Why user generated content should be a top priority.
Why user generated content should be a top priority
Nothing gives your hotel more credibility than positive experiences posted by your guests online.
User Generated Content (UGC) is the content your guests share about your hotel, in the form of videos, social media posts, a blog post, a review etc.
UGC is an increasingly powerful tool — it’s low on cost and produces high returns on engagement and sales.
A jaw-dropping 97% of millennials post on social media while travelling, according to a recent study, and we’re all well aware of the impact of online reviews for encouraging new bookings.
Travellers automatically trust recommendations far more than any expensive advertising stunt. They’re actively searching for people who’ve enjoyed and raved about their stay before committing.
But unfortunately, many hotels don’t understand how effective UGC can be for generating engagement, and they’re not using this marketing brilliance as well as they should.
So let’s look at the facts and figures to reveal why UGC should be a priority, as well as the tactics you can implement to encourage guest engagement.
What can UGC do for your hotel?
UGC can strengthen your marketing and offer clear benefits in a number of ways.
Build trust to win future guests
Consumers are numb to traditional advertising. They know advertisements only show the best features of a hotel and leave out all the faults. Today, they want a more accurate, well-rounded picture, which is why prospective guests turn to reviews for the true answer.
Almost 80% of travellers read several reviews before making a booking. This user generated content assumes authenticity. In most cases, online surfers realise the reviewer has nothing to gain from writing a positive review, so they naturally believe the review is honest.
To maintain a level of trust, avoid using bribery to build positive reviews. Some businesses offer discounts or vouchers in exchange for a review, but the results are usually poor and customers see right through it, doing the exact opposite of what you intended.
The only way you can build trust with the online community is by offering an exceptional service your guests want to shout about.
Gain helpful feedback to improve services
In an ideal world, every guest will write an outstanding review that you can promote on your website and social media channels. However, even if you do offer a great service there will always be a handful of reviewers who post a negative response.
Your first impulse may be to remove and hide negativity from public viewing, but that’s not always the best way forward. Instead, write a genuine heartfelt response to every bad experience and offer a solution. You’ll not only make the reviewer feel valued, new guests will also see you’re a person who cares about their business and its customers.
Additionally, every bad review offers valuable insights into what your guests dislike about your hotel. If the same problem keeps popping up, you know you need to make changes to improve your customer satisfaction.
And when you improve the customer experience, more guests will want to write that positive review.
Improved SEO and increase traffic
When you promote UGC on your website, you’re opening up a new avenue for increased interactivity and higher rankings in the search engines.
Google loves fresh content, and when guests post content to your website, they’re adding more targeted keywords that help other potential guests find you online. Essentially, you increase your website’s search-ability.
This level of interactivity and engagement means visitors spend longer on your site reading other User Generated Content and directly contributing to forums. The longer visitors spend on your site the more you show Google you’re offering value to its users. This in turn will boost your search rankings.
Equally, as visitors take time to explore your site they’re more likely to convert into a sale.
How to maximise user generated content
Encourage guests to share on social media
Besides promoting your social channels on your business cards, welcome folders and on posters around your hotel, you can inspire guests to share their experiences with direct request posts on social media.
Why not create a post asking previous guests what their favourite meal was at your hotel, or perhaps ask users to share their photos or tag you in their posts.
Pin your post to the top of your Facebook or Twitter page so it’s the first thing visitors see when they check out your profile.
Monitor social mentions and engage
Every time a guest tags your hotel or mentions you on social media correctly, their post will appear on your own profile page. However, if they fail to tag you, or do it incorrectly, you won’t be notified and will miss the opportunity to engage.
To gain maximum impact from UGC you need to ensure you catch those missed mentions to ease any negative comments and enhance the positive.
Hootsuite and Revinate are fantastic tools that scan the web for social media posts, reviews, news sites and blogs about your hotel, ensuring you never miss a comment. Using these tools will allow you to find every photo, comment or video mentioning your hotel but was not tagged correctly.
You can then share this content on your website and social channels to build credibility and social proof around your brand.
Create a competition
Run a contest on social media to drive engagement and build buzz around your hotel. Go beyond the usual ‘like our page to enter’ — get creative and ask previous guests to tag you with a photo or video of their stay.
Be sure to add a note in your terms and conditions to say you may reuse and share entries. You can then use all that great content on your website and social media pages to further boost engagement.
Photo opportunities
Guests usually take photos while they’re away and publish them online, so why not set up a space where they can have fun taking snaps with props, signs and stickers.
If you have a lobby, use an area to invite guests to catch a quick photo using frames with comical messaging, funny wigs and glasses. You’ll be offering the unexpected and giving guests a reason to share.
Use signage to ask for that share on social media with your relevant handles and urls so they know you’d appreciate the exposure.
Encourage online reviews and respond quickly and appropriately
We all know online reviews are a huge motivator for guests to buy. The importance of promoting positive guest experiences cannot be emphasised enough.
You must make encouraging reviews a top priority to invite trust. You should also offer a response to reviewers to show you care deeply about their concerns and will take action to rectify the problem.
The amount of reviews you have matters. It’s not enough to have two or three comments and be done with it. This should be a huge factor in your overall marketing efforts and must be something you encourage with every guest that stays at your hotel.
The Booking Factory
