A 7 — step guide to maximise bookings on Facebook
The old saying goes, in order to boost sales, you need to be where your customers are. And in the last few years, Facebook has become a huge source of information for travellers planning a trip.
52% of Facebook users say their friend’s photos inspire their travel plans, while 51% of travel brands with a presence on Facebook noted they had an increase in business that year.
No other social network offers the same variety of plugins and tools hotels need to drive bookings. These Facebook tools help hotels monitor and manage engagement, take bookings directly and ensure visitors feel confident about your property through reviews.
For hotels, Facebook offers a real opportunity to build your presence online and engage with millions of potential guests. But the fact is, most hotels are completely clueless when it comes to building an active and professional Facebook page.
If you’re looking to ramp up your Facebook marketing and increase reservations, these top tips may just help you.
Use photo tags
Sharing photos on Facebook generates 39% more interaction than simple text posts. Photos add greater interest and help readers visualise your story. So using supporting images on every post you publish is a wise move to increase likes, comments and shares.
Because according to Kissmetrics, photos receive 53% more likes, 104% more comments and 84% more click throughs than text only posts.
But using photos can boost your reach in another way — through tagging. If you get permission to take photos with guests and tag them on Facebook, your hotel will then be seen by all their Facebook friends. Improving your reach and visibility to more potential guests.
Use Facebook live
Organic reach on Facebook has been declining for some years now. If you’ve noticed fewer people engage with your posts than a couple of years ago, there’s a good reason for that. Facebook’s latest algorithm means only 2–6% of your followers are seeing your content.
However, there is a saving grace. The new algorithm loves Facebook live videos. For businesses using Facebook Live, they’ll appear higher in the news feeds of their followers. And what’s more, people spend 3x longer watching a Facebook Live than a non-live video.
As an example, hotels could use Facebook Lives to share events and behind the scenes videos to engage fans. You shoulxperiment with this new tool and analyse the results to see if it’s worth the investment.
Set up a reviews tab
Facebook’s star rating system allows past guests to share their thoughts about their stay. As 93% of travellers say their booking decisions are impacted by online reviews, showing guest feedback is expected and a valuable source of information for future guests.
Be sure to add the reviews tab to your page from your page settings. This will let guests select a star rating for your hotel and enter a comment. Always be sure to respond to each review whether good or bad. This will ensure you effectively manage your online reputation and show people your guests matter to you.
Create storytelling content
When creating a post, share stories about your staff and guests with supporting images to arouse interest. Refrain from posting to Facebook just for the sake of it. If you don’t have anything meaningful to say, hold off until you do.
Rich content that helps guests visualise what it’s like to stay at your hotel work best. If you create content that focusses more on the experience rather than your promotions, more people will engage with your page which will then spread to other users.
Install an email capture app
With Facebook, you can build your email list directly from your page. Just as you’d have a newsletter sign up form on your website, Facebook’s array of plugins allows you to collect subscribers too.
And by building your email list, you can share future promotions, news and events with interested guests.
You’ll need to install an app that will integrate with your Facebook page in order to do this, but here’s a good place to start.
Leverage engaged fans
With tools like Agorapulse and Wholikesus, you’ll be able to see who your most engaged fans are. By monitoring their activity, you can identify which visitors are worth your time and attention.
With those top engagers, you can start to create a dialog on Facebook and through email. Show them they’re important to you and think about creative incentives to reward active visitors for their engagement.
When you understand the kind of people who like and comment on your content, you can also create more posts they’re interested in to further strengthen that relationship.
An integrated booking engine
Lastly, by integrating a booking engine directly on your Facebook page you give guests a convenient way to book then and there.
With the sheer volume of travellers turning to Facebook for travel related information and recommendations, an integrated booking engine will leverage this shift in online behaviour.
A good booking engine will allow guests to check rates and availability. They’ll be able to view images and room info, and of course book directly from the page.
This way, you’re more likely to capture reservations before they become distracted.
With The Booking Factory, we can integrate an intuitive booking engine within your Facebook page to maximise reservations. We’d be happy to walk you through it if you’d like to find out more.
Your Facebook page can be an excellent source of direct bookings. If you have all the elements in place to satisfy guests through convenience and trust, Facebook can be a solid complimentary platform to drive reservations.
