From overpromoting, to not being active enough, there are several things hotels can avoid when setting up their Instagram strategy. By building the right foundation on their social media profiles, hotels can easily engage with potential guests, inspire future travelers and encourage direct bookings from their website. Below are 8 mistakes all hotels should avoid on Instagram.
1. Overpromoting
When it comes to marketing your accommodation online, being too sales-focused or overpromoting your services on social media can be a major turn-off for potential guests. It is important to remember to balance marketing your services with providing useful and interesting content for your audience. Trying to get potential guests to book a room directly after viewing your post is likely going to lead to lost opportunities. Instead, focus on creating content that educates your audience about why they should stay at your accommodation. Showcase great photos, offer insider tips on things to do in the local area, and paint a vivid image of what guests can expect in their stay. This way, you’ll be allowing your potential clients to make an informed decision when they come to booking.
2. Lacking Inspiring Images
Take advantage of the abundant user base on social media, especially Instagram, to market your business. High-quality and aesthetically pleasing photographs of your travel destination and accommodation will certainly help capture the attention of potential travelers. And if they’re wowed by your posts, they might just be inspired to book a trip with you. Make sure the photographs you post are well-composed, well-lit, and representative of the actual beauty of your destination. Incorporating captions as well as hashtags is also integral to catching the attention of potential travelers and boosting visibility. Utilizing the right data and tracking the right metrics will help you effectively measure the success of your posts on Instagram.
3. Not Posting Videos
According to recent statistics, over 100 million people view video content on popular social media platforms such as Instagram, Youtube, and TikTok every day. This number is indicative of the growing demand for video content from hotels or accommodations. Travelers have come to expect to see video content when making their decision about where to stay and many hotels are taking advantage of the trend by creating and sharing videos of their premises. Not only is it cost-effective, but platforms such as Instagram’s new Reels feature have made it incredibly easy to produce and distribute quality video content. With a good smartphone and some creativity, hotels can create small and candid videos that are sure to perform well on stories and Instagram Reels.
4. Not Engaging with Your Audience
Social media is a great way to build relationships with your consumers. Through platforms like Facebook and Instagram, you can create two-way conversations with your prospective and current customers. This gives them the unique opportunity to interact with your brand, providing valuable feedback and turning them into brand ambassadors. Additionally, it allows you to create meaningful connections with them. Unlike traditional advertising, social media gives your followers more than just a one-way conversation. Through its interactive aspect, brands can truly engage with their target audience and develop lasting relationships.
It is important to engage with your followers as they might be potential customers or guests. Make sure to like and comment on their posts and reply to any comments or direct messages as soon as you can. Responding quickly to comments shows your followers that you care about them and their opinion. Try to remain active and post regularly so that your followers can stay up-to-date with what is going on in the world of your hotel. Don’t forget to interact with posts from other brands or influencers – this will help to grow your profile and increase your chances of getting new guests.
5. Not Being Consistent
It’s important for hotels to be constantly active on social media. Having an inactive account suggests that your hotel is closed or not in business anymore. Whether your hotel is still in business or not, a deserted social media account could have a massive implication on the reputation of your hotel. There are no excuses these days when it comes to engaging with customers on social media. Taking the time to respond to messages and answer questions, on your social media accounts, can help your hotel boost customer satisfaction and loyalty and garner more bookings.
Additionally, by not being active daily, you could miss out on important messages potential guests might be sending you. This includes inquiries and bookings for your rental property, as well as self-check-in instructions or other information your guests may need to know. It’s also important to respond promptly to messages and emails, as a slow response might put off potential guests. Keeping your communication channels open is important to creating a favorable impression of your property and boosting customer satisfaction.
6. No Call-to-actions
Being too pushy with your followers on your Instagram posts can harm more than help your business. Instead of repeatedly telling them “book now!”, try to post quick, creative and attractive posts that are still too attractive for people to resist. On the other hand, not having any posts with call-to-actions to help your followers book a room can imply that they can’t or that you don’t need their business or it may show that you are not confident in the quality of the product you are providing. As a result, make sure that somewhere within your profile, you include some information that invites your followers to book a room with you. Make it clear and engaging as to why they should book with you.
When providing your customers with an online path to purchase, it is important to make the process as easy as possible. Customers should not have to spend a great deal of time, effort, or energy to find what they need and make a purchase. Make sure that the path to purchase is clearly defined by creating a website that is organized and intuitive, providing informative and helpful descriptions about your products or services, and ensuring that customers can purchase quickly and easily.
7. Incorrect Spelling or Grammar
Unprofessional and sloppy spelling and grammar present an unmannerly image that can drive followers and customers away. To ensure you don’t misspell words or make any grammar blunders, go over your social media posts before publishing them. Doing this will give off a polished, pristine and organized image that Instagram users and customers will find more inviting and professional.
8. Not Updating Your Followers
Keeping customers and followers informed about any changes to your business such as revised hours of operation, changes to locations, and any other updates are essential. No one wants to stumble upon incorrect information on your website or any of your social media sites like Instagram. Having the correct, up-to-date information on all your platforms will help build customer confidence, trust and loyalty and even attract potential guests. It is just as important to update your followers as it is to update all your website.
Are you ready to take your Instagram to the next level? Contact us to learn about our Instagram management packages.
