This document discusses using social media in hotels. It defines social media as a conversation rather than a sales pitch. It emphasizes building communities through social networks to develop deeper relationships with customers at low cost. It provides strategies for social media including being authentic, treating accounts like a cocktail party through listening, and facing complaints head on. It also offers quick tips for using Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to promote hotels.

1. Using Social Media in Your Hotel

2. agenda Intro: About Hive & Susan What is Social Media? Why Care? Big Picture Strategies Tips and Tactics

3. about I spent 10+ years coming up with creative marketing strategies for hotel brands like Sheraton, Westin, and W. In May 2009, I started Hive Marketing to help hotels and restaurants with social media. Hive has grown to include all kinds of businesses.

4. Current clients include Crawford & Co., Richfield Hospitality, FranNet of Georgia, and Dolce Hotels & Resorts. I’m also the co-organizer of Digital Atlanta, an annual week-long series of events celebrating Atlanta’s digital community.

5. objective to answer this question: why should my hotel care about facebook, twitter and the rest of it?

7. what is social media “social media is not about facebook or flickr or twitter or blogs or youtube. It’s about having a strategy for making your company or organization more like a person and less like a machine.” - jay baer, www.convinceandconvert.com

8. social media is social media isn’t a conversation a good way to raise your internet profile a way for potential clients to find and get to know your business a marathon a targeted community of the right people a sales pitch a guaranteed book deal or appearance on Leno a get-rich-quick scheme; a panacea; or an excuse to stop selling a sprint a giant audience of any people who’ll listen

9. why care? engagement: better word of mouth & deeper relationships with customers. community: a group of people who are there voluntarily. cost: price per impression is nominal. immediacy: real-time ability to target promotions.

10. immediacy Build a community on Facebook , Twitter, your blog, etc. Establish trust. Share useful content, not just sales pitches. Give them offers when you need them. Group cancels for next week Option 1: Big sale on OTA; sacrifice 15-20% of profit. Option 2: Great rate for fans; keep all your margin.

11. more reasons 1 in every 11 people on Earth is on Facebook. More than 2.5 million websites have Facebook integration. 13% of internet users are on Twitter; many more people “lurk” than talk. News of Bin Laden’s death broke on Twitter at 10:25pm; Obama announced it at 11:35pm.

12. social media is not going away.

13. strategies

14. be real Authenticity and transparency are the name of the game. The “royal we” is off-putting, but so is a conservative company that tries to be too hip. Be who you are in social media, and tell the truth. 15

15. There is a disconnect when your Twitter handle includes the word “cares” and you have protected your account.

16. A tweeter for the American Red Cross accidentally sent a personal tweet from the wrong account. They quickly admitted the mistake and moved on, which resulted in Dogfish Head starting a Twitter fundraising drive for them.

17. cocktail party Treat your social media accounts like a cocktail party– heavy on listening and making conversation; light on the sales pitches. 18

18. Corning only allows its own posts on Facebook. There’s no point in being there if you don’t want to hear from customers.

19. Coca-Cola’s Facebook page is all about the fans.

20. complaints Face complaints head on. Respond to everything quickly, and don’t be defensive! Your response is a commercial for the next customer. 21

21. After a negative tweet about Price Chopper, the grocer called the tweeter’s boss to complain!

22. Nestle to Facebook fan: “Thanks for the lesson in manners.”

23. When his customer tweeted about her pizza being delivered an hour late, Domino’s franchisee Ramon DeLeon made a video to apologize and sent free pizzas to the local Social Media Club to generate some positive buzz on Twitter.

24. behind the curtain Show off your team. Use photos and videos (even informal ones) to humanize your hotel. Give your fans the inside scoop. 25

26. slow burn Because social media takes place online, people think it can be measured like PPC ads. You should look at it more like playing golf or going out to dinner – an investment in relationships. 27

27. quick tips and tactics

28. Tips for Facebook Don’t use a personal profile or a group for your business; use a page. Link Facebook to Twitter (and maybe LinkedIn) to save time on posts. “Like” sister hotels and nearby attractions. Use Facebook ads for granular targeting.

29. Tips for Twitter Leave room to be retweeted: 120 instead of 140. Use TweetDeck or Seismic to manage multiple accounts. Use HootSuite, SocialOomph, or Vitrue Publisher to automate some posts. Use a link shortener like bit.ly.

30. Tips for LinkedIn Don’t link Twitter to LinkedIn. Use #in. Join groups to access more people. Search is biased by connection, so the more you have, the more people you can see in search. Check and update your profile often. This is the 1st place your customers and vendors go to check up on you.

31. thank you 404.964.5765 susan.barry@hive-marketing.com