The latest trending social media platforms change at the bat of an eye. One which is popular today gets replaced by a newer, hipper, and trendier one tomorrow. But there is one social media professional network that has stood its ground even as other platforms come and go: LinkedIn.
“Launched in 2003, LinkedIn’s reach has risen steeply over a decade now. According to Forbes, LinkedIn hit a staggering 200 million users in January. There has been a massive growth when we consider it held just 22 million, five years ago and one million just a year after launch.”
LinkedIn for Small Hotels:
LinkedIn is a great way for hotels to stay connected with their peers as well as past, present and potential guests. As a small hotel, you might not have a dedicated resource to handle your social media accounts but it is nevertheless important to not ignore this medium. The number of posts you put up do not matter as much as your regular presence on this social media channel.
Here are a few LinkedIn tips for independent hotels to improve their marketing reach in 2015:
Build your brand
It’s imperative that hotels create their own company page, where they list their brand and give a snapshot of what the hotel has to offer. Don’t make the description like your company’s website – let it be brief and to the point.
A LinkedIn page for the hotel is a great way to engage with guests as well as list details about ongoing promotions and new updates. The page can also enhance the hotel’s search engine rankings since LinkedIn pages generally perform well in company searches. Having a page can improve your hotel’s global visibility. Get this first step right because you never know – your next guest inquiry could come to your LinkedIn page.
Build your community
Find groups that complement your hotel’s profile: travel groups, local attractions and hospitality groups, to build your community. The page’s visibility in other groups shall have a ripple effect and shall result in new followers of your hotel’s page.
LinkedIn is also a great way for hotels to interact with their competitors and find information on what is trending in the hospitality sector.
Engage your followers
As a hotel, use LinkedIn as a platform to engage with your followers, respond to their posts and comments. As with all social media platforms, only create a page if you are able to communicate with your contacts. The hotel needs to be able to spend time on their pages, respond to posts, monitor what is being posted and strengthen its online presence.
Encourage your guests to follow you
Ensure that your guests know that you have a LinkedIn page by listing the address on your marketing collaterals – website, social media pages and hotel brochures.
Make the right connections
Via your LinkedIn page, your hotel can look at networking with the right people. Connect with event planners that require banqueting venues for their meetings. Tie up with wedding planners and showcase weddings held at your hotel via pictures. The potential is endless but make sure you are subtle with the marketing and build it up slowly.
Every small hotelier should create a LinkedIn account and eventually build it up. Share relevant information and don’t just use it as a page to advertise your property. Think of it more as a forum to engage with your peers and guests and it shall definitely result in increasing your marketing reach.
Get Linked-in to your guests to experience more benefits!