Social media marketing is one of the most powerful tools the hotel industry has for promoting their property and generating bookings. The problem is, coming up with a consistent flow of content ideas that reach your target audience isn’t as easy as it sounds.
It takes a lot of creativity and personality to maintain a social media presence that engages your audience and converts them into potential guests for your property.
Luckily, with five years of experience working with brands across the travel and hospitality industry, we have developed an effective social media marketing strategy that generates proven results.
In this guide, we will give you the keys to our success. It includes 15 hotel social media post ideas to kickstart your social media marketing strategy and which social media platforms to use.
Which Social Media Platforms are the Best for Hotel Marketing?
Not all social media channels are created equal. But they all have their benefits. Here is a quick look at the best social media platforms for hotels and their advantages to help you decide which ones you should target for your social media strategy.
While it may have gone a little out of fashion with younger audiences, Facebook is still the king of social media, with 3.07 billion monthly active users. That’s 59.38% of the total market share for all social media channels.
If Facebook isn’t part of your social media marketing strategy in 2024, it needs to be. It may not be the best fit for generating highly targeted leads, but it is the platform for reaching the widest audience.
And getting started on it is easy. Simply repurpose your hotel blog content, and publish it in bite-sized chunks on the platform.
When it comes to the travel and hospitality industry, Instagram is one of the best platforms to build brand awareness. People spend countless hours scrolling through their Instagram feeds. You can leverage this mild addiction by keeping your audience engaged with a steady flow of social media posts.
Not only does Instagram become a great tool for sharing news, information, and discounts for your hotel, but you can also leverage it to promote your destination as a whole. This way, you can attract more travellers to your location and leverage your hotel as the obvious stay.
TikTok
It’s no secret that TikTok has become the ‘It’ social media fad of the decade. And hotels are losing a massive outlet for marketing their property if they are not leveraging its growing user baser.
Use the channel to share video content, such as virtual tours of your rooms, behind-the-scenes clips of business operations, and destination highlights. But you should also be active within the community of TikTok. Comment on other people’s relevant posts and encourage engagement with the platforms user base.
Pinterest is one of the most powerful social media for driving purchasing decisions. Millions of people turn to this visual platform for unique ideas that inspire their ambitions and day dreams, something that is invaluable to promoting a travel-based business.
85% of the platform’s users rely on it for planning, including travel tips. By sharing high-quality photos of your property, nearby attractions, and local businesses, you can inspire your audience to take action and visit your destination.
And in doing so, you position yourself as the obvious choice of accommodation.
LinkedIn plays a unique role in your hotel’s social media marketing strategy. While Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest all connect you to leisure travellers, LinkedIn allows you to tap into the corporate market and target business travellers.
The platform primary draws professional between the ages of 25-55. This makes it a gold mine for boutique hotels located in business hubs or that boast fantastic professional amenities, like a conference hall or business centre.
Use the platform to share stories of your hotel’s business ethos and connect with corporate professionals, letting them know their business trip is best hosted at your stay.
TripAdvisor
It’s not a traditional social media platform, but every hotel should have a presence of TripAdvisor. With over 900 million registered users, the platform has become a go to resource for travellers looking for real life reviews.
The best part is that TripAdvisor doesn’t require as much attention as the other platforms. Take your time to fill out any relevant information. But the true beauty of TripAdvisor is that it relies on user-generated content.
With that said, you still need to have a social media presence on the platform, and respond to each and every review left on your profile. Thank guests that leave positive reviews, and show compassion and ask how you could have improved the guest experience on negative reviews.
Hotel Social Media Post Ideas to Boost Engagement
Now that we know what platforms you should be using, it is time to start generating some ideas for your first posts and ongoing social media campaigns. Here are a few general formats you can use to begin planning out your content marketing strategy.
1. Create a Top 10 List
Some of the easiest social media post ideas for hotels are in the top ten lists. These are the posts you will find on any travel-related page. They highlight top tips and advice for your destination. Think in terms of:
- 10 Top Attractions in [Destination]
- 10 Top Restaurants in [Destination]
- 10 Top Museums in [Destination]
- 10 Top Beaches in [Destination]
These are super easy to make and don’t even require a write up. Simply list the items in order from 1-10. They are also extremely easy to come up with. While the four above are a great starting point, they can get even more niche.
Turn the “10 Top Restaurants” into “10 Top Seafood Restaurants” and “10 Top Attractions” into “10 Top Historical Landmarks,” and you have two entirely new posts. Also, when it comes to making lists, be sure to feature your hotel’s restaurant or other standout amenity first on any relevant post.
At the end of each post, encourage your audience to leave a comment telling you their favourite item on the list or if there is another highlight that they feel was left out.
2. Highlight Local Attractions
Arguably the best thing about a Top 10 post is that it gives you content for ten more post ideas highlighting each item on the list. These are your local attraction highlights. Within these posts, you can give a little information about the history of the attraction, the vibe of the restaurant, or any other local service you are highlighting.
In the post, be sure to include visitor information, such as its address, opening hours, and ticket prices.
3. Share a Positive Guest Experience
If you have a guest that had an exceptional experience staying at your hotel, share it on your social medias. When you deliver an exception stay, you are bound to receive positive reviews, whether in person or through email.
When this happens, ask permission to share their story on social media. Not only does it tell a fun or inspiring story, but it is also a fantastic testimonial for your stay, all rolled into a single blog post. You can also encourage guests to post the story on their own social media, linking back to your profile, for a wider audience.
4. Provide Travel Tips
When potential guests start planning a trip to a destination, they are naturally going to take to social media in search of travel tips. Be the resource they use to plan an unforgettable holiday.
Travel tips posts don’t have to be long (although they can be). They can be anything from advice for travel visas to the country, the best way to get to a destination from the airport, or even some money saving hacks for the budget travellers.
Whatever it is you choose to share, the idea of a travel tips post is to position you as a trusted travel resource that they can rely on throughout their stay at your hotel.
5. Give Food and Drink Recommendations
Like attraction features, highlighting the local area with food and drink recommendations can be a quick way to generate engagement and promote local businesses. A good practice is to feature restaurants focused around your hotel. This way, when they look it up and plan the meals for their trip, they will see you as a reliable nearby place to stay.
In these posts, provide detailed information for potential guests. Include its location, the general vibe/dress code, the average price per meal, and maybe your favourite item on the menu.
6. Announce Upcoming Events and Festivals
Some of the best social media marketing strategies for generating direct bookings involve using your channels to announce upcoming events and festivals. This not only helps reach international audiences, but it could also convert into local bookings from nearby towns and cities looking to visit for the event.
People tend to book hotels for festivals around six months before the event itself. A good practice for these social media content ideas is to plan a series of posts around a single event, starting around that 6 month milestone, with follow ups every one to two weeks.
7. Feature Fun Facts About Your Destination
Who doesn’t like a fun piece of trivia? For a traveller, it could even be the last nail in the coffin that leads them to decide to make the trip to your destination. Does your city have a unique draw? Perhaps its a one of a kind activity, historical feat, or little-known claim to fame. Share it.
You never know who it may intrigue. And when it does, you are in the position to host their stay. Let’s give a quick example: Leon, Nicaragua, is one of the few places in the world where you can toboggan down an active volcano.
This attracts people from around the world. No one in Leon promotes this unique activity as much as the Bigfoot Hostel. They do so through their website and social media content. This has led to it becoming the premier stay in the city, and it is almost always booked up.
8. Organize a Social Media Contest
Whether you are new to the platform or want to expand your audience, one of the best ways to generate quick engagement is through a social media contest. If you have spent more than ten minutes scrolling through Facebook, you have seen these types of posts.
First, come up with a prize that travellers will want. For hotels, a complimentary trip to your destination is a great place to start. Once you have the prize established, post it on your social feeds with the requirements to enter:
- Leave a comment on the post
- Follow your hotel’s profile
- Share the post on their feed
When done right, these contests drive engagement on three levels for each entry and generate a wider audience of followers to your page for future campaigns.
9. Conduct Polls or Surveys
With a following established, you can then begin using your social media accounts to poll your qualified audience. These social media post ideas are great for generating engagement, but can also be used to improve your services for a greater guest satisfaction.
These posts can be anything about your destination or service. But the best ones are those that let you know how to improve your hotel.
10. Host a “Caption This” Contest
Another fun way to generate engagement with your audience is through a “Caption This” contest. The best part is that, unlike a raffle draw, you don’t actually have to offer a prize. Simply post a funny picture of someone interacting with your hotel or destination, and your audience will be more than happy to share their humorous ideas.
11. Make a “This or That” Post
Along the same lines as a caption contest, “This or That” posts encourage user engagement. Simply post two options related to your destination, and watch as your audience debates the superior choice. A few ideas to get you started with this post type are:
- Beach vs City
- History vs Art
- Backpack vs Suitcase
- Beer vs Cocktail
Not only do these topics trigger engagement among your audience, but they can also be used to distinguish the interests of your target demographic. This way, you can alter your services to better fit what your audience is looking for.
12. Show-Behind-the-Scenes Content
Show your audience what it takes to deliver exceptional guest satisfaction with behind-the-scenes content shared on your hotel’s social media. Post fun photos of your staff preparing for an event or having a fun moment with your guests.
People will recognize the hard work that goes into running your hotel and want to stay at your accommodation for the effort that goes above and beyond.
13. Conduct a Staff Feature
Speaking of staff, your team works hard to keep your property running. Share their efforts on your social platforms. Congratulate them for an outstanding job, or highlight an achievement they have done in their personal life. Include a brief bio, and give them the shout out they deserve.
14. Share Your Blog Posts
An effective content marketing campaign relies on a variety of channels. One of the most powerful tools you have at your disposal is your website and blog posts. Unlike social media, blogs require longer form content. But they also have the ability to drive more traffic and conversions than any other outlet.
While SEO is the key to promoting your hotel through blog content, you can maximize your content’s potential by sharing it on social media. This will engage your social media following and guide people to your hotel website, where they can make direct bookings.
15. Ask Social Media Questions for Instant Engagement
Regardless of which hotel social media content you create, you should always end the post with a question. The contest ideas are fairly straight forward and ask a question within their content. But, for lists, attraction features, and travel tips, always ask what your audience thinks of the content and if there is anything they would add.
This will lead them to leave a comment, which you can use to begin a direct interaction with your potential guests.
Boost Your Hotel’s Social Media Strategy With Kurt’sCopy Content Marketing
Social media is a powerful tool for reaching your target audience. The problem is it requires a lot of attention to generate content ideas, create user engagement, and maintain communications with prospective guests.
With Kurt’sCopy Hotel Content Marketing services, we take care of your entire social media marketing strategy. We create a series of written and visual content with a consistent brand voice that reaches your target audience and converts more bookings for your hotel. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.
Kurt Norris is the founder of Kurt’sCopy, where he helps B2B, e-commerce, SaaS, and local businesses craft compelling content and SEO strategies that deliver measurable results. With over six years of experience, Kurt specializes in creating data-driven campaigns that drive traffic, increase conversions, and establish brand authority.
