INTRODUCTION
According to a survey by Big 7 Media, more than 61% of Instagram users have booked a stay at a hotel after seeing it in their feed. In addition, a Trends Global Survey revealed that 75% of travelers credited social media with inspiring their choice of destination.
While it’s no surprise that hotel and lodging businesses use social media to reach and engage with potential guests, some properties have started to create separate accounts for onsite amenities, such as golf courses, spas, restaurants or wedding venues.
Here are some pros and cons of having separate social media accounts for your hotel or resort amenities, as well as some insights on deciding what is right for you.
PROS OF CREATING SEPARATE SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS FOR YOUR AMENITIES
There can be some perks to creating separate social media accounts for your amenities. For instance, you can create distinct identities and strategies for each account, which can help you create content that is highly tailored to specific audiences.
For example, if you run a resort with a golf course, you can hone in on what golf enthusiasts are interested in, such as tips, course conditions, deals and events. This content would differ from what you post on your primary resort account, which likely wouldn’t include as much detail about your golf course.
Similarly, having separate accounts allows you to grow each revenue source independently. For example, if you have an onsite restaurant, spa or event space that appeals to locals, you can develop Reels, Stories and social media ads that help promote brand awareness for those amenities locally. This approach could prove more effective than attempting to highlight all your offerings on one account.
CONS OF HAVING SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS FOR AMENITIES
On the other hand, multiple amenity accounts could present problems for some properties. The more accounts you have, the more resources you’ll need to develop content and manage and monitor profiles. If your property does not have a dedicated social media manager or social media-savvy staff, separate amenity accounts could be too much to take on. It is always better to maintain one quality account than to have a poor presence on multiple accounts.
In addition, you could potentially sacrifice the power of overall branding or your identity as a destination with separate accounts.
Finally, your target audience(s) may not want to follow multiple accounts for your business or even know the amenity accounts exist. This could result in wasted efforts or subpar engagement across your channels.
HOW TO DETERMINE IF SEPARATE AMENITY ACCOUNTS ARE RIGHT FOR YOU
The “correct” method ultimately depends on your business or brand. Take a hard look at your brand strategies, business objectives, revenue sources and current social media efforts before deciding. Do you have an amenity that is a significant revenue source for your property? Does segregating services align with your business goals? Are your current social media efforts benefitting your bottom line?
In addition, you’ll need to make sure your marketing team or social media manager(s) have the capacity to take on multiple accounts and produce quality content for each.
If creating separate amenity accounts makes sense for your property, prioritize your most popular amenity or amenities first. You’ll want to build that following and identity before creating accounts for other amenities. You also should use a hub-and-spoke approach, in which your primary hotel or resort accounts share select information from the amenity account(s) to showcase all you have to offer. This method helps preserve your overall brand identity and also allows you to repurpose content, which can save time.
You also should create and follow specific strategies for your amenities accounts. Avoid sharing irrelevant content for your hotel or resort on those pages. For instance, people who follow your wedding account likely are not interested in a weekly special at your restaurant.
Connect all of your accounts (primary and amenities) to a central management system. For instance, all of your Facebook and Instagram accounts should be housed and managed in the same Meta Portfolio, or you should connect them all to third-party tools like Hootsuite or Sprout Social. This allows you to maintain control and oversee all accounts associated with your property.
If multiple accounts don’t make sense for your business, you can use your primary hotel social media accounts to highlight your amenities. Aim to post a healthy mix of content so your page showcases the overall guest experience. You also can boost posts to specific audiences to help get your amenities in front of the right people.