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.
