‘New media.’ It’s not so new anymore, but the perspectives of many leading brands, both in the hospitality industry and beyond, are still shifting. Shifting in mindset and available facilities to understand and cater for a new type of guest; one that needs to be constantly online, with complimentary WiFi connection — something that, astonishingly, still isn’t available across many hotel brands, including 4- and 5-star brands. Guests demand facilities that allow them to work remotely, with easy-access plug sockets for charging laptops, tablets and smartphones.
Communicating effectively
We are, by now, well aware of the power of the internet and all that it entails; fast-paced news sources, social media conversation and first-hand user feedback sites, plus our new type of guest most likely has not only Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn profiles, but possibly Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube and Google+ accounts too —and perhaps even a personal blog. So how can companies utilise these conduits to communicate effectively with the online world?
A huge asset for the hospitality industry is Trip Advisor, it has been a major consumer influencer for years now, and a great resource for us when it comes to garnering customer feedback, to use as a critique for development. The online world yields a tremendous influence; the blogs, vlogs, ‘Twitterati’ and review forums’ power can’t be overstated.
In the early years, the first bloggers were disregarded, when compared with journalists in terms of their ‘value’ to a brand, and what exposure they could give. Now the tables have turned, and it’s by embracing this online community that businesses are jumping into the 21st century with both feet. The rise of blogger-only events and Tweet-ups is spreading, worldwide. We’re seeing major international leaders, both businesses like YouTube, and personalities like Richard Branson, use blogging as a way of connecting with this influential community.
At Rezidor, we wanted to engage with this audience, and as such have Facebook and Twitter profiles for every hotel in the Middle East; we run competitions purely through social media channels, as well as hosting interactive, blogger-only events.
Online persona
This is all very well, but how does a brand create an online persona, with no conflict to the ‘real life’ personality? Many brands are well-established, with clear guidelines, codes of conduct, and a company ‘dictionary’ which is deemed appropriate for the business, without alienating your audience. It is essential for them to maintain strong brand principles, while creating a note-worthy, attention-catching online profile.
Four things must be kept in mind; firstly, ‘What is the end goal?’ Is the aim of having an online presence to boost sales, loyalty, brand awareness etc? This objective will influence how you communicate, i.e. Twitter would be a more informative platform to communicate company news, or call-to-actions, while Facebook would be a more social, conversation-driven approach, which is great for building a brand/consumer relationship.
It is then essential to evaluate whether the company/region/hotel can generate enough quality content. There is little point is opening a dedicated Twitter account for each property in a hotel group, if individually there isn’t enough informative and interesting content to justify its existence. Instead, group the properties by country, or region, to ensure a steady stream of stimulating Tweets – and an equally steady rise in follower numbers.
Then ask yourself, ‘What can we afford to do?’ Social media can not only be a costly asset to a company financially (to do it well) but it also takes many man hours – Twitter never shuts off for the night, and as the global community is an ever closer-knit society, the profile activity must transcend time zones.
Create new rules
Lastly, set new rules. So many brands are nervous to venture into the online world as they are unsure how best to represent their brand – the most innovative users must create new rules, as the correct way to tag, follow, re-tweet and like, won’t be found in most brand handbooks. Think carefully about what is most critical for your business, whether it be: let’s keep our vocabulary aligned to the brand; let’s embrace ‘text speak’ and abbreviations, but always produce respectable content with interesting links; let’s use image-lead channels to interact with our consumers.
Ultimately, companies shouldn’t feel under pressure to jump into social media without being prepared. Take your time, and plan your strategy. Social media has such a fast-paced nature — look up from your tablet to order a cappuccino, and you’ll have missed 20 tweets. You don’t have to be perfect right away, you’re expected to be constantly tweaking, adapting and creating as you go along, meaning some breathing space for the newcomers.
— Mark Willis, Area Vice President, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group