There are never enough hours in the day. When you’re busy planning your marketing activities and pricing strategy for the year ahead, being active on social media can seem the least important item on your to-do list. But creating great content has never been so important, and what better way to do that often than through effective use of social media? Here are 4 things you can do to keep it manageable, so you can stay social even when you are at your busiest.
1. Blog
If you don’t already, start. Not only will it help your SEO (search engine optimisation), it gives people an incentive to return to your website, provides the perfect platform for updates, news and information and gives you fresh content to share on social media channels. Once you get started, try to update it regularly – leave it too long between posts and people will get out of the habit of looking out for your updates. Get ideas and inspiration from following the news as well as other blogs, (also a great way to stay up to date with what is happening in the industry and in your area). Don’t feel like you have to post great big essays (like this one!), just keep it short and simple. A couple of paragraphs is fine.
2. Build up an ideas bank
When you have that eureka moment and think of something fantastic to write about, jot it down somewhere it won’t get lost. Schedule when to cover certain subjects to keep your content fresh and topical. Calendar events are a good starting point, write about what’s happening in your area. Keep an eye on current trends and topics that are being featured in the news and comment on them as well (Mazzard Farm do this brilliantly, check out their Facebook page). Just as writing a new blog provides you with material to post or tweet about, something that you create content with on your Facebook page today can be developed into a full blown blog later.
Become an expert in your field. What photos or videos can you share? What makes people decide to book your property instead of the competition? How do you communicate those reasons to future guests who don’t already know? When you have time, sit down and write an article – write 3 if you are feeling creative! Because you don’t post them all at the same time, you will create a
backlog of content to post, saving you time in the future.
3. Be yourself
It is OK to have an opinion and write about what you think in your own blog or on your social media platforms; and it’s much easier to write interesting copy when you let your personality shine through. Don’t over-analyse things or feel self-conscious, be confident that people that are tuning in are interested in what you have to say. Your audience is built up of guests who have stayed with you before, future guests who are interested in coming to stay, people who you know, and those you don’t who follow you anyway. Engaging with them via a blog and social media shows something of the person behind the scenes and helps set the back-story. People like to know about other people and their experiences, they don’t care about bricks and mortar.
4. Be sociable every day
It’s called social media for a reason. Like, share, retweet, +1, comment and interact, and aim to do something every day. You will become visible to more people, so your posts will get seen by a wider audience, who may also interact with you – and so the cycle continues.
Remember, social media isn’t there as a sales tool; if you use it purely as an advertising channel it’s not as much fun for you and your audience will soon switch off. It’s about building familiarity so that when someone thinks about taking a holiday in your area, they remember your blog, your posts and comments, your photos or snaps posted by their friends and family. Keep your phone handy when you are out and about so you never miss a good photo opportunity. From spotting a deer on your morning walk, to stumbling across a waterfall you never knew existed, to taking a pic of steaming mug of hot chocolate topped with all the trimmings on a cold, wet winters day (or an ice cold G&T in the middle of summer), it all adds to the experience a holiday at your property provides.
The best way to keep it manageable is to do a little something, often. Commit to being in it for the long term to get what you ultimately set out to achieve – more bookings!
N.b. If you use SuperControl, do you use the Facebook app? It enables people to see your availability calendar and place a booking straight from your Facebook page.
