10 Reasons to use Social Media for Marketing

To some Inn owners, social media marketing is just a fad that must be taken advantage of while it’s still popular. To others, it has no practical advantages and is too time consuming to learn and incorporate in daily routines.

The statistics show the benefits of social media marketing. According to Hubspot 92% of marketers in 2014 claimed that social media marketing was important for their business. 80% indicated their efforts increased traffic to their websites, which in turn increases bookings. And according to Social Media Examiner, 97% of marketers are currently participating in social media—but 85% of participants aren’t sure how to manage their accounts.

If you find yourself intrigued about social media then continue reading these 10 Reasons to use Social Media for Marketing to help improve your guest list and room bookings.

Social Media is here to stay why not embrace it?

Increased Inn Recognition.Every opportunity you have to syndicate your content to increase your visibility is valuable. Your social media networks are new channels for your Inn’s voice and content. This is important because it simultaneously makes your Inn more accessible for new guests, and makes you more familiar and recognizable for existing guests. For example, a frequent Twitter user could hear about your Inn for the first time only after stumbling upon it in a newsfeed. Or, an otherwise apathetic guest might become better acquainted with your Inn after seeing your presence on multiple networks.
Improved Inn (Brands) loyalty.According to a report published by Texas Tech University, brands who engage on social media channels enjoy higher loyalty from their customers. The report concludes “Companies should take advantage of the tools social media gives them when it comes to connecting with their audience. A strategic and open social media plan could prove influential in morphing consumers into being brand loyal.” Another study published by Convince and Convert found that 53% of Americans who follow brands in social are more loyal to those brands.

Don’t be scared by the phrase social media plan. This is quite simple and we can help. Just contact us http://www.innsocialmarketing.com/contact/ and we can help get you started.

More Opportunities to Convert.Every post you make on a social media platform is an opportunity for folks to become guests or refer someone to you. When you build a following on each social site, you’ll have access to new guests, recent guests, and old guests, and you’ll be able to interact with all of them. Every image, video, blog post, or comment you share is a chance for someone to interact with you, and every interaction could lead to a site visit, and eventually a booking. Not every interaction with your Inn results in a conversion, but every positive interaction increases the likelihood of an eventual booking. Even if your click-through rates are low, the sheer number of opportunities you have on social media is significant.

Higher conversion rates.Social media marketing results in higher conversion rates in a few distinct ways. Your Inn becomes more humanized by interacting in social media channels. Social media is a place where Inns can act like people, and people like doing business with other people; not with companies.

Social media has proven a 100% higher lead-to-close rate than any other marketing option. The more social media followers you have tends to improve your trust and credibility, which is your online marketing goal! As such, simply building your audience and presence in social media can improve conversion rates of your existing traffic.

Higher Brand Authority.Interacting with your customers regularly is a show of good faith for other guests. When people go to compliment or brag about a place to stay and service they have received they turn to social media. When they post your Inn’s name, new audience members will want to follow you for updates. The more people that are talking about you on social media, the more value and authority your Inn has. If you can interact with other MAJOR influencers on social networks, your visible authority and reach will skyrocket which in turn offers a chance for increased guest bookings.

Increased Inbound Traffic.Without social media, your inbound traffic is limited to people already familiar with your Inn and individuals searching for keywords you currently rank for. Every social media profile you add is another path leading back to your site, and every piece of content you post on those profiles is another opportunity for new visitors. The more quality content you offer on social media, the more inbound traffic you’ll generate, and more traffic means more leads and more bookings

Decreased Marketing Costs.It’s FREE to post on social media why not utilitze it to the best of its ability? Even paid advertising through Facebook and Twitter is relatively inexpensive (depending on your goals, of course)if you choose to go that route.

Better Search Engine Rankings.SEO is still the best way to capture relevant traffic from search engines, but the requirements for success are always changing and now it incorporates your social media presence. The fact is that strong brands almost always use social media. Being active on social media could act as a “brand signal” to search engines that your brand is legitimate, credible, and trustworthy. That means, if you want to rank for a given set of keywords, having a strong social media presence could be almost mandatory.

Richer Guest Experiences.Social media is a communication channel like email or phone calls. Every guest interaction you have on social media is an opportunity to publicly demonstrate your customer service level and enrich your relationship with your guests. You can immediately publicly thank your guests for their resent visit or entice them to join you for a return visit. It’s a personal experience that lets guests know you care about them.

Improved Customer Insights.Social media also gives you an opportunity to gain valuable information about what your guests are interested in and how they behave. You can easily chart what guests are saying about your Inn and what advertising is working and what isn’t. You can see what content is giving you the best response and adjust your advertising to suit the results therefore not waisting any advertising dollars.

These were just 10 Reasons to use Social Media for Marketing. Social Media is a great tool and will offer some quick results but the best laid plans take time and will offer you even better results. If you’re still apprehensive about getting started, consider this:

Your Competition Is Already on Social Media.Your competitors are already working social media, which means you are loosing out on potential traffic and conversions. Don’t let your competitors reap all the benefits of social media If for some reason your competition is not involved on social media yet, there’s even more of a reason to get started TODAY!
The Sooner You Start, the Sooner You Reap the Benefits.Social media is all about relationship building. It takes time to build relationships but the good news is you already have a great following from your past guests. You just need to let them to know where to find you on social media. Once they friend or follow you their friends will start to connect with your Inn as well which increases your audience and your bookings, all with little or no money.
Potential Losses Are Insignificant. There really is no downside to social media. The amount of time and money it takes to create your profiles and start posting is usually minimal, compared to other marketing channels. We can help you get started today. http://www.innsocialmarketing.com/contact/

Reasons for social media marketing

The longer you wait, the more you have to lose. Social media marketing, when done right, can lead to more guests, more traffic, and more conversions, and it’s here to stay. If you’re interested in getting started but aren’t sure where to begin contact us today- http://www.innsocialmarketing.com/contact/