How to Promote your Hotel on Instagram

Quite often, hoteliers will see advice such as “Promote your Hotel on Instagram” which is a very good point to raise when it comes to marketing.

However they fail to tell you how to do it.

It’s one thing to understand that social media is now an incredible force for marketing, but it’s quite another to learn how to use it as an effective promotion channel. First we are going to explain why you should use it, and then most importantly for you – how to do it.

Why you should promote your hotel on Instagram

Firstly – the age of the mobile phone has made us more interconnected than ever before. Whether it’s organising a visit from an old friend or laughing at grumpy cat memes – our phones are never far from our hands.

Let’s not argue whether it is good or bad for people to have this level of constant interaction with their mobiles. One thing is for certain – it is a hotelier’s dream come true. There are a huge number of advantages to this that we’ll talk about later, but our favourite promotion channel right now – Instagram!

Secondly – Instagram is a visual channel. Humans love a good picture, but we’ve come a long way since the days of cave drawings – now we use them for marketing. Imagery is evocative, after all just consider the amount of breaktaking artwork in museums across the world. 

Now combine connectivity with the ability to inspire emotion. That’s why Instagram is such a powerful marketing tool these days. In fact, according to a survey, over 40% of potential guests identified “how Instagrammable the holiday would be” as their primary motivator for selecting a holiday destination!

How to promote your hotel on Instagram

This is the juicy bit you’ve been waiting for. 

There are several ways to plan your hotel promotion on Instagram, and none of them are wrong, but they may not be available to you depending upon your current limitations. As a quick reminder to some hotels not fully open yet, we are going to say this once – 

YOU CAN STILL PROMOTE YOUR HOTEL IN THE PRE-OPENING PHASE!

Now that we’ve done that reminder, let’s take a look at your promotional options:

#1 The “Landing Page” style

The landing page style acts as an imitation of a landing page and it focuses more on the entire profile rather than individual posts.

Instead of daily posts, you roll out a planned selection of hotel photographs in bulk. These can be separated by:

• Photo filters
• Location setting – Rooftop bar/Guest rooms etc.
• Seasonal appearance – Winter/Spring etc.

The choice is yours, but the overall aesthetic of the profile is the main priority. It transforms your overall profile into an attractive landing page, with your bio directing customers to your website for a quick direct booking.

These bulk posts can be made with every change in season and style. So when the winter season is on its way, you can roll out the frosted, snow-laden landscapes ready to launch your Christmas Holiday campaign!

#2 The “Theme of the day” style

Instagram’s algorithm usually gives priority to profiles that post every single day, hence the “theme of the day” approach.

Every single day your hotel uploads a new post focusing on a different unique selling point (USP). This can vary from nearby tourist attractions, cultural events, or even just an attractive picture of your premises.

#3 The “Talkative” style

This style focuses on customer engagement on posts (we’ll talk about customer engagement later.) These posts will not just be photos, but they will have pictures completely made of text. 

Usually these will include questions to allow guests (both potential and existing) to comment underneath. The theory is that with enough interaction on the posts, Instagram will give the algorithm a boost and force your profile to appear more often.

What’s important to note about this style is that it can be performed in the pre-opening phase of a hotel! If you lack a sufficient quantity of pictures, this talkative style is a great way to increase the amount of posts you make, without repeating photos too often!

Customer Engagement on Instagram

Customer engagement doesn’t stop at a like on a picture, it is so much more than that! Social media gives hoteliers a fantastic opportunity to build your hotel branding.

Social media is as relevant to existing guests as it is to new guests. You want to cultivate relationships with satisfied guests to keep them coming back, while simultaneously trying to build new connections with potential guests.

That’s where a professional, alert social media team comes in. A marketing team who are experienced with customer interactions and up-to-date on online trends. From liking comments, to troubleshooting problems, to running competitions for prettiest pictures of your hotel, your social media team must provide:

• Quick replies
• Humorous touch
• Straightforward presentation
• Intuitive online presence – able to connect with other profiles and challenges
• Well-researched hashtags – to catch those trends!

At the end of the day, both existing guests and previous guests want to feel connected with your hotel, and essentially part of your hotel brand. Your social media engagement plays a massive part in your brand building, as it transforms you into something more than just a destination – your guests are part of an exclusive club!

So make them feel at home, not just in your hotel, but online as well. If you market your presence well enough then your guests themselves turn into voluntary marketers! They’ll share your posts, comment on your pictures, and provide attractive stories to spread the word about your hotel. Once you learn how to use destination marketing to its full potential, your Instagram feed will only become stronger.

Instagram is a powerful tool for any hotel – use it wisely!