With 1.3 billion users on Facebook 1, it’s never been more important to use it as a marketing platform to reach and engage your guests online. A Facebook page makes it easy for travel shoppers to find your hotel online, and it allows them to begin their shopping journey with a great first impression. So sit down and buckle up as we take you through the most crucial elements of your Facebook page in our Cheat Sheet for Hotel Marketers.

19% of US leisure travelers chose their destination from Facebook. 2

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Your profile picture will, in essence, be the face of your page (pun intended). it’s the first thing people see when they visit your page, and it’s the image people will see when you comment and post. be sure to use a high quality square-shaped image with a size of at least 180 x 180 pixels to represent your hotel in the best light possible.Custom URL in the address bar.be sure to create a Facebook vanity Url to make your page as unique and memorable as possible. by default, Facebook gives you a Url with randomly assigned numbers that are meaningless to guests, so modify your Url to accurately represent your property (ex. www.facebook.com/yourHotelname).

Your cover photo goes here, and it’s your most visually capturing feature. it has the largest real estate for visual storytelling on your page, so you need to use it wisely. post a photo that shows off a bit of your hotel’s personality or use the space to showcase a recent promotion. your cover photo will impact travel shoppers’ first impressions of your hotel, so choose a high quality image with a size of at least 851 x 315 pixels.

if you’re still unsure about ideas for your cover photo, then just take a look at Hotel Galvez’s Facebook page. they’re masters at getting the most out of their cover photo by periodically changing it to showcase beautiful exterior shots, charming wedding photos, current events, special promotions, and more!

cover photo

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Hotel Giraffe

Hotel Galvez

59% posted a Facebook update about an upcoming vacation. 3

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Use this section to quickly communicate crucial information to travel shoppers who are researching their next trip. you can take advantage of the About section by showcasing your:• Address• phone number• Hours of operation• location on a map• Apps

Use Apps to create an interactive element for travel shoppers where they can view your hotel’s multi-media, take virtual tours of your hotel, check out special promotions, and even book directly through Facebook.

Creating an app specifically for special offers and promotions is essential since 55% of travelers “liked” Facebook pages specific to a vacation 4 – excite travelers with offers before they reach their destination. the apps’ thumbnail images will catch users’ attention, drawing users in to click on them. Upload thumbnail images with a word or two that can quickly describe what the app does at a glance.

about

apps

Side note: Don’t judge your page’s performance on “likes” alone – the key to success is engagement and interaction with your fans. You can have many “Likes”, but actual guest input, comments, and shares are genuine and more important to your hotel.

• likes and visits• general hotel information• photos, videos, and reviews• posts from other Facebook users to your page• pages that your page likes

Hotel Giraffe

Hotel Giraffe

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Aim to post compelling photos rather than plain-text status updates since those images will capture users’ attention and potentially increase the amount of engagement from them. people are more likely to interact with a photo that they find interesting, funny, or informative – make them laugh or post a special offer to effectively reach them. in fact, photos are so powerful that 52% of Facebook users said their friends’ photos inspired their holiday choice and travel plans. 6

A bonus to posting more photos than plain-text updates is that any images you post will show up under the “photos” section, which essentially creates a collage of thumbnails that show off your hotel’s personality at a glance

photos

Las Terrazas Epicurean Hotel

70% update their Facebook status while on vacation. 5

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a your cover photo is visually compelling and represents your hotel story

a your profile picture quickly conveys your hotel’s brand

a your hotel Facebook page has a customized Url

a your “About” section gives travel shoppers the “snackable” information they need

a you target Facebook users with unique special offers and promotions

a you encourage guests checking in to share their experiences on social media

a you engage with past, present and future guests by responding to questions and comments

a you’re engaging with a compelling visual story using multi-media Facebook Apps that allow shoppers to take a virtual tour of your property

a your Facebook content is visual and personalized

a you include photos and videos of local attractions, events, and your staff and guests

a you post content that encourages fans to engage with you, like questions and polls

a you make sure to tell a consistent hotel story across all channels, including social media

Postingprofile

engagement

Check Out Where You Stand on Facebook

DoubleTree Hotel Bethesda

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A great way to build a strong visual story on Facebook is by looking at what other successful hotel pages are doing.Hotel Galvez has done an excellent job of re-posting local events and images of interesting shops in their community, taking advantage of their location and creating another reason to stay with them.The Freehand Miami hostel is a fantastic example of using guests to generate visual content for free. guests can upload photos to instagram and tag the Freehand Miami, and the hostel uses those images on their website and social media channels, allowing them to have a virtually endless supply of fresh, unique images that really capture their hostel from an authentic perspective.

tips for telling the best visual story

Hotel Galvez

The gates are now open, roam free through your hotel’s Facebook page with your newly found confidence! Visual storytelling is the future of hotel marketing, so start taking your digital marketing strategy to the next level with our Cheat Sheet.to keep yourself on track, use our checklist Strategically Social: Step Up Your Hotel’s Visual Storytelling on Social Media, and never miss a beat.

where to go from here

29% use Facebook for vacation inspiration. 7

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SOURCES 1 http://www.statisticbrain.com/facebook-statistics/ 2 http://static.hosteltur.com/web/uploads/2012/12/Text100DigitalIndexTravelTourismStud.pdf 3 http://blog.lab42.com/techie-traveler 4 http://www.spi-ral16.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Social-Media-Travel-Infographic.jpg 5 http://www.spiral16.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Social-Media-Travel-Infographic.jpg 6 http://blog.lab42.com/techie-traveler 7

http://www.mdgadvertising.com/blog/vacationing-the-social-media-way-infographic/

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