social media 2014 riley smith stanford hotels. summary of topics - 2014 trends & how we see our...
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Social Media 2014
RILEY SMITH
STANFORD HOTELS
Summary of Topics - 2014 Trends & how we see our hotels fitting within these trends
- GM To-Do: Planned vs. Spontaneous Social Media◦ Ensure that all channels have planned and spontaneous coverage (people and technology)
- Our channels – Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Hotels In A Nutshell, Video◦ Purpose, strategy, execution, advertising, and ROI
- BIG IDEA: Embedding Social Media into guest experience
- New this year:◦ Social Media training for all employees◦ Social Media GM call quarterly◦ Social Media newsletter – internal & external happenings and successes in ‘social media & hospitality’
Pre-Reading http://blog.milestoneinternet.com/web-2/top-8-social-media-trends-for-2014/
GM To-Do: Planned vs. Spontaneous Social
Currently we have…◦ A Point Person for Social Media (who takes care
of planned social media)◦ Works primarily from desktop◦ Focuses on Facebook
What is Desired?◦ We still want that Point Person
◦ Add a small tablet, so this person doesn’t have to use personal phone when about the hotel
◦ Need to add a team member(s) from F&B and Front Desk to address ‘spontaneous social’◦ Typically, a salaried, manager-level employee
◦ Having a team member who primarily works nights, to address ‘spontaneous social’
◦ Performs most of work from a mobile phone (for apps: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.)
1. Facebook Purpose: Engage show fans our hotel personality and the great location/city you are in.
Execution:◦ Engaging posts done by ‘team leader’◦ Well-designed contests that attract a specific segment (no more than 4 a year)◦ Campaigns and/or ads done by Riley◦ **Mobile photos captured by rest of team (best to be sent to ‘team leader’ via email)
Advertising: We can target groups, citywides, hotel events, specific interests
ROI: ◦ A) Traffic and clicks◦ B) Leads◦ C) Depending on Brand, reservations
2. Twitter Purpose: Real-time customer service and information
Strategy: To have 15-18 hours of coverage and direct customers to this tool.
Execution: ◦ Riley is plan B from 8 am - 6 pm; will still receive notifications
however throughout rest of day.◦ **2-3 employees have Twitter (or Hootsuite) on phone, w/
notifications ◦ **Riley trains these employees
Advertising: Target #hashtags for events/conferences, zip codes, or market segments.
ROI: ◦ A) Traffic and clicks◦ B) Emails
3. Hotels in a Nutshell - Blog Purpose: SEO, marketing pieces, & social engagement
Strategy: To write pieces that are of interest to general traveler; and to market our expertise in an area
Execution: Planned: 15-20 pieces/hotel/year (via 4-5 authors)
**Spontaneous: When topical events/stories happen, feel free to write a post about that topic. This blog does not have to be all pre-planned.
Advertising: Only if attached to another marketing campaign.
ROI: Traffic to our hotel sites; potential leads
4. Video (YouTube) Purpose: Engagement, marketing, and informational
Strategy: Produce videos that market a specific goal of yours◦ Make videos to boost staff morale
Execution: Informal videos can be done on hand-held devices and posted on social media (staff).
◦ Professional videos should have a fully-developed plan behind creation and future marketing (Riley & outside agencies)
Advertising: Only if attached to another marketing campaign.
ROI: Views, clicks, traffic
5. Foursquare Purpose: Attract locals to your restaurant (not a priority for every hotel)
Strategy: Set up generic Foursquare ad & time-specific ads (ex. Restaurant week)
Execution: Riley will handle all campaigns involving hotel and restaurant
Advertising: F&B team can help me write copy for the ad (ex. Highlighting ‘happy hour’?)
ROI: # of check-ins or ‘taps’ (equal to clicks) cost $
FACEBOOK BIG IDEA: Embedding social media in guest experience
Facebook’s Algorithm◦ Preventing/reducing # of business page posts that
appear in people’s newsfeed◦ Thus, the content has to be really good to be seen
Facebook’s Graph Search◦ You can search ‘hotels in [city name]’ in
Facebook’s search bar ◦ Our hotel’s placement in that search depends on #
of likes, photos taken at location, and check-ins of that person’s social network.
◦ My prediction: there will be a booking link soon on these searches
We need ‘in-hotel’ engaging experiences…that are photo-worthy!
TWITTER BIG IDEA: Embedding social media in guest experience
Push Twitter to Guests as a Customer Service Tool
◦ Inform guest at arrival (ex. @SheratonUptown)◦ … and in room!
Generate additional revenue – souvenirs, snacks, brand swag
*Roll these out starting with Honors floors. Build up to capacity with rest of rooms.
Neither of these are “logistical nightmares”. It’s training employees & guests.
New this Year◦ Social Media training for all employees (on-site or in-
person)
◦ Social Media GM call quarterly ◦ Updating the social landscape◦ New opportunities◦ Reporting back successes
◦ Social Media newsletter – internal & external happenings and successes in ‘social media & hospitality’