The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the hospitality industry. At its peak, worldwide travel decreased by a startling 78 per cent. However, as surveys confirm that people are travelling again, we look at social media trends and techniques resorts can implement to connect with customers and beat their competitors.

1 Add TikTok to your strategy

Social media offers several ways to connect with communities, including those looking for travel inspiration and advice as they plan their next trip.  

Using the TikTok #tiktoktravel hashtag, you can connect with over 26.1 billion users by regularly posting relevant content about your destination. And the latest social media trends and figures show TikTok should be part of your marketing plan:

• TikTok users spend an average of 52 minutes per day on the app.
• 90 per cent of TikTok users visit the app more than once per day.
• 138 million monthly active users are in the US.
• 21 per cent of Americans said they use TikTok in 2021.
• TikTok’s average engagement rate is 17.99 per cent
• The average activation number is 43.4 times a day.
• In the US, 20.3 per cent of users are aged 40-49

Once you have followers, you can use TikTok to develop a community and organically engage with users by posting to their ‘for you’ area. You can also encourage TikTok users to publish posts about the destination and your property.

Depending on the algorithm, you can open up your post’s access level and include your resort’s departments for maximum exposure. For example, the beverage/food department can utilize #restock, while housekeeping can use #cleantok. If you design content appropriately, this can help you reach most travellers.

Before starting, observe what works on TikTok, what challenges you can re-envision/join, and whom you can partner with. Sometimes the process requires you to blend in before surpassing your competitors.

2 Using influencers

Influencer marketing is still one of the solid social media trends available for resort promotion. Here are some essential methods for finding trustworthy influencers and partnering with them:

Influencer connecting agencies

Influencer networking agencies are websites that categorize influencers enabling you to identify local or travel influencers willing to collaborate. You can also find people who can aid with promotion via influencer marketing.

Consider influencer algorithms

Find influencers who can help you increase your social media resort awareness. You can see the influencers’ engagement levels, followers, and previous successful campaigns.

Clarify the rules

Because the resort industry demands a higher level of dedication from influencers, you must establish your expectations accordingly. Make sure you update the contract with hashtags, content design, deadlines, and deliverables.

3 User-Generated content

User-generated content is another noteworthy social media trend you should consider. This content can be displayed as sponsored articles, reels/videos, or ordinary posts for paid-related promotions. Using user-generated material can help you refresh your marketing strategy by:

Promoting hashtag usage

If you own a trademarked hashtag, encourage visitors to use it every time they visit your resort. Then, your marketing team can retrieve that hashtag and examine your guests’ posts. You can support this by creating posters/cards using hashtags.

Request testimonials from loyal customers

Most satisfied customers will gladly post reviews on your website or Facebook page. In addition, you might email owners and guests and ask for reviews to motivate future visitors and increase your credibility.

Feature pages

Influencer marketing is also a vital technique for creating user content. For example, you can ask to be featured in specialist social media networks like travel, sports, or restaurants.

User-generated content relies on your brand’s social proof and authenticity. Allowing others to represent you is one of the powerful tactics for social media marketing.

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4 Localized sponsored content

Geo-targeted sponsored content is another important social media trend resorts should consider. Resorts can target several sponsored posts in specific areas using the user’s GPS.

For example, if the user recently navigated through your town or location, GPS data will be recorded. And your sponsored content will appear as people browse their social media networks. This feature will help you quickly get local leads. It’s also vital to raise resort awareness within your community/city.

The key to successful geo-selected sponsored content is a setting that isn’t too narrow or wide. Putting the information within 25 miles of the town or within the city can assist reach the potential audience.

5 Video clips

Short-form videos have grown in popularity, demonstrating TikTok’s reach and impact outside of its network. It’s a trend that is projected to continue throughout this year. This boom prompted other social media platforms to add new features like YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels. Most consumers prefer these short films to longer ones.

Most users favour short-form films of 90 seconds or less because they seem to fit well with the fast-paced nature of social media. These films allow users to stay informed, consume information, and be entertained in their preferred format. According to Hubspot brand marketing data, 72 per cent of clients prefer videos over words.

Short-form videos give resorts a unique opportunity to differentiate their offerings, attract new audiences and grow their social media communities. These formats work well with user-generated content, snippets and comprehensive short-form video formats behind the curtain.

These videos are also cost-effective as you don’t need to hire professional videographers. Instead, let onsite teams handle the whole procedure. They can direct you on the specific clips to collect before editing and sharing them with your potential consumers. This multi-sector strategy ensures you only publish genuine and authentic material that reflects your whole resort experience.

6 Social media community building

Most resorts attempt to prioritize social media but fail to develop an engaged and dedicated social media community. Owners and guests consider your social media networks extensions of your real-world experience — places for two-way dialogue and interaction. Your social media marketing team must share the same mentality.

It’s also vital to distinguish between the community and the audience. For example, no one who subscribes to your company’s newsletter or follows you on social media is automatically part of your active brand community.

If managed successfully, social media community marketing benefits your target audience and your resort business. In addition to raising revenue, this method increases the consumer base and brand exposure. And it does so while enhancing the user experience for those who interact with your brand via social media marketing networks.

Finally, social media marketing also provides good customer insight into what consumers want from resorts like yours.

The pandemic affected the whole hospitality industry, but the outlook is positive. Social media trends show that marketing has evolved from a small digital marketing division that generates leads to a plan that converts – even in resorts. These trends will help you develop a social media presence and increase clientele and brand awareness.

Source:

TikTok statistics – https://www.omnicoreagency.com/tiktok-statistics/

Rithesh Raghavan – https://insights.ehotelier.com