries of marketing strategies and providing unique interactive opportunities to showcase properties and create memorable experiences.
By incorporating AR features such as filters, lenses, and interactive experiences, you can captivate users and offer them virtual tours of their properties, immersive glimpses into amenities, and the opportunity to share creative content. For example, by using their smartphone cameras, users can see how the rooms would look and feel in real life, including the placement of furniture, decor, and amenities.
You could make a branded filter that guests can use on Instagram or TikTok for example, when taking selfies, photos or videos of the property/location to advertise your brand through UGC.
In the ever-evolving social media landscape, hotels must adapt and leverage the latest trends to captivate their audience, foster community, and drive bookings.
From engaging short-form videos to influencer collaborations, UGC initiatives, social cause support, building a community, and integrating AR experiences, these trends provide hotels with innovative ways to connect with guests, enhance brand visibility, and stand out in a competitive market.
Embrace these trends, and watch your hotel’s social media presence soar to new heights!
Do You Need Help With Social Media?
From consulting and strategy planning, to building content calendars and community management, we have a range of social media services we offer to elevate your properties’ social media presence.
Take a look at what we have on offer and feel free to get in touch – we look forward to hearing from you!