Social media sites have been entrenched in our lives for over a decade. We use them to keep up with friends, stay updated on the news, and check out deals. However, social media marketing for Queensland hotels is a different beast entirely. It's more complex than taking a photo of a room and then posting it online. Creating compelling content and promoting them online can be tricky.
Plus, not all platforms are created equal! For example, social media platforms that focus on visuals are great for promoting content and boosting your Queensland accommodation's online presence. Meanwhile, text-based platforms can be challenging to work with.
So, which social media site is worth it, and which ones should you ditch for your hotel's social media marketing efforts? Find out in this blog!
Facebook (Meta)
Rating: 9/10
Facebook has come a long way since its launch in 2004. Sure, there have been controversies over the years, but this social media platform is still robust, with over 3 billion users worldwide.
Why Use Facebook to Promote Your Hotel?
The beauty of Facebook is its vast audience reach. It has billions of active users worldwide, making it a fantastic platform for reaching local and international audiences. You can use targeted advertising, for example, to achieve specific demographics, interests, and locations, ensuring your marketing efforts are directed at potential guests.
Facebook is a highly visual platform, allowing you to showcase your rooms, amenities, and facilities through high-quality images and videos. Visual content can be compelling and influential in attracting potential guests and creating a positive impression.
The site's advertising platform enables Queensland hotels to create highly targeted campaigns. It includes targeting users based on age, interests, and online behaviour. This precision allows you to reach individuals who are more likely to be interested in your offerings.
You can also leverage Facebook to promote events, conferences, or special occasions at your property. The platform's event features make creating, advertising, and managing events easy, reaching a broader audience beyond the hotel's immediate network.
You can implement retargeting campaigns to reach users who have previously visited your website. These campaigns can be a powerful way to re-engage potential guests who showed interest but still needed to make a reservation.
Rating: 9/10
Instagram, launched in 2010, started as a photo-sharing social networking platform. But today, it also features videos, reels, and 'stories.' The platform, which Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger created, was later acquired by Meta (then Facebook) in 2012.
Instagram is renowned for its emphasis on visual content. The platform's visually-driven nature has made it a popular choice for individuals, businesses, and influencers seeking to showcase aesthetics and creativity.
Why Use Instagram to Promote Your Hotel?
Like its sibling, Facebook, Instagram is a highly visual platform. It allows hotel owners and managers like you to showcase your property's facilities, rooms, and experiences through eye-catching images and videos.
With a focus on compelling storytelling and striking aesthetics, Instagram facilitates high engagement levels. It allows hotel marketing teams to connect with potential guests through likes, comments, and shares.
Instagram also offers opportunities for hotels to collaborate with popular influencers. In fact, Instagram is the leader in influencer marketing, with YouTube and TikTok trailing behind. It allows you to reach an audience and gain credibility through influencer endorsements.
Instagram is also the leader in social media innovation. Its Stories and Reels features allow hotels to share time-sensitive content, promotions, and behind-the-scenes glimpses.
YouTube
Rating: 7/10
YouTube, a video-sharing social media platform founded in 2005, allows users to upload, share, and view videos. YouTube has grown fast since Google acquired it in 2006. It is now one of the most significant global video-sharing platforms and search engines, offering diverse content ranging from user-generated videos to professional productions, tutorials, and more.
Why Use YouTube to Promote Your Hotel?
YouTube allows hotel owners and managers like you to showcase your rooms and facilities visually, providing a dynamic and immersive way to engage potential guests. You can also boost your hotel's online presence through YouTube videos. Plus, the topics and videos on YouTube are searchable. This feature enhances a hotel's online visibility and attracts users searching for travel-related content.
With YouTube, you can create informative content for your Queensland accommodation. These include virtual tours, travel guides, and local attraction highlights. The platform's global audience allows hotels to reach a diverse and widespread audience, including international travellers. Plus points if you have videos in the language that you're targeting.
YouTube also supports longer-form content, allowing you to tell richer stories, share event footage, and provide in-depth information about your offerings.
Lastly, the platform provides tools for tracking video performance, audience demographics, and engagement metrics. These tools show you where you're doing great and where you can improve. They will also enable you to create data-driven marketing strategies.
TikTok
Rating: 8/10
TikTok is a short-form video-sharing social media platform launched in 2016 and globally released as TikTok in 2018. It allows users to create and share super-short videos set to music, often featuring creative lip-syncing, dancing, and various visual effects. TikTok has gained immense popularity, particularly among younger audiences, for its engaging and entertaining content.
Why Use TikTok to Promote Your Hotel?
It's no secret that our attention spans have been getting shorter and shorter over the years. TikTok has capitalised on this. Its short-form videos provide a quick and engaging way to showcase your rooms, facilities, and other unique offerings.
TikTok allows even the most technologically challenged business owners to flourish. With this platform, you only need a good camera phone, a dash of creativity, and tenacity. Hiring a good video editor is an excellent way to start, but it is not essential for your videos' success on this platform.
Hotel managers and owners like you can leverage TikTok's innovative tools, effects, and challenges to showcase creativity, connect with trends, and playfully engage users. TikTok is particularly popular among younger demographics, allowing hotels to target and engage with a youthful and trend-savvy audience.
Then there are TikTok influencers. Partnering with TikTok influencers can help hotels reach a broader audience and gain credibility through influencer endorsements.
Rating: 7/10
Pinterest is a visual discovery and bookmarking social media platform founded in 2010. It allows users to save ideas for different topics such as travel, art, fashion, architecture, home decor, and more. Users create and curate boards to organise and share their interests, and they can 'pin' images and content to these boards.
Why Use Pinterest to Promote Your Hotel?
Pinterest is visual by design, making it an ideal platform to showcase your Queensland hotel rooms, swimming pools, and other facilities. You can also showcase nearby attractions like beaches, theme parks, nature reserves, wildlife sanctuaries, and restaurants.
It also functions as a search engine, allowing users to discover content by searching for specific keywords. Let's say you're running a hotel on the Gold Coast. In the descriptions or hashtags, mention essential keywords, such as 'Gold Coast hotels' and 'Gold Coast accommodations'.
In addition, 'pins' have a lengthier lifespan than other posts on social media, providing Queensland hotels with enduring visibility and the potential for content to resurface over time.
Pinterest users often use the platform for trip planning and motivation, making it an effective tool for hotels to influence travel decisions and capture potential guests during the planning phase.
The linking opportunities in Pinterest also allow you to promote your property online. Each pin can include a link, directing users to the hotel's website or booking platform, facilitating a seamless conversion process.
Pinterest supports rich pins that allow hotels to include extra information, such as pricing, location, and availability, enhancing the user experience and providing valuable details.
X (formerly Twitter)
Rating: 6/10 (but a space to watch)
X, formerly known as Twitter, is a microblogging social media platform founded in 2006. It is known for its short-form posts called 'tweets.' Users share messages with a character limit (originally 140 characters, now 280 for most users) that can include text, images, videos, and links. X is widely used for real-time updates, news, conversations, and networking.
A lot of changes have been made to X recently, and metrics indicate that this platform is increasing in popularity, outperforming Meta and Instagram in some areas. So while it may not yet be the top choice for social media marketing platforms it might just take the lead in coming months.
Why Use X to Promote Your Hotel?
X's fast-paced nature allows you to engage with your audience in real-time, share timely updates, and participate in trending conversations. You can also increase visibility, join relevant discussions, and reach a broader audience interested in travel and hospitality.
Hotel sales and customer service teams can directly communicate with guests, respond to inquiries, and address concerns publicly.
Posts can include images, videos, and GIFs, allowing hotel digital marketing teams to visually showcase the property's facilities, events, and local attractions. This platform supports link sharing, directing users to the hotel's website, booking platform, or specific promotions and facilitating traffic redirection.
Last but not least is X's global reach. With its global user base, X allows hotels to reach an international audience interested in travel.
Are you looking to Boost Your Hotel's Presence Online? eTourism Can Help!
Unlock the full potential of your Queensland hotel with eTourism's cutting-edge social media strategies! We can help you build your property's online presence, engage your audience, and boost bookings with creative and engaging content.
Our services are designed to maximise visibility and drive results in the competitive hospitality landscape. Get in touch with us and let eTourism transform your hotel into a powerhouse, capturing the attention of travellers and ensuring a solid online presence that sets you apart.
