Making the Most of Creative Hotel Promotions & Social Media (Part 2)

Read First: Making the Most of Creative Hotel Promotions & Social Media (Part 1)

Now that your property's unique promotion has been created, it's time to spend some time marketing the offer using social media. Marketing across social media channels is a vital and cost-effective tactic that should supplement other digital and offline marketing strategies. The power of crowdsourcing can be very impactful.

Since Facebook is on of the most prolific social network, if you are only going to market your promotion on one channel, it should be carefully considered. Remember not to jump the gun and get too excited when promoting the offer. Craft a strategy and content calendar beforehand. Make sure all the necessary tools are ready for you and are easily accessible. One of the most important things to work out before you start any Facebook marketing are the creatives. Facebook and social media, in general, are so photo-centric that doing any rigorous social media marketing without graphics is a wasted opportunity. Outsource a graphic designer, even if it is for a simple design. If your property is large enough to have someone in-house, work closely with them to create something you both line. If you have enough time or money, create different graphics so not all the marketing materials look the same.

Even with a low budget, there is some simple Facebook marketing that can go a long way. When you post your promotion's finished photo to Facebook, tag the business' Facebook pages of those establishments who partnered with you to form the promotion. This will allow the graphic to show up on their pages (unless their settings have been tweaked) and get more eyes on your information. It will give the other companies links and ease the process for interested consumers to learn about them. Use the "Highlight" or "Pin To Top" features to maximize your post's visibility. Keywords should also be incorporated when describing the photo, so it is search-friendly.

By spending as much or as little as you want, there are a few viable options currently available on Facebook to get your posts seen by more users. When you are ready to post your promotion with a compelling graphic, Facebook lets you pay to promote the post. Here you can spend various amounts and reach multiple audiences to get your content in front of more eyes. Advertising through Facebook Ads is a great idea, and there are many different ways to optimize the ad. Try running various ads – perhaps one just for your Facebook page itself, and another one just advertising your promotion. See which ad performs better and increase its budget accordingly. Try running the Sponsored Stories along with the ads to see how they affect the results.

For advanced marketers, there are, of course, many more ways and strategies to market your promotion on Facebook. Be creative and think outside of the box. Try running a contest simultaneously on your Facebook page (remember to adhere to the Facebook Page Terms for contesting, as they are particular)! Give away the promotion for free to the winner!

Using other social media channels such as Twitter, Pinterest, your hotel's blog, and even LinkedIn are different prominent and cost-effective ways to get the word out about your hotel's partnerships and promotions. Check back with us soon for another blog detailing how to take full advantage of other social networks to get your creative promotion the attention it deserves!