6 MINUTE READ
As we enter the hotel budget season for 2018, there are two simple facts to keep in mind:
- Content marketing will become more important than ever.
- The landscape for content creation and distribution will continue to change rapidly.
The wise words of Seth Godin still ring true, content marketing is “the only marketing left”. It’s relevant, authentic, and a perfect fit for the internet generation.
While few would doubt the effectiveness of content marketing, the channels and tactics marketers use to create and distribute content will continue evolving in 2018 and beyond.
In this constantly changing landscape, how can you create a content strategy that will stand the test of time? Do you really need to change your approach each year just to keep up with every digital channel?
Here are some insights to keep your content marketing strategy up to date:
Content will always be King
In spite of everything you hear and read from content marketing experts, nothing is more important than the content itself. Distribution strategies will continuously change, but quality content should be able to last several years if it is done right.
Social media posts, travel blogs, photography, and video assets should be produced in a way that keeps them relevant and suitable for a variety of online platforms. After all, the main focus of your content strategy should be to generate more sales over the long term. This means focusing on the permanent things that make your hotel unique, not jumping on every silly internet trend that pops up.
B
y the time your marketing team decides to do the next Harlem Shake or Mannequin Challenge, the meme is played out and you do more harm than good to your online reputation. This is especially true if you leave that content up long after the fad has died. Savvy internet users will immediately dismiss your stale marketing efforts for trying to appear authentic rather than simply being authentic.
Creating relevant content isn’t rocket science. People just want to know what unique experiences they can have at your hotel. Creating content for special events and promotions is always necessary, but it is far more important to regularly showcase those perennial qualities about your hotel that every guest can expect.
Focus on your unique amenities and guest activities. Post photos of your pool at sunset, your restaurant’s signature entree, or a nearby tourist attraction. Do you have a unique cocktail available at your bar? Create a short video of a bartender mixing it and upload that to your YouTube channel. Take an appealing photo of the signature cocktail with a link to the recipe and post it on Instagram. Coming up with something to post is one thing, but regularly posting as part of a long-term marketing strategy is another matter entirely.
Scrolling through the average hotel Facebook or Instagram page, it seems like there is no strategy whatsoever. Remember that any content you upload to an online channel will stay there forever. Don’t make the mistake of assuming your content will only be seen the week it is released. Show travelers what they can experience at your hotel no matter when they decide to travel to your destination.
Create a monthly Content Distribution Schedule
As the old saying goes, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” Nothing could be more true of content marketing. It isn’t enough to tell your millennial Social Media Manager to just keep posting random tweets and Snapchat stories. This might keep your social media channels looking busy, but without an overarching plan, most travelers will simply see it as useless noise.
Begin developing a monthly distribution schedule by considering the main attractions your hotel offers – location, dining, spa, etc. – and then assigning one week per month to each of them. It is far more effective to plan a regular distribution schedule that ensures that every permanent amenity is covered in the midst of your short-term events and promotions. This means posting something of value to each of your social media channels at least once a week, giving priority to your most effective channels. From there, you can focus on posting a mix of written content, photography, and video for each of your amenities and guest activities.
This might seem like a daunting task at first, but it is much easier when you have plenty of high-quality visual assets to share. As your content distribution strategy is implemented over the year, visitors to your social media platforms will scroll through your feed and find a wealth of relevant information about all aspects of your hotel and destination.
Cultivate and Repurpose your Visual Asset Library
Any time you produce visual content, whether in-house or through a third party, make sure to purchase all visual assets and consolidate them into a searchable library. During any given photo or video shoot, there will be plenty of useful shots that don’t make it into the final campaign. Make sure your photographers and video producers provide you with access to all of the imagery taken. Just because some shots aren’t needed for the story you are telling today, that doesn’t mean they won’t be perfect for a future or promotion or social media post.
Develop an ongoing relationship with your photographers and video producers. These creatives can help you think of new ways to use imagery you already own. There are endless ways to repurpose your existing visual assets to create eye-catching and effective content for social media. At Accommovision, we provide our clients with hundreds of useful video clips at the end of each production. This footage can later be repurposed into any type of tailor-made promotion.
In addition, a good relationship with your photographers and video producers means they will offer discounted pricing on smaller jobs. This makes producing micro-content for social media much more manageable and affordable.
Focus on Photos, Videos, and Micro-Content
The popularity of visual content across social media is indisputable. Popular platforms like Instagram and Vine are dedicated entirely to visual content. Facebook now gives preference to video content and YouTube remains the world’s 2nd most popular search engine. Also, the rise of mobile has led to a significant increase in micro-content – short videos or stand-alone photos that convey a powerful message in a very short time.
People browsing on their mobile devices don’t often have time to read a lengthy blog article about your latest event or promotion. Breaking your content into more bite-sized chunks can make your social media platforms much more engaging. The short posts and blurbs may seem insignificant on their own, but scrolling through a series of them can tell a very detailed story to potential guests. Micro-content is the clear way forward, especially considering today’s ever-shrinking attention span.
As digital channels and social media continue to evolve, distribution tactics will continue to change. Understanding your hotel’s unique appeal and creating relevant content will always make sense in spite of the changing digital landscape. To find out how Accommovision can help you create more relevant content, click here.