Whether created for distribution on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, or Twitter, user-generated content provides businesses with a low-cost, high-return marketing strategy. When done correctly, user-generated content (UGC) can be extremely effective, particularly for the hospitality industry. It’s a way to interact directly with guests, build loyalty, and some argue, raise conversion rates. Here are some ways to master user-generated content for luxury hotels:
Most consumers (especially millennials), are taking different factors into account than just user reviews to influence their booking decisions. Most will reference apps like Instagram and Snapchat to get an impression of what to expect on their vacation. In fact, 40% of Millennials rely on UGC photos when making travel plans. So Instagram is an important place for luxury hotel brands to play in.
It’s not enough for hotels to simply feature UGC on their websites or social channels and call it it a day — that would be like planting a seed and expecting it to grow into a flower without water or sunlight. Hotels must monitor their channels and maintain an active dialogue with guests if they want to see progress.
In a recent article from Skift, Suzanne Cohen, the brand director of North American marketing for W Hotels advises:
“It all comes down to engagement. It’s important to pay attention to your channels and your followers — constantly responding, reposting and speaking directly to them on their native platform. Sometimes you have to relinquish a bit of control. Some of the best advertisements for our destinations and properties come from our guests, not a traditional photo shoot.”
So how do hotel brands encourage guests to do this? By adding a little incentive. And flattery.
Marriott’s Travel Brilliantly campaign asks guests not only for their content but for their ideas. Their ideas for improving the hotel experience are voted upon with a “That’s Brilliant” button, rewarding guests not with free hotel stays or discounts, but with an ego boost, which can be more powerful than you might think.
If you don’t consider Marriott to be a luxury brand, you need only look to Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton to see that the finest hotels are way ahead of the pack in terms of engagement on Instagram.
Using social media influencers is not a new concept. Ritz-Carlton and other luxury hotel brands have already navigated these waters. And Starwood Hotels is pioneering new ways to use social media influencers via its higher-end Tribute Portfolio brand.
Luxury hotels should partner with social media influencers with a strategy in mind, seeking prospects that fit their brand and have large social media followings to boot.
If you’re not already in this game, now is the time to jump in, especially if you have multiple people on staff who can monitor and manage the process. Leveraging UGC takes a great deal of time, strategic thinking, and attention to detail, but it’s well worth pursuing for luxury hotels looking to grow their customer base.