Hilton’s sponsorship of high-profile events helped catapult the visibility of its social profile, but country-specific pages were the key to reaching the hotel’s target demographics.
Banff Squirrel says it best himself: “A good approach to Twitter is to have someone at the helm who loves their product.” Being able to convey a personality and passion can define a destination’s brand more than sharing events and pictures.
Interesting conundrum in this social media age: do you value the social accounts separately in an M&A/sale valuation? Are accounts and its followers separate, and that means can be decoupled and sold?
Facebook remains the number one platform for trip sharing, which means it continues to be the best place for inspiration and tips. Sour startups can point out that this data is only applicable to visitors who’ve been to Australia, but it’s an extrapolation we’re willing to learn from.
Social media has become a major resource for bookings and marketing in the West, but hotels aren’t using the same tools in the market they’re most desperate to reach. Expect a major boost for the hotels that are the quickest to adapt.
We’re working on a finding a traveler that’s already snagged one of these gigs to find out if a diet of foreign food, Facebook, and Twitter is all it’s cracked up to be.
We all knew a TripAdvisor study would point to the importance of reviews, but the reports of optimism by North American hoteliers despite likely weaker gains points to an enthusiasm that could help them overcome the odds.