As I See It....Embrace Social Media To Differentiate Yourself From Your Competitors

Building relationships and enhancing market share works both online and off

By: Gregory L. Leddy

Hospitality marketing has been turned on its head as the consumer has taken charge. Social media, from online hotel review sites, such as TripAdvisor, to social networks such as Facebook, to instant communications tools such the ubiquitous Twitter, allow consumers to share their experiences and opinions - good and bad - with fellow travelers worldwide, giving them a platform for the most powerful and credible form of communication - word-of-mouth.
Empowered consumers have the potential to inflict incredible damage on a hotel's reputation. You only need to be on the receiving end of a flurry of negative comments on any social site to know that in the viral online environment, bad news travels fast and wide.
However, by embracing social media, using honesty and transparency as their currency, hoteliers can enhance and protect their business, and join the conversation rather than ignore it. These media are all about sharing experiences and opinions and can be a very effective tool for hotels to have their property trumpeted by satisfied guests. Social media opens communication channels that provide potential guests a better understanding of a property's uniqueness before they book - as well as allowing hoteliers to gain a better understanding of the expectations of customers before, and after, their trip.
One key activity is to monitor and judiciously respond to negative online reviews. For one, hotel reviews can be far more positive than negative (as shown by a Texas A&M study involving TripAdvsor users which concludes that "online travel review writers are mostly motivated by a concern for other consumers and helping a travel service provider.") Acknowledging and reacting to the experiences and opinions of a reviewer is a clear sign of the hotel management's concern and good customer care, and is greatly appreciated. Responding is an opportunity - indeed, an obligation, that should not be overlooked.
On the other hand, by actively communicating and participating in these conversations, openly and honestly, hoteliers are where their customers are - online - and where customers need them to be. The online tools are many - from building on credible consumer-generated content, to updating information by posting blogs, or 'tweets', or creating profiles on social networks, to providing videos or photos online - the lodging industry has countless opportunities and outlets to engage with customers.
In the end, no matter how much the media landscape changes, happy guests are a hotel's best marketers - both online and off they will wave your flag and defend you. The value of former guests enthusiastically sharing their positive experiences at your property with thousands of potential guests provides targeted reach and credibility that the largest marketing budgets can't buy.
Everything still starts with the basics - always deliver the best service possible, anticipate the needs of your guests, be attentive to them, and strive to exceed their expectations. Then on all those online social networking sites things will pretty much take care of themselves.

Gregory Leddy is the Managing Director of the public relations firm Ferri & Partners, publisher of Marketing & Tourism Trends. His extensive public relations and marketing expertise has proven valuable to such clients as Mexico's Ministry of Tourism, Sheraton Hotels, Tourism Ireland, Citicorp, Microsoft, Pepsi-Cola, Kraft and Anheuser-Busc,h among many others.