Using Influencer’s to Promote Your Hotel Property – Part II
This is a continuation of our series. You can find part 1 here – Influencer marketing for your hotel
Finding the Right Influencers
One needs to be clear on the motive of the campaign – whether it is to promote property and drive sales or drive traffic to website. Once the motive is clear the search for getting the right influencers can begin.
One can look for influencers by searching for specific topics or keywords related to their brand or campaign using https://buzzsumo.com/ . They can even use Google Search the same way. They can target influencers with large following or they can look for mid-tier influencers. Even micro and nano-influencers, if leveraged tactfully, can give a tremendous boost to business.
They can use social media monitoring tools like Hootsuite Insights or Mention that basically assist in identifying individuals who are discussing their hotel, as well as determining the extent of the individual’s influence.
When conducting research on potential influencers, it’s essential to consider a few things. Followers of the influencer must be similar to target audience. Location and age must be relevant. Influencer must have active and engaged followers. Relevant niche is important – hotels can focus on travel niche.
The Cost Aspect of Influencer Marketing
Influencers with a significant following or exceptionally engaged audience typically command higher rates and vice versa. Depending on the budget allocated for the campaign one can go for macro or micro influencers.
There is absolutely no issue in reaching out to them even if the budget is low as some may adjust their rates in exchange of free stays or other goodies offered to them.
It’s worth considering that collaborating with multiple micro-influencers can yield results similar to those of a single mid-tier or macro influencer, at a lower cost. However, the key to success lies in the vetting process, which underscores the importance of conducting thorough research to prevent future disappointment.
Ways to Drive the Campaign in Partnership with Influencers
Instagram Stories
You could ask influencers to share their hotel experience stories and include a hyperlink to your bookings page in their stories for viewers to follow.
Contests and Giveaways
These are good promotional strategies that hotels can use by partnering with influencers to engage and entice their audience. Prizes or rewards like free stays at one’s property can be offered to individuals who take part in a particular activity, like submitting an entry or sharing a social media post.
These kinds of giveaways can attract thousands of entries (even with the help of micro-influencers), making them a highly cost-effective means of reaching wider audiences.
Digital Reviews
This is a popular form of influencer collaboration involving a blogger sharing photos and reviews of their stay at a hotel. This content is valuable as it offers a personal perspective and provides prospective guests with an exclusive glimpse of the property. Additionally, it enables the influencer to exercise their creativity and develop high-quality content that resonates with their followers and can be repurposed by the hotel management on their own marketing channels.
Exclusive Promo Codes
Offering the influencer’s followers an exclusive discount code to use during checkout is an effective method to incentivize bookings. To create a sense of urgency, it’s crucial to set a time and usage restriction on the discount code.
All said and done, collaborating with influencers in the travel industry can be highly advantageous for hospitality businesses. By conducting thorough research, budgeting accordingly, and implementing a well-planned strategy, influencer collaborations can generate more bookings than traditional marketing methods. By working together, they can create captivating content, increase bookings, generate excitement, and achieve a variety of other marketing objectives. With such promising outcomes, there’s no reason not to give it a chance.