Driving Sales Using Social Media

As online travel agencies, review site communities, and social media platforms begin to influence the hospitality industry more and more, you may find yourself asking how you can see a return on your invested time and resources in social media interaction and closed sales.  Although it is difficult to assign ROI in terms of hard dollar value, social media and corresponding sales, consider this: In a survey of 35,000 hotel guests taken in March of this year, 93% of the respondents said that online reviews had an impact on which hotel they booked with. 

Even further, it is indisputable that the advent of social media, online review sites, and online travel agencies has transformed the way guests book their reservations at hotels and restaurants.  Readily available information through OTAs and user generated content in reviews has transformed the booking process from price transparency to value transparency.  Now when guests book their next destination they are not only conscientious of price, but also the expected value they will get from choosing your property.  This highly competitive market is now growing only more and more vicious, placing greater pressure on how the hospitality industry presents price and non-price information.  

Most hoteliers and restaurateurs use social media as a way to listen to their guests before they arrive at their property, in turn they are able to create a more personalized and remarkable service.  However Social Media can also be effectively used to engage with guests, prospect sales leads, inspire interest in your property and increase overall web traffic which will inevitably lead to more sales.  

Aim to Inspire

Engaging with your guests through social media facilitates a means for you to captivate guest interest and drive loyalty to your brand.  Consider the actual purchase path from when a guest researches a destination to their actual booking, although he/she may eventually find themselves at and OTA or review community, their initial interest in a destination can be instigated by an aesthetic, remarkable, and interesting social media platform.   This initial point of contact can inspire a selling opportunity in an organic an unobtrusive way. 

Each Social Media Site has its own Strengths

Overall, Social media provides a way to drive web traffic and visitors to your property webpages.  In essence actively monitoring and engaging with guests through social media will create numerous opportunities for you to create unique personalized service, captivate new audiences, and drive loyalty.  Extreme self promotion or invasive marketing collateral will inevitably deter audience engagement.  However if you consistently share remarkable, interesting, and enjoyable content you will be able to represent your brand personality, encourage engagement, and inevitably drive sales.