Social media is becoming more and more important to businesses of all kinds, particularly in the hospitality and accommodation sector. When you’re running a hotel or bed and breakfast, a large part of your business success will depend on the image you project, and social media can be a major part of this. Social media networks allow you to interact with customers, express the personality and ethos of your business, learn more about what guests want and expect from you, address any problems that may arise and limit damage from any negative reviews.
However, successful use of social media demands careful planning and strategy, as well as quality posts and content. Simply posting generic content across every platform will not get you results, but carefully targeted material on the appropriate platform will help you build your brand. One of the most important things to consider is which social media sites you should actually be using. Here we will consider the various benefits each major social media platform could offer to your B&B.
– Facebook. This is the world’s most popular social media site, giving you an opportunity to reach a huge potential audience with updates, information about offers and events, and photographs. It’s ideal for building your brand as people can share and like the content you post with their friends. You can also use sponsored listings to make sure your content appears in your audience’s timelines.
– Twitter. Short tweets are a great way to provide a steady stream of information about what is happening at your B&B or in the local area. Tweets often have a friendly, informal and chatty tone so you can express the personality of your business through your Twitter account and attract people to your brand.
– Pinterest. This is primarily image-based and can be useful if your hotel or B&B offers wedding facilities, Christmas parties or other events with the potential for attractive visual material.
– Instagram. Also image based, this photo sharing platform gives you a chance to express the creative side of your business. You can show off the decor and grounds of your B&B, post pictures of local places of interest, and share images of the dishes and drinks in your restaurant, if you have one. With clever use of hashtags, you can attract new audiences and target their interests.
