A recent study showed that only 30.8% of hospitality properties brands are using Instagram. Almost 71% are missing out. Why is this important?

Welcome to another addition of hospitality property school.

Today, I’m going talk about “How to Market Your Hospitality Property Using Instagram”.

 

 

The travel industry has always been visual and hospitality properties have always used images to entice guests.

 

Hospitality properties have boasted about their location with images to inspire potential guests to book and entice past guests to return.

 

Instagram is a platform that enables this to happen and every hotel, resort, inn or bed and breakfast should be using it to capitalize on the attention of its young, highly engaged audience.

 

A recent study from Yesmail showed that only 30.8% of hospitality properties brands are using Instagram. That means that almost 71% are missing out. Why is that important?

  • Instagram just surpassed Twitter in total users at 400 million.
  • 75% of Instagram users live outside of the United States
  • More than half of the last 100 million to join are from Europe & Asia.
  • The countries who added the most users include Brazil, Japan, & Indonesia.
  • Instagram is an international social media hotspot and gives your property greater visibility.
  • Not only are its users international, but also young. 53% of users are 18-29 which makes for a lucrative marketing opportunity

 

So, if you are new to Instagram and are not sure how to benefit to the fullest, here are some tactics to create an engaged followership.

 

 

Tell Your Story

Instagram gives you the opportunity to expand your hospitality properties story in a different way. Your website and other social media platforms tell one side of your story, and Instagram can expand upon it in a fascinating way.

 

A picture is worth a thousand words, and on Instagram you curate pictures to echo with who and what you are.

 

Properties are often good at defining who they are and what they offer but Instagram gives you the opportunity to expand upon what it is that your property is good at.

 

Scenic travel images and pictures of food tend to do best on this platform, so creating a story around your property should be a fun and exciting task.

 

 

Use the Correct Hashtags & Appealing Captions

Hashtags help users and brands alike find the photos they are searching for. Hashtags such as any variant of the words “travel,” “explore,” or “wander” can reach potential guests and contribute to an ever-growing community.

 

Include timely hashtags as well such as #FallColours or #SummerFestival during the appropriate time periods.

 

We suggest creating a branded hashtag for your property. It should be short and easy to remember so that past, present, and future guests can interact with you.

 

 

Share Content Beyond Your Property

Sharing content outside your hospitality property can create a more interesting Instagram feed when you include pictures of your guests, local attractions or restaurants, events, etc. Stick true to your story as I have mentioned, and you can share photos that will interest your guests.

 

 

Post Consistently

Almost every single social media platform will suggest you post consistently, and the same goes for Instagram. A good rule of thumb is to post once a day and make sure to tag your location.

 

 

Missed Opportunities

Many travellers and want to be travellers turn to Instagram to escape their daily lives. If your property is not on the platform, you are missing countless opportunities to find and charm potential guests.

 

 

Conclusion

The best way to get started on Instagram is to open an account. Then to learn about what works and what doesn’t is to follow existing popular accounts. When you have an idea of what you would like

  • Find your unique story
  • Use hashtags wisely and write captivating captions
  • Share content beyond your property
  • Pay attention to detail
  • Post Consistently

 

Alright, now it’s time to begin….

 

If you have any interesting stories about “How to Market Your Hospitality Property Using Instagram” and would like to share or have any questions or feedback you can leave them in the comments section of the show notes.

 

You can find them at:

 

keystonehospitalitydevelopment.com/KHDC070

 

That’s it for this session of hospitality property school.

We appreciate your comments and if you have topic ideas, feel free to reach out to use on

 

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Or email at

info@keystonehospitalitydevelopment.com

 

 

So, as always, let’s work together to put heads in your beds.

Until next time, have a fun day.

 

 

 

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Music Credit:

Sun Spark
http://www.danosongs.com/

 

 

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KHDC 070 - How to Market Your Hospitality Property Using Instagram