Social media marketing tactics are being used to create visibility, establish community and promote products and services around the world. According to HotelNewsNow, the biggest players in the hotel industry have taken advantage of social media marketing trends of the past year, developing strategies on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, Foursquare and more. Marketers looking to help their brands by leveraging social media must turn to hotel industry leaders for tips and tricks. Social media isn’t crashing for one night – it’s sticking around.
Hilton uses a deliberate social strategy
Hilton Hotels & Resorts is one major player benefiting from a deliberate, custom and careful social media marketing strategy, as the company says it believes that effective social connections can bring engagement and superior customer service. Hilton wants to gain followers and provide a forum for communication and is intent on providing social customer support that can lead to this end. The company’s marketing team created a Twitter handle solely for dealing with these types of issues – @HiltonHelp.
“By nurturing these online relationships with our guests, we are able to foster a sense of loyalty with them,” Andrew Flack, vice president of global brand marketing for Hilton Hotels & Resorts, told HotelNewsNow. “The brand’s Facebook following has increased by 185 percent in 2012, and engagement on both Facebook and Twitter has grown considerably.”
Hilton joins Marriott Hotel & Resort, which launched its strategy in August 2012 in an effort to connect with younger travelers. Michael Dail, vice president of global brand marketing for Marriot, told the news source that the industry leader created a simple and straightforward social media strategy filled with posts and updates that have a “conversational, edge and humorous tone.”
Social for customer support
Although these hotels want to create buzz surrounding their brands, they’re also intent on using social media to provide the best possible customer service, usually with a monitoring system to keep careful track of all complaints and inquiries.
“We actively monitor the page seven days a week and incorporate three detailed, meticulous sweeps on every comment on a daily basis,” Dail said. “We aim to acknowledge the majority of posts and resolve any negative issues within a six- to 12-hour timeframe depending on the nature and severity.”
Social generates customer loyalty
Marketers that are in the hotel industry should take these successes into consideration to promote their sweet sleeps, but so should those across all industries. Any brand that wants to inspire customer loyalty and increase engagement can take notes from Hilton and Marriott’s respective social strategies.
Brafton has reported that conversions happen because of positive customer relations. When customers are satisfied with standards of care, they are likely to go back for more. Eighty-six percent of those who reported being “very satisfied” with the level of customer service were likely to buy products or services from a brand. Social can help bring customer satisfaction, evident from the tactics of hotel marketers.
