These days social media is part of every hotel’s online marketing strategy but while the majority of hotels have a Facebook account or frequently post on Instagram, the importance of Twitter is often overlooked. This is a real shame as 50% of global Twitter users follow brands they like, and that’s over 150 million users! And with Twitter being so fun and easy to use, there is no excuse to continue brushing it aside. Read this article and we’ll give you the basics on how to get started.
1. Create a Catchy Profile
First impressions count so make sure your Twitter profile represents your hotel well. Use an attractive hotel photo, or your hotel logo, and create a memorable bio that includes searchable keywords like hotel or spa. For your Twitter background use your best hotel picture or create a customised picture that complements your brand identity and appeals to your target audience.
2. Create a Persona
Before you start tweeting, define your brand and the route you would like to go down on the platform. The language you choose will be your brand voice to your followers. Not every approach suits every hotel and highly depends on your main demographics.Look at other industry examples and how they engage with their customers. Keep in mind: Twitter should be fun for you and your followers.
3. Build a Network
Develop a community of users who share an affinity for your hotel or your destination by using directories like Wefollow and Twellow and checking out followers of hotels similar to yours or indeed followers of relevant industry players.After that you can grow followers organically by being active on the platform, regularly commenting on and sharing tweets. Also don’t forget to use the Twitter hashtag which allows users to curate conversations around a topic. Each of your tweets should contain at least one or two relevant hashtags to make your content more searchable. It’s also a good idea to create a unique hashtag you can use for your brand eg. #HiltonHonours
4. Monitor your Brand
It’s worth tracking conversations online by using a social listening tool like HootSuite where you can monitor any mentions of your brand or destination and engage accordingly. For example if a tourist is looking for information on Twitter about your destination, chime in, be helpful and you may just get a booking out of it.
5. Focus on Customer Relationship & Engagement
Think of tweets as short conversations with your followers. It’s not uncommon that a guest will tag their hotel on Twitter before they arrive. This is a great opportunity for you to engage with them pre- and post-stay and solidify loyalty towards your brand.Smart hotels use Twitter for proactive customer service. This strategy involves listening to travel issues of people in the area and complaints about competitors. E.g. If a traveller tweets “X hotel overbooked and doesn’t have a room for me” or “we’re stranded in Dublin because of travel delays,” a quick hotel brand can jump in and save the day, generating goodwill from everyone who sees the interaction.
6. Diversify your Quality Content
There are endless opportunities for you to get tweeting. As stated above, do not make the mistake of trying to hard sell only. There are many great ways to keep your audience engaged. Always keep in mind it’s quality over quantity – slow down, take your time and do it right rather than rushing just for the sake of tweeting.Please find some examples that work really well for hospitality businesses:
- Behind the scenes pictures from your hotel
- Shared blog post.
- Local tips and things to do in the area
- Events and activities coming up in your hotel and surrounding area
- Retweets from guests
- Short-span deals (i.e. one day sale)
- Events (i.e. awards ceremonies, anniversary celebrations, internal weddings)
- Reviews of the hotel
- Awards the hotel won
- Current offers and specials
Conclusion
To sum up, get started by following people with similar interests. Once you feel more confident on the platform engage with your users by posting quality content. And lastly, do not get discouraged by the amount of followers you have at first – as in the offline world, building relationships takes just as long on digital platforms.
