10 types of tweets that work best for hotels
Running out of things to tweet about? A look at some of the most popular
Twitter accounts in the hospitality industry reveals a few common
themes about the types of content that generate the best results.
1) Responding to questions, comments and mentions. For hotels, Twitter
remains primarily a service and conversational medium. The majority of
content should be @replies to people talking about your hotels, your
brand, your niche, or your area. Responses build relationships and show
your Twitter involvement is not exclusively to push commercial messages.
2) Retweeting positive feedback. Retweeting positive messages helps
others act as salespeople for your brand. This can be done too often,
but sharing the occasional recommendation as a retweet will show you
acknowledge advocates and appreciate their comments.
3) Retweeting other resources. This helps you curate what is cool while
giving credit to the source. You could always tweet links directly, but
retweeting other content producers helps build important relationships
by raising their own Twitter profile. Plus, retweets introduce your
followers to new sources of information.
4) Sharing recommendations. The Opus Hotel in Vancouver shares style
tips via Twitter @OpusHotels. This strategy helps build a brand
personality, which is something that should be outlined in a social
media style guide for your staff. Lifestyle information can be very
popular on Twitter, so define the image you are building and then share
information and recommendations around this.
5) Spotlighting media mentions. If your hotels get mentioned in the
media, pass that information along to your Twitter followers.
Highlighting stories on Twitter can amplify the coverage by providing an
opportunity for additional exposure through retweets and viral word of
mouth.
6) Asking questions. Twitter can act as a 24/7 virtual focus group, and
can be a powerful way to do market research. Next time your have a
question - or want to get a second opinion - crowdsource the answer by
posting to Twitter.
7) Running contests. Some of the best contests leverage the power of
questions to increase participation. A recent promotion from Apex Hotels
asked followers to submit their favorite things about Edinburgh. In
this single contest, more than 460 people participated - providing
valuable market research, ideas for future blog posts, and perhaps tips
for a city guide in the future.
8) Offering real-time information. Twitter is by design a real-time
media format, and this can be very helpful when up-to-the-minute
information is required. We see this often in breaking news situations:
Twitter becomes the best source for knowing what is happening right now.
In the context of hotels and hospitality, it is possible to use this
real-time medium if there is a storm or bad weather, for example. By
following and acting quickly on a news event, you can help stranded
travelers - which we’ve seen a few airlines and hotels do successfully
recently. This real-time format also works well for events, sharing
timely tips for attendees.
9) Sharing personal thoughts. Depending on the voice and style you want
to communicate in your Twitter account, it may be appropriate to include
personal thoughts in your hotels’ Twitter stream. Typically this
approach works best for small hotels where the owner also acts as the
public spokesperson. A good example of this is Guido vanden Elshout,
owner of the Haagsche Suites, but better known on Twitter as
@HappyHotelier. Instead of just promoting his hotel, Guido publishes
links and resources on topics he is fascinated by: design, food and
travel.
This approach can also work for larger brands. Charles Yap, Global Brand
Communications Director at IHG, provides personality for this large
organization by sharing his personal thoughts @HotelPRGuy. In a recent
conversation we had, Charles mentioned the importance of sharing
personal interests - food, tea, travel, and photography in his case - to
share your personality in a way that encourages people to connect with
you.
10) Recruiting staff. Twitter can be a valuable way to recruit talented
team members. Apex Hotels built a separate Twitter account for human
resources: @apexcareers. Danielle, the Recruitment Officer at Apex, uses
the account to offer career advice, CV tips, and guidance to potential
applicants. “Engaging with the wider recruiting world ensures that Apex
maintains an excellent standard of service by employing the right people
at the very top of their game,” Apex Hotels ecommerce manager Sam
Weston said.
Source : hotelmarketing.com
Written by Josiah Mackenzie, ReviewPro
Category:
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