Digital Digest - FEBRUARY 19 - Edition 47

social content: 9
Killer
to make an impact
ways
impact. The answer is simpler than you might
post, your target audience and the platform
Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn have
promoted. Check out Holiday Inn Leicester’s
By Simran Bhogal
Over 24,000 likes, almost 6,000 retweets and
377 comments. You’re probably wondering
you’ll be sharing the post on. Facebook,
how one Twitter post made such a huge
different types of users so it’s worth
think – by offering engaging and shareable
keeping this in mind when you’re planning
content that gets people talking:
your activity. Great social content can help
to:
Grow your followers
Increase brand awareness
Generate and convert leads
out Holiday Inn
"Check
social media
Leicester’s
on SmugMug –
calendar
a simple but really
it’s
effective tool!"
Plan it out
A social media calendar is a great way of
planning and scheduling content for your
social channels in advance. It saves you time
If you’re ready to follow in Netflix’s footsteps,
here’s 9 things you can do to take your social
and ensures key events/offers are being
media channels to the next level:
social media calendar on SmugMug – it’s a
simple but really effective tool!
Know your end goals
Always have an end goal or objective in mind
Mix up your social content
when you’re creating content for social media
Sharing a mixture of sales and non-sales
(whether you’re doing this in-house or through
content is the key to making an impact on
an agency). Think about the purpose of your

social. Having social channels that sell, sell, sell
shareable, interesting and comment-worthy can
memes, GIFs, Canva social graphics and different
share! Even if it’s a short clip of an event at the
and get people talking about your
interest
hotel.
can spend a lot of time and effort telling
Brands
they're the best at what they do, but in
users
users pay much more attention to the
reality
and experiences of other people
reviews
can really put people off, but content that is
quickly boost your reach and followers.
Get creative!
Don’t be afraid to experiment with videos,
styles of posts (as long as they’re appropriate!).
By 2020, nearly all of the content we’ll be
viewing online will be video, so get your thinking
caps on about what interactive content you can
hotel or a boomerang of someone doing
something entertaining, these are the kinds of
posts that really get people talking and liking.
Establish your own personality
Brands like Netflix and Pizza Hut have built
impressive numbers of followers by having their
own unique voice and personality, as well as
content that is entertaining and promotes their
products:
with local
"Engage
groups and
businesses,
online by
influencers
commenting on
liking,
sharing their
and
posts"
relevant
Use guest testimonials to share your hotel’s
success
Share 'behind the scenes' content
Users always love to be the first to know about
something exciting like an upcoming event,
Create and share Canva social media
online.
with guest testimonials, as they will
graphics
awards the hotel has won, or something new like
a new menu or dish. Share a sneak peak of
give users reasons to choose your hotel.
what's going on at the hotel to help build more

test out whether it works again. If a post
to
delivered what you’d hoped for, think
hasn’t
image, GIF or video clip to share, and
another
look at the date and time the post was
also
shared. Was the post too close to an event you
hosting so it couldn’t generate enough
were
or was it too far in advance?
interest
it comes to social media, there’s no
When
and fast rule for what works and what
hard
Build your online network
Engage with local businesses, groups and
changing the style of language used,
about
different (or more) hashtags, pick
choose
influencers online by liking, commenting on and
sharing their relevant posts. Likewise, repost
content that a guest has tagged you in; it's both
useful for your audience and a way of expanding
your social network – once those accounts see
that you're engaging with them they'll be more
likely to return the favour!
Review your social media reports
You can learn a lot from what’s worked well and
what hasn’t on social. If something has been
– it’s all about testing out new ideas,
doesn’t
from your audience’s behaviour and
learning
really successful, for example a post about your
most importantly having fun!
wedding showcase with a boomerang video, try
to use the same approach for a few other posts
Planning Tools
Social
https://interstatehotels.smugmug.com
Password: Int3rst4te

available. If you’re offering your guests any
Champagne, try and get a snap of the set up in
charity, helping to drive your brand
awareness. The View Hotel in Eastbourne
Media Inspiration
Social
February -
-
National Pizza Day – 9th February
International Book Giving Day – 14th February
Everyone loves pizza, so why not get a pizza
This is a great chance to get your local
the action? Use this day to promote any pizzas
community involved and support a local
on your menu or post your favourite
cheese/pizza-related pun to add some
entertainment to your channels! If you’ve got
have taken advantage of National Storytelling
any good snaps or a boomerang of a staff
Week and delivered all the books they
member enjoying a slice of pizza, that would
collected from guests to local causes. It’s a
be the perfect piece of content for a day like
fabulous piece of engaging content – is this
this.
something you could orchestrate in your
hotel for International Book Giving Day?
Simply set up an area of your hotel and
promote it at check-in/on social media -
make sure you get the staff involved too to
give your book collection a head start.
Valentine’s Day – 14th February
In the run up to Valentine’s Day, it’s a great
chance to capture any last-minute bookings for
those that aren’t so organised. Make sure your
audience know of any rooms or tables still
added extras, like chocolates, strawberries or
one of your rooms so your audience can get a
feel for what’s in store.

so, this is a great chance to promote this
platforms. Consider timing your social
with you (with the owner’s permission) so
Random Acts of Kindness Day – 17th February
This day ties in perfectly with the concept
you have a collection of cute images to use
across your social channels, whilst
behind Interstate’s Better Together initiative!
What could you do for your guests as a
promoting the fact you welcome pets into
your property as this is becoming more and
random act of kindness? Maybe it’s their
more popular! Add a bit of personality to
birthday and you leave a cake in their room,
or you welcome your guests with a hot drink
your post by getting the pet's name, and
maybe even a fun fact about them! You
or sweet snack when they arrive. You could
even advertise this initiative before the day
could even ask for the owner’s social handle
so you can tag them in the picture,
itself and let your audience know that you’ll
be randomly selecting diners throughout the
increasing your visibility.
day to receive 50% off their food bill. Not
only would this encourage guests to dine
February Half Term 18th – 22nd February
Whilst we suggest advertising stays for the
with you, but it also encourages those lucky
diners to post about your generosity on their
February Half Term six weeks in advance,
it’s still worth capturing any guests who are
own social platforms. Where possible, get a
snap of you and the guest (with their
looking for a last-minute getaway. Let them
know what days you still have available, and
permission) to use on social media.
your proximity to key local attractions they
National Love Your Pet Day – 20th February
might be visiting. Do you work with any
local attractions for discounted tickets? If
Are you a pet-friendly hotel? If so, make sure
you take a picture of every pet who stays
partnership on social media.
Mother’s Day & Father’s Day
Plan ahead! Start thinking about Mother’s
Day and Father’s Day and how can you
create a consistent campaign across your
media posts with an email campaign to
boost engagement and awareness of your
special menu or accommodation offer. Do
you have any reviews from diners from a
previous Mother’s Day or Father’s Day? If so,
post it on your channels to show the
positive memorable experiences that can be
created at your hotel.

log? Click here for 10 reasons why you should
Spotlights
best practice from
Highlighting
around the portfolio
Holiday Inn Leicester – Blog Post
Jen from Holiday Inn Leicester has created another
brilliant blog post titled ‘2018! A #winning year for
Holiday Inn Leicester’ detailing the successes the
hotel enjoyed through the year.
So far, the hotel’s blog has received 1,838 views
since it started! It’s a great tool for engagement,
SEO and more. Could you and your team start a
start blogging.
Read Leicester’s recent blog post here!
The View Hotel Eastbourne – Wedding Video
It’s no secret that the team at The View Hotel
Eastbourne are brilliant at creating videos, but
this wedding video, ‘Where Dreams Come True’,
is one of the best yet! They waited to post it
until 1st January 2019 to capture all those festive
engagements and so far it has over 25,000 views
– an incredible achievement.
Check it out here!

385 likes, 29 comments, 12% ER
is a really simple post showcasing the
This
cosy apartments and it’s perfect for
hotel’s
guests on long-haul flights with
those
a long journey back home. Who
potentially
want to curl up on that bed after
wouldn’t
stuck in a tiny chair?
being
314 likes, 4 comments, 12% ER
Spotlights
ER = Engagement Rate %
Holiday Inn Express Folkestone – Channel
Tunnel – Facebook Post
This fab Facebook post from the team at
HIEX Folkestone would be perfect for
National Love Your Pet day! But this type of
content also works well on any day. Cute
dog pictures are a safe way to gain yourself
some likes – 385 in this case! Keep an eye
out for any posts your property has been
tagged in or take a picture of your furry
friend on check-in with the owner’s
permission.
Staybridge Suites London – Heathrow
Bath Road – Facebook Post

- Instagram Post
recent Instagram post featured a
They’re
image of a sunset from the roof of
beautiful
hotel! A really simple shot to take (if
their
not afraid of heights). Could you get
you’re
visibility on Instagram – for more
hotel’s
on how to use hashtags, check
information
64 likes, 2 comments, 9.52% ER
team at Hotel Indigo Newcastle posted
The
similar: a shot of Newcastle at
something
night. Again, a simple post that showcases
sights of the local area that
beautiful
in 67 likes. By consistently posting
resulted
like this, you’re bound to inspire
images
ideas in someone within your
travel
67 likes, 6 comments, 8.28% ER
Spotlights
Hotel Indigo Manchester – Victoria Station
rooftop sunset pics for your Instagram?
any
use of hashtags will have boosted the
The
out our article here!
Hotel Indigo Newcastle – Instagram Post
audience.

team at Holiday Inn Hull Marina are great at
The
their event pages, and we love their new
updating
far, with an average bounce rate of 22.95%
so
visitors are engaged with the content.
indicating
photography. They’ve also used linking throughout the
Spotlights
Holiday Inn Hull Marina – Webpage
addition ‘Chick Flicks Disco’:
View here!
The headline works well with the page to inform the
reader of its content, and they’ve kept the copy
clean and concise so it’s easy to scan and retain the
most important information. They’ve used bullet
points to list what’s included in the ticket price right
before their ‘Book Now’ call to action whilst moving
information that isn’t as vital to the lower part of the
webpage, a great job!
The hotel’s events page has had 440 views in January
Holiday Inn Farnborough – Webpage
Another fantastic webpage! Rather than simply posting
about the new Spirit Health Club offer, the team at
Holiday Inn Farnborough have included reasons WHY
someone would use the offer - a great way to convert
potential guests.
View here!
The layout is simple and easy to scan, with a good
choice of images both from the hotel and stock
copy to encourage guests to find out more about
certain topics, a brilliant way to enable user navigation
from page to page and keep them on your website.

Spotlights
Holiday Inn Basingstoke – Flyer
Magdalena from Holiday Inn Basingstoke has created a beautiful flyer for their Baby
Shower package on Canva. The image fits perfectly with the content, they’ve picked a
colour from the image to use as the headline for consistency, and they’ve kept the copy
short to draw attention to the contact details.
Holiday Inn Hemel Hempstead – Flyer
Katie from Holiday Inn Hemel Hempstead has also been busy on Canva, and has created a lovely
flyer for their Celebration of Life packages. Katie’s used on-brand colours to go with a beautiful
image of flowers. The copy is concise and, due to the layout, your eye is drawn down to the
contact details giving readers a next step. The contrast of fonts used for the body and headline
copy really works and we love the shapes chosen to highlight their prices, great work!