value proposition for influencer work .”
Depending on the terms of the agreement , a hotel brand can use a content creator ’ s photo and video assets on their own channels , at the brand and property levels . “ Knowing the volume of content that we need to be churning out successful on social that ’ s critical , especially with video being so important now ,” Reynolds says . “ For them to be in our properties , capturing these beautiful videos and then delivering that video file to us to share with our followers , that is worth the investment .”
Brandon Billings , vice president of social media and content strategy for MMGY Global , says incorporating these creators into longer-term engagements will become the norm for marketing campaigns .
“ These content creators , you can almost think of them as another paid media channel , but from a very much a social perspective , building content that can really help elevate a property or a destination ,” he says . “ And that content is usually better than any production house that you bring in , and it ’ s built in a way that people are naturally already wanting to engage with it .”
CUTTING THROUGH CLUTTER Yet as social media platforms continue to mature , the hotel marketplace has become more saturated ( both offline and on ), making it difficult for brands to stand out , no matter how good their content is . Or as Johnson says , long gone are the days when a post can go viral organically . Add in rapidly
THEY ’ RE REALLY SOME OF THE BEST CREATORS OF ORIGINAL CONTENT . SO , IF YOU LOOK AT THEM AS CREATORS , WHICH WE HAVE DONE AT KIMPTON , THAT KIND OF OPENS UP A WHOLE NEW VALUE PROPOSITION FOR INFLUENCER WORK .
– WHITNEY REYNOLDS
mutating viral trends and mysterious algorithms , the social media landscape is a dizzying place to navigate .
Hyatt Hotels have cut through some of the content clutter with paid social campaigns .
“ A paid strategy is required these days to ensure people are seeing the content we ’ re carefully curating and creating ,” Johnson explains . “ You can have the most elegant content that truly showcases your brand , but you have no control over who sees it if you post organically .”
Johnson adds some of Hyatt ’ s successes have happened when their content was served to the right audience on social media .
BUILDING BRAND But one thing hasn ’ t changed – hotels still see social media as the best tool for brand awareness , and not so much as a driver of sales .
“ Compared to CPG and even food & beverage , booking travel takes a lot more planning so the immediate booking does not necessarily happen when you see a video of our hotel ,” Johnson says . “ We look at a full-funnel integrated marketing approach and try to inspire people when they ’ re first thinking about travel through social media .”
Reynolds says that not every single social media post can address all the stages of the marketing funnel . Kimpton ’ s social channels do drive bookings around their big sales such as their annual October sale and Cyber Monday deals but in general , 90 % of
their social media posts are about brandbuilding and brand affinity .
“ Our number one goal for social is introducing people to our brand , growing interest in our brand , and really creating that brand love and the love of our hotels ,” Reynolds adds .
NEXT STEPS As for what ’ s next , Billings says social will keep evolving and moving forward , meaning brands have to be ready for whatever emerges next . “ They have to understand what ’ s working within the [ social media ] space and then be able to be a fast follower , step in , and activate ,” he advises .
The push for more authentic , not as polished , video-based content will also remain strong , especially on TikTok where Johnson says “ raw and honest ” content is expected . “ Consumers have gotten smart when it comes to consuming content on social , so they want to see what our hotels really look like without a heavy filter ,” she says .
THEY [ BRANDS ] HAVE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT ’ S WORKING WITHIN THE [ SOCIAL MEDIA ] SPACE AND THEN BE ABLE TO BE A FAST FOLLOWER , STEP IN , AND ACTIVATE .
– BRANDON BILLINGS
Nov / Dec 2022 hotelsmag . com 87