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Your social media content calendar for hotels helped you expand your content, but your follower count has still plateaued. Fortunately, with a few tweaks, your Notes-app list can become a vibrant roadmap that accelerates your reach.
Use a Template
Download a template for a social media content calendar for hotels so that you can write a monthly schedule. Consider high-activity periods, such as early mornings, evenings and weekends, when your posts experience the most engagement. Templates also provide a reference, allowing you to create a story based on previous topics.
Brainstorm Ideas
Make a list of each social media platform that you use, then jot down as many ideas as possible. Don't worry about time or budget constraints; you can find inspiration from outlandish concepts.
When you run out of ideas, evaluate your competitors' profiles. How often do they post? Which pictures or videos earn the most clicks? What does the comments section look like? Even the world's biggest brands need strong marketing to maintain millions of followers.
Once you've generated ideas, focus on the plans that suit your budget, capabilities, and time frame. You can return to the others when you've earned a larger audience and budget.
Use Trends Lightly
Your competitor's video of a trending TikTok dance earned millions of views. You take note, assuming that you can replicate this success. However, once you've filmed the video, TikTok has moved on to the next trend. Instead of enticing younger generations, your profile looks stale and outdated.
You can study trends as you build a social media content calendar for hotels, but avoid assuming that anything lasts forever. A meme that earns thousands of shares today could produce eye-rolls six months from now. Focus on timeless content that will still hold up a year or two later.
Embrace Variety
Variety keeps your profiles fresh and exciting. No matter your platform, you can reimagine your calendar in dozens of ways.
Image-based platforms, such as Pinterest and Instagram, support the following:
- Product reveals
- Infographics
- Charts
- Event pictures
- Employee spotlights
- Memes
- Inspirational quotes
- Photoshoots
YouTube, TikTok, and other video platforms can host:
- Commercials
- How-to videos
- Livestreams
- Funny clips
- Behind-the-scenes peeks
- Interviews
- Timelapse videos
- Animation
For text, your options include:
- Instructions
- Event announcements
- Questions for followers
- News and updates
- Advertisements
- Coupon codes
- Blog posts
Avoid sharing the same content two or more days in a row. You can offer multiple posts on a similar topic, but if you share nothing but motivational quotes for a week, followers will think that you lost touch or need a software upgrade.
Start with Holidays
Holidays offer a built-in starting point. Look up major holidays, such as Christmas, Halloween, and Thanksgiving, and then build content around those dates. Major holidays can have several days of content, including promotions, gift guides, videos, and travel tips. For Valentine's Day and other minor celebrations, share a friendly acknowledgment.
Every year, hundreds of holidays pass unnoticed. Find inspiration when researching lesser-known occasions, such as National Bird Day, National Cake Day, and even National Whipped Cream Day. Your followers learn something new, and you'll have another way to approach content creation. For example, National Pancake Day allows you to show off your free breakfast menu.
Add Events
You probably already have events on your employee calendar. Conferences, conventions, team-building activities, marathons, charity auctions, and online events result in pictures and videos that you can share on social media. Add these to your social media calendar so that you remember to share content on those dates.
If the event is open to the public, advertisements and countdowns offer yet another content opportunity. Otherwise, take this chance to share photos, spotlight accomplishments, and discuss your goals for next year. Charity events are particularly valuable because they highlight your dedication to the community.
Don't rely too heavily on events for content creation--if your plans change, you won't have anything to post. However, you can add them to your schedule alongside a backup plan.
Stay Relevant
A bigger audience isn't necessarily better. You could rack up hundreds of thousands of followers by turning your page into a meme machine, but most of those people won't book a room--they're just here for the jokes. However, businesses that post nothing but dry advertisements struggle to find a following.
Find the balance by interspersing advertisements with travel tips, vacation ideas, destination tours, celebrity endorsements, product guides, and other snippets that inspire travelers. You indirectly advertise your hotel by reinforcing the need for your business in the first place.
You can share the occasional meme or dance clip, but make sure that it ties back to travel--otherwise, you'll only reach people who don't care about exploring.
Encourage Communication
People view social media as an open forum for comments, questions, and criticism. While your first instinct might be to direct them to your complaint hotline, you can actually incorporate comments into your social media calendar.
Ways to stimulate conversation include:
- Hosting a live Q&A
- Asking questions, such as "What's the first thing you pack when you travel?"
- Sharing thought-provoking quotes and blog posts
- Inviting followers to comment and tag friends for a giveaway entry
- Thanking people for positive remarks
- Posting quizzes and polls
- Sharing your business's story, inviting others to share back
When you foster communication, your audience forms a personal relationship with your brand. Customers feel like they know you when they approach the front desk, setting the tone for a relaxing visit.
Responding to criticism could also potentially turn an angry hotel guest into a relieved customer. People complain publicly because they believe you're more likely to give in. Impress the Internet professionally, then follow up with more great content.
Discover New Marketing Tools
Bridgeton Revenue Management Solutions include training, pace evaluation, promotion management, performance reviews, brand conversion, and other projects for hotels. Reach out today to discuss a customized plan.
