Social Media Marketing

September 7, 2010

3 Ways Your Hotel Can Utilize YouTube

Filed under: Blog — Tags: hotel Internet marketing, Hotel Social Media Marketing, Online Contests, Roger Smith Hotel, San Juan Marriott Resort, Social Media Marketing, YouTube — admin @ 9:25 am

With today’s technology, online videos are steadily becoming the most popular form of entertainment and social media marketing on the web today. Did you know that people are watching over 2 billion YouTube videos every 24 hours? That’s nearly double the prime-time audience of all three major US broadcast networks combined. But even with these numbers, it’s not always easy to grab the attention of others while still effectively showing off the amenities of your property, so below is a list of three ways your hotel can utilize YouTube to gain a following, build awareness and ultimately increase sales.

1. Virtual Postcards
Anyone can pay money to create a professional commercial that makes a hotel look stunning, but a way to really capture an audience is to show footage of real people enjoying their time at your property. One hotel that has successfully gained an online following through authentic footage is the San Juan Marriott Resort. An employee at this property introduced a ‘YouTube Concierge’ for guests to share their vacation experiences with the world. The Concierge spends time getting to know guests throughout the resort and asks them to record a 30-second video to send to friends and family as a virtual postcard from the beach. The video clip is then professionally licensed and uploaded to the San Juan Marriott Live YouTube Channel.

2. Online Film Festival
With a little outreach and the help of a few aspiring filmmakers, any hotel can grab the attention of a relevant audience and show off its amenities all at the same time. The popular social savvy property, the Roger Smith Hotel, has gained a substantial following through YouTube with a contest that has attracted the attention of thousands of fans. In August 2009, the Roger Smith started its annual short film festival. During the first year of the growing festival/workshop, the popular property had 6 filmmakers create 6 short films at the Roger Smith Hotel in one week. These films show off a number of eye-catching characteristics of the location’s building and services. Due to this sort of outreach, the hotel’s YouTube site has seen over 20,000 channel views.

3. Contests With User Generated Content
Nothing pulls in attention like an online contest with an interesting premise and a desirable prize. In 2008, the Sands Beach Hotel ran a contest asking visitors to submit videos on YouTube that sum up the fun, excitement and feeling of being at, what they called, the best hotel in Lanzarote. The winners got free airfare and a week-long stay at the Sands Beach Hotel. As long as the video contained footage of the actual property, the contest allowed guests to be as creative as possible. With a substantial following and the right outreach, these kinds of contests excite fans, grab the attention of potential customers and provide the hotel with future marketing material.

Written by Jacquelynn M.

Comments (0)

August 30, 2010

High Peaks Resort’s Highly Effective Social Media Promotion

Filed under: Blog — Tags: Facebook, High Peaks Resort, hotel Internet marketing, Hotel Social Media Marketing, Social Media Marketing, social media promotions, social networking, Twitter — admin @ 10:51 am

As social media continues to become an integral component of any marketing plan, many hotels are taking a new approach by developing creative promotions, contests and announcements to stand out in the crowd and grab the attention of the Internet’s increasingly influential user base. One hotel that has caught on to this trend relatively early is High Peaks Resort in Lake Placid, New York. During the off season of 2009, this hotel found a creative way to capture the interest of customers through its “Elevate Your Rate” social media promotion.

How “Elevate your Rate” worked

For 46 days, the High Peaks Resort offered rates based off of the elevations of the 46 high peaks. For example, on May 13, 2009, the elevation for Mount Marshall, which was that day’s offering, was 4,360’ so the “elevated” rate for a room was $43.60 per night. Alerts for the contest were given via social media outlets, most notably Facebook and Twitter. Now you’re probably wondering how the hotel kept its followers’ attention. Well, this discount only ran for 46 minutes each day. Since the timing of the announcement was different day to day, anyone hoping to snag the sale had to keep up with the hotel’s Facebook and Twitter updates, thus giving the hotel the undivided attention of a large number of highly relevant users. This was the perfect time for High Peaks to advertise other favorable aspects of the resort.

Although revenue per a room was relatively lower compared to the resort’s usual intake, this contest successfully helped High Peaks Resort fill rooms during a typically slow season and, more than anything, it gave them the publicity needed to gain a following, build a bond and increase brand awareness. So overall, this was a fairly inexpensive and effetive marketing campaign.

According to analysts at eMarketer, as of 2010, there are around 127 million US social network users and that number is growing at an unbelievable rate. With so many social savvy travelers communicating online, it is becoming a necessity for hotels to join in the social conversation and find a way to stand out from the competition through creativity, relevancy and consistency. This is why it’s important to keep in mind that social media promotions and contesting help keep customers engaged and excited about the brand. In addition, it shows that your business is dedicated to putting in the extra effort needed to please your followers, friends and fans. That being said, now’s the time for hotels to enter the twenty-first century and start thinking outside of the box by using the power of social media marketing to help build upon your business.

Written by Jacquelynn M.

Comments (0)

August 16, 2010

YouTube and Hotels: Best Western TV

Filed under: Blog — Tags: Best Western International, Brand Awareness, hotel Internet marketing, hotels on social media, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, social networking, YouTube, YouTube and Hotels — admin @ 11:12 am

For today’s social savvy traveler, static photos and text descriptions on a hotel website simply aren’t enough to paint a clear picture of any location anymore. This is why YouTube is becoming such a valuable marketing platform for businesses within the hospitality industry, like hotels, restaurants and resorts. Since its launch in 2005, YouTube has earned its spot as one of the top social media networks available online today because it attracts an extraordinary amount of traffic and it is used by a wide range of users. Knowing this, many hotels, like Best Western International, are embracing the popular marketing platform by using it to showcase the brand’s hotels, build awareness and increase exposure.

Best Western TV

Best Western International’s YouTube brand channel, known as Best Western TV, is successfully used to run video ads, hold fan contests and build a community around the brand. Created in 2008, the hotel channel has gained over 72,900 channel views, 180 subscribers and has over 50 videos. The hotel channel is filled with a variety of videos, ranging from tours of individual properties to footage of interviews with David Kong, CEO of Best Western. These visuals and media are used to display all aspects of a typical Best Western stay, and show video footage of quite a few individual locations, showcasing everything from the bar scene to the room décor. Most importantly, the channel is a central online location for customers to preview hotels, share their comments and upload their own Best Western footage.

Any business utilizing YouTube to build awareness should have consistent updates, customer engagement and informative videos. Additionally, as with Best Western, customers should be given the opportunity to upload their own video footage to a business’ YouTube channel because in most cases, this tends to be the most reliable source for other social travelers. Customer videos give others a chance to “tour” a property from an unbiased point of view.

A hotel does not have to be part of a major brand to grow an online audience. As seen through social media efforts of many hotel chains, a lot of the individual properties under a brand name successfully create their own individual social media channel and network to better serve customers that are fans of that specific location. So what are you waiting for, it’s time to pull out the camera and start recording!

Comments (0)

August 9, 2010

Hotels using Foursquare to Grow Brand Awareness and Increase Traffic

Filed under: Blog — Tags: Facebook, Foursquare, geo-location technology, hotel Internet marketing, hotels on social media, location-based media, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, social networking, Twitter, Wynn Las Vegas, Yelp, YouTube — admin @ 9:51 am

Not too long ago, a large number of business owners were constantly asking the question, “Foursquare, what’s that?” Now, in just a little under a year and a half since its launch in March 2009, a number of businesses are using this popular location-based social networking website to build brand awareness, engage with customers and ultimately increase traffic.

For those of you still trying to figure it out, Foursquare is an online game that allows users to earn awards and badges through “check-ins”. Whenever a user visits any type of brick-and-mortar venue, including restaurants, clothing stores and hotels, they can let their friends know where they are via a Foursquare “check-in”. In addition, the site also allows users to share quick tips and reviews, which makes it somewhat comparable to sites like Yelp. Anyone questioning this social media website’s potential should know that Foursquare sees over a million “check-ins” a day and has over 1.8 million registered users. Additionally, the social networking site adds an average of 15,000 new users every 24 hours. With these numbers, researchers are positive that Foursquare will become the next major player in the social media marketing game, so Twitter, YouTube and Facebook better keep a close eye on this one.

This relatively popular social media site is particularly great for hotels because it offers properties an easy way to entice users to give their location a try. There is valuable information sharing going on within Foursquare and it is important for hotels to capture users’ attention to help spread the word about the wonderful amenities their properties offer. Most people trust their friends and family more than any other resource, so this site allows people to see the type of places their closest companions are visiting.

Quite a few hotels are already using Foursquare to actively reach out to guests and visitors, including the Wynn Las Vegas, Doubletree Hotel in San Jose and James Hotel Chicago. These hotels use the site to run contests, offer incentives and give discounts when customers “check-in” at their properties. Due to this outreach, users have already filled the tip section of these particular spots with tons of advice for other guests, like where to eat in the area, which rooms have the best view and what kind of drinks to order at the hotel bar. There is a gold mine of opportunity within Foursquare for properties both big and small, so it’s important to grab this audience before the competition swoops in.

As with all other social media marketing platforms, Foursquare alone is not the answer. The only way to capture a wide range of Internet users is to develop an integrated strategy that incorporates all the most popular sites together in a way that is most useful to each specific property. That being said, it’s time to get in line to be the next player on Foursquare!

Comments (0)

August 2, 2010

Mobile Booking: Is your Hotel Ready for Today’s New Generation of Travelers?

Filed under: Blog — Tags: hotel Internet marketing, Hotels & Resorts, mobile booking, Mobile Marketing, Smartphones, Social Media Marketing, travel, Travelodge, Website Maintenance — admin @ 9:47 am

Today’s travelers are tech savvy, on-the-go type of people and as time passes, they are becoming increasingly more dependent on their cell phones to browse the web, research information and make purchases. According to statistics, the average US mobile phone user spends 2.7 hours a day browsing the Internet with their mobile device and more than 17% of those users have smartphones, up from 11% in 2008. As these numbers continue to increase at unimaginable rates, mobile booking is becoming the next game changing move for hotels.

The realization of this up and coming trend really hit me after I spent the day with a few friends who are currently in the process of planning a cross country road trip. While we were all sitting at a restaurant in downtown, my friends mapped out their route and booked all their hotel reservations. Can you guess what their number one criterion was when choosing hotels? The hotel had to have an easy mobile booking process. This way they could book while on the road if necessary. I always knew that mobile booking was a rising trend, but it really hit home that afternoon, and after taking a look at statistics, there is enough evidence to show that this relatively small minority will more than likely grow into a large majority.

A number of hotels already recognize this change, and are taking the necessary actions needed to stay ahead of the competition. A great example of how mobile booking services operate can be seen at Travelodge’s UK website: http://www.travelodge.co.uk/mobile . On this mobile booking website, it only takes six simple steps to complete the reservation process. In addition, Travelodge has gone through great lengths to ensure customers that paying through the company’s mobile site is both safe and secure.

Mobile booking may be here to stay, but traditional methods of booking are by no means gone, which is why it is important to carefully integrate this new method with other popular forms that already exist. In today’s technolgy age, one thing is for sure, hotel websites that are not mobile-ready are not prepared for the new generation of travelers.

Comments (0)

July 26, 2010

Twitter Success Story: Omni Hotels

Filed under: Blog — Tags: hotel Internet marketing, Omni Hotels, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Twitter — admin @ 9:32 am

With over 50 million tweets sent a day, a number of businesses are finally recognizing the opportunity that lies within Twitter. While most companies are still trying to figure out how to work the popular 140 word micro-blogging website, others, like Omni Hotels, are already successfully using Twitter to build brand awareness and better serve their customers.

Executives at Omni Hotels know that today’s travelers are constantly connected to the Internet through their computers, smart phones and other mobile devices, which is why their employees are very careful about the way they manage the company’s social media network. In order to ensure a pleasurable customer experience for all of the people actively engaging with its brand on Twitter, the company has a corporate team that is responsible for consistently updating tweets and responding to its audience. Rather than leaving its online reputation in the hands of the people, Omni takes the precautionary steps needed to immediately address any complaints to avoid the spread of negative sentiment. When someone tweets something negative about his or her stay at one of Omni’s hotels, the company sees it as an opportunity to turn this person into a brand ambassador.

Here’s a great example of how Omni Hotels uses Twitter:
While staying at an Omni property in Florida, a well known social media expert tweeted about the slow Internet connection coming from his hotel room. Immediately after the tweet was sent out, the Omni Twitter team contacted that specific hotel about the complaint. While the hotel’s IT expert looked into the problem, the GM and VP of sales at the property informed the displeased guest that the Internet should be fixed shortly. Within the hour, the hotel fixed the problem by adding additional routers and the additional capacity needed for high speed internet access. The guest was amazed, and now he uses Omni as an example when giving presentations on social media strategies.

As seen through Omni’s success story, companies that are not part of the social conversation are missing out on the opportunity to dramatically increase awareness, build a community of brand ambassadors and grow positive sentiment. Hotels have a wide range of customers, so it is especially important for them to listen and connect with their audience on every popular marketing medium available. Social media takes time, but with a knowledgeable team and a winning strategy, it is possible for any hotel to reach Omni’s social success.

Written by Jacquelynn M.

Comments (0)

July 16, 2010

Out with the New, In with the Old Spice

Filed under: Blog — Tags: Internet marketing, Old Spice, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Viral Videos — admin @ 10:37 am

Take a look at the newest Old Spice campaign…still questioning the power of social media? In a matter of days, Old Spice took over the social media realm with a set of viral videos that strategically targeted the right mix of influential bloggers, celebrities and everyday fans.

The campaign started with a few commercials featuring the overly masculine, yet very comical Old Spice guy, played by Isaiah Mustafa. After these commercials went viral, the creative minds behind the ads, Wieden+Kennedy, decided to take the campaign to the next level. Sticking to the original theme of the commercials, the Old Spice team created a series of videos with the Old Spice guy personally thanking fans for promoting the brand and also answering fan questions that were posted on different social networking outlets. Within hours Old Spice received a multitude of tweets and Facebook posts from people hoping to receive their own personalized video from the Old Spice guy himself.

Social media is taking over. Old Spice left these videos in the hands of the people, and the fans essentially became brand ambassadors for Old Spice by sharing these ads with friends and writing positive reviews about the new campaign. Within a day, these very personalized, comical videos reached the computer screens of hundreds of thousands of internet users. It’s safe to say we have come a long way from the pony express days.

As seen through the Old Spice campaign, there is a gold mine hidden within the Internet, and it’s important to take advantage of this new social media revolution because it is only getting bigger.To get started with your own videos, all it really takes is a strategy, a flip camera and a few willing fans. So it’s time to jump on the social media train before it passes you by with your competition on board. With the right strategy, this relatively new medium will give you the power to create a network of fans that will embrace and promote your business on a grassroots level.

There is one last thing to be said about Old Spice, a brand that has been around since 1930s…who said you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?

Written by Jacquelynn M.

Comments (0)

Blog

September 7, 2010

August 30, 2010

August 16, 2010

August 9, 2010

August 2, 2010

July 26, 2010

July 16, 2010

June 8, 2010

Mobile Marketing

Mobile Marketing: On the Brink of a Revolution

Blog Control Panel

eNewsletter Signup