It’s no secret that in this new digital driven era people are taking photos of absolutely everything. This has driven many hospitality businesses to redesign their spaces to adapt to this new ‘Instagrammable’ world we live in.
If you want a prolific Instagram presence… read on for handy tips from our marketing experts!
When millennials look for a hotel or holiday package did you know that more than 50% rank Instagram as their first port of call when selecting a location? Did you also know millennials often prefer to pay more for an Instagrammable hotel rather than a cheaper alternative? These statistics alone mean that you need to step up your insta-game and maximise your social media strategy to get more customers through your doors.
Hospitality is ‘Instagrammable’
When you strip back the reason people post on Instagram it is pretty simple… to share their experiences with friends and family.
Making your business an ‘Instagrammable’ location doesn’t mean you need a full renovation or redesign, sometimes it’s the smaller things that make a big difference. For example, adding a captivating mural, creating theatrical cocktails with dry ice or photogenic dishes at your restaurant are all great ways to create photo opportunities.
Being a part of the hospitality industry automatically offers an enormous advantage when it comes to content. When consumers share an image, tag your location or profile, it acts as free marketing for your business. This makes it an affordable and effective way to develop brand awareness and build a community.
Choose your aesthetic - and stick to it!
This is arguably one of the most important parts of your strategy.
As Instagram is a photography-based app, your page needs to exude your brand and what it stands for. The pictures you post need to sell the overall guest experience to the user, so it creates a level of curiosity and desire to stay with you. Whether that’s showing off your services, tempting dining experiences or interior shots that show off your best features, your feed acts like a portfolio for your consumers perusal, so make it count!
Iphones and Androids can only do so much. Investing in a professional photographer will take your feed to the next level and give it a sense of consistency.
Collaborate with influencers
Influencer marketing and the hospitality industry go hand in hand, there is huge opportunity for return on investment in comparison to standard google or Facebook advertisements that you may be tempted to look into.
Influencers with sizeable followings and high engagement rates could get your brand seen by a large network of targeted consumers that trust their judgement. However, there are some rules of thumb when choosing influencers that are right for your business, here are some tips:
Only use influencers that correspond with your brand identity, for example, if you are a luxury boutique hotel, ensure your chosen influencer’s theme mirrors this.
It is also wise to check out their following to ensure they are real and engaged followers. Tools such as ‘Social Blade’ can assist you in checking how real a user’s following is and if it is made up of bots. Choosing the right influencer takes time and investigation, but the right collaboration can boost your brand awareness tremendously.
Switch to a business profile
This is a no brainer when it comes to maximising Instagram as a tool for your business. Under account settings there is an option to switch from ‘personal’ to a ‘business page’, this gives you access to invaluable business settings such as call-to-action buttons, a refined professional appearance, and of course in-depth analytics. These insights are incredibly useful when learning about your demographic and can heavily influence your Instagram strategy going forward.
Post on a regular schedule
Regular posting is paramount for a successful Instagram strategy, you need to keep your brand at the forefront of your consumers minds however without saturating their feed to the point of becoming ‘spammy.
The best way to find out when the best time to post is by trial and error. Schedule your posts for the month at different times of the day/week then review their performance with the data in Instagram insights (analytics).
This will tell you exactly when your followers are online and more likely to engage with your content. Once you have an established a pattern of behavior, you can then work to their schedule and maximise results.
Need assistance with your marketing?
Our marketing experts at HotelBiz are here to help! Why not get in touch with us today for a no obligation chat and let’s pull together an action plan for you marketing.
Call 0118 328 2438.
