The good news:

Most home buyers still need the help of a real estate agent to buy a home.

The not so good news:

Unless you’re selling a home to your grandma, everyone starts online. Gone are the days when yard signs attracted potential buyers to your open house.

That means that you need a website that converts. Plus, you need a great real estate social media strategy that generates leads.

Want more good news?

Setting up a winning social strategy to help you sell is fast and painless. All you need to know is where to start and what to do.

That’s why this article will show you:

• How to choose the 5 best real estate social media networks for your agency.
• 7 tips that can help you improve your real estate social media strategy in 7 days.
• How to use real estate social media management to track your success.

Once you’ve got a strategy, it’s time to start tracking your success. Use a social media management tool to help keep track of your campaigns and listen to the whole conversation.

Try Unamo Social Media today! Our tool is fast and easy to use, and free trials are available!

The 5 Best Real Estate Social Media Platforms for Your Agency

Here’s a shocking statistic – over 74% of buyers from all generations used the Internet to search for a home in 2017. Of buyers 37 and younger, 56% found their homes online. That’s also true for 51% of buyers between the ages of 38 and 52.

The first step in the buying process is to look online. As a result, 63% of buyers walk through a home they’ve viewed online.

The bottom line? You need a solid online and social media presence if you want to stay relevant in today’s real estate market.

But where should you start? You’re probably too busy selling houses. You don’t have time to tweet all day and upload professional photos of your properties to Instagram.

That’s why it’s important to take baby steps when you’re just starting. Ask yourself the following questions:

• How many platforms do I have the time and money to manage?
• Where is my audience and which platforms would best serve them?
• How often can I make real estate social media posts?
• How will I integrate different channels and my website?
• Do I need tools to help me with scheduling, posting, and tracking?
• How will I track my success and adjust my social media marketing strategy?

Let’s say you only have time to manage and run one social media profile.

In that case, go for Facebook. The platform is the most flexible in terms of use. You can engage with your audience with a variety of content, track your success, and advertise.

Targeting Millennials? They now make up the majority of home buyers at 36%. Perhaps you should be on Instagram.

Here are the top five social media marketing platforms to consider for real estate social media:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• YouTube
• LinkedIn

You don’t have to choose them all. Decide where you want to be and what you have time to manage. You can always expand later.

Facebook Social Media for Realtors

First, Facebook is the best social media platform for keeping important information in one place. Think of it as an alternative to your website.

Make sure your contact information is consistent with your website and Google My Business Page. And make sure that it is easy for clients or buyers to contact you. Why?

Buyers still purchase their homes through agents. In fact, 87% of all buyers purchased through an agent in 2017. That figure jumps to 90% of Millennials. You want to make sure that your Facebook page makes it easy for buyers to contact agents.

Setting up a Facebook Business page allows you to add a Call to Action (CTA) button like the “Contact Us” button in the example. CTA buttons can help clients book agents, turning your Facebook page into a lead generator.

Next, you’ll want to make sure that your cover image is adding value to your page. Facebook has now made it possible for you to include video and 360-degree images as cover photos. Your cover image is the first thing that visitors see, so you want to make a good impression.

In the example below, Focus Real Estate has added a dedicated hashtag (#focuseffect) to their cover image. Dedicated campaign hashtags help you track your real estate social media marketing efforts.

Here’s another example of a cover image with a dedicated campaign hashtag for @properties, a real estate brokerage in Chicago, Illinois:

They’ve created a dedicated hashtag #thelifeweshare. Here, you can see how often people used the hashtag in real estate social media posts:

You can filter out your posts to see how many people are using your hashtag, who is using it, and how they’re using it. When you track dedicated hashtags, you can also see:

• Reach
• Sentiment
• Demographic Data
• Influencers
• Estimated Ad Spend
• Related Keywords

And the list is not exhaustive. Using a social media management tool is a great way to make sure you’re efforts are successful.

When it comes to images, the more professional the photo the better. You should consider hiring a professional photographer.

Let’s say this is not a possibility.

The next best thing is to make sure that you are at least posting images that you have taken yourself. Don’t be tempted to use stock images. People want to see actual homes online before looking at them in real life.

Note the people in the example. Having people pose in your images helps home buyers imagine themselves living in the home you’re selling. The same is true of real estate social media video content. Besides drone footage and virtual tours, consider staging a home with actors to activate viewers’ imaginations.

Finally, you’ll want to consider what features to add to your profile. Allowing clients to post testimonials or reviews is a great way to build trust. When choosing an agent, home buyers want someone who is honest and trustworthy above all else.

Here’s an example of different pages Colorado Realtors chose for their profile:

A quick side note – notice that the copy for the CTA is different than what Poppy Realty chose. Whether you choose “Contact Us” or “Call Now,” make sure your copy reflects the resulting action. Consider using “Book an Agent” to make the experience as seamless as possible.

In the sidebar, Colorado Realtors have chosen to include:

• Events
• Homes for Sale
• Reviews
• Videos
• Agent Profiles
• Featured Listings
• Community
• What’s Your Home Worth?

Most of the above are obvious. “Homes for Sale” are listings. “Reviews” are reviews. But what about general real estate social media content? What should you post in your main feed?

When creating content for real estate social media posts you’ll want to follow the 80/20 rule. You’ll see this piece of advice everywhere. The idea is that 80% of your posts should focus on customers and 20% on your business.

What does that mean?

First, look at the “What’s Your Home Worth?” feature on Colorado Realtor’s profile. It’s one of the less obvious pages. Here’s what you see when you click on the tab:

Here, users can calculate the value of their property based on their address. It’s useful, informative, and interactive. Now, no the feature is not a real estate social media post. Yet, it exemplifies the type of information found in customer-centric content.

Here are some real estate social media post examples for your main feed:

Posts for Customers

RIGHT

Real estate buying and selling tips for those with no experience.

Here’s an example of an infographic that Poppy Realty published. The content shows when different age groups can expect to buy a home:

WRONG

Stock images of properties with pushy sales copy.

In the worst case scenario, at least tell your audience that you’re using a stock photo:

Posts About Your Business

RIGHT

Progress that has been made on an ongoing construction project.

When you’re a larger company that builds homes, creating commercial real estate social media posts that update clients on projects is a great idea:

WRONG

Advertisements that your followers might have missed.

When you’re one of the big players you may have millions of listings. In that case, such a post makes sense. Otherwise, don’t turn your real estate social media posts into advertisements:

Other content that is great for real estate social media posts:

• Posts about what is happening in and around the community.
• Showcases of local businesses and neighborhoods.
• Contests and giveaways – great for engagement.
• Video walkthroughs of new homes or neighborhoods.

Pro Tip: Make sure that you set up your Facebook profile as a Facebook Business page. That’s because personal profiles don’t allow for features such as a CTA button. You also can’t add extras in the left-hand sidebar – e.g., testimonials or events.

Want to read more about optimizing a Facebook Business page for your real estate agency? Check out our guide: 7 Simple Tips to Optimize Your Facebook Business Page

Twitter Social Media for Realtors

Twitter can be a bit more personal than Facebook.

With Twitter, real estate agents can create personal profiles and use them for work. Facebook ends with the company’s profile, but Twitter can extend to individual professional profiles.

Here are some reasons why agents may want to manage their own Twitter real estate social media posts:

• To establish themselves as thought leaders.
• To stay in touch with their personal clients.
• To send out necessary, frequent updates about their properties.
• To build trust with clients by sharing more personal tweets.

Here is Jasmine Botto’s Twitter profile. Jasmine is part of the Botto Real Estate team in North Vancouver.

Jasmine tweets listings and advice for buyers and sellers by adding links to Botto’s newsletter:

February Update from the Botto Team – https://t.co/LsIgKCJAHc

— Jasmine Botto (@JasmineKBotto) February 6, 2018

At the same time, her Twitter profile has personal touch. Jasmine keeps it light by occasionally posting about something other than real estate:

To balance out the bacon – it’s also National #BicarbonateofSodaDay – who knew?? https://t.co/uuLVl321ID

— Jasmine Botto (@JasmineKBotto) December 30, 2016

Meanwhile, you still want a Twitter handle dedicated to your agency or brokerage so you can generate leads and update clients with time sensitive information fast.

Here are some real estate social media post ideas for Twitter:

• Listings for properties with images or videos.
• Tips and advice on topics like moving or staging.
• Links to industry-related articles or your blog.
• Retweets of content from industry thought leaders.
• Information about events and initiatives.
• Replies to any tweets left on your page.

Here’s an example of listing tweeted by NYLA Real Estate, an agency based in Los Angeles:

To say this room is a closet would be an understatement. Woodland, TX | $9 Million | Inquire for details! pic.twitter.com/vwe40PyUj4

— NYLA Real Estate (@theNYLAagency) June 17, 2016

So, how often do you need to tweet? Here’s the thing about Twitter. To make the most of the platform, volume is important. That means you need to tweet several times throughout the day.

The more you tweet the greater your reach and exposure. The greater your reach, the more leads you generate. If you don’t have time to make regular tweets, consider using Buffer, a post scheduling tool.

Okay, so your profiles are set up and you’re tweeting on a regular basis. What’s next? How do you take real estate social media Twitter strategy to the next level?

• Connect and engage with local businesses, brands, and influencers. Make yourself recognizable in the community as the go-to person for buyers and sellers.

To find influencers, you can use a social media monitoring tool and a set of targeted keywords. For example, using the keywords “real estate” and “luxury homes” we found the following influencers:

Now, most influencers will probably be other real estate agents. What can you do with this information? It’s great for competitor research.

You could still run across an Instagrammer or a media source that could promote your content or share your real estate social media posts. Reach out and start a relationship!

• Set up keyword alerts so that you know when someone is buying or selling a home in your area. You can use this to generate leads.

You can set up Twitter keyword alerts through a tool like IFTT or by using a social media monitoring tool. Just add keywords (buying home/ selling home) or hashtags like #homeforsale + [Your City] to find out what’s happening in your area.

Here’s an example using Unamo Social Media:

Here’s an example of a tweet found via Unamo using #homeforsale. The home owner has renovated his house and is ready to sell in Georgia:

Finally done with #homerenovation my Smyrna Ga place is now #HomeForSale close to Smyrna Market Village and Vinings https://t.co/DET5TcjdnC pic.twitter.com/cHi5HysFxC

— gus houghtaling (@big_gus) April 5, 2018

But how do you know which keywords or hashtags buyers and sellers use? Some may be obvious, others not so much. That brings us to the next point.

• Research and use real estate related hashtags. The same applies if you have an Instagram account.

To research hashtags, try using a free tool like Hashtagify. The tool allows you to check if a Twitter hashtag is popular and find related hashtags.

For example, #realestate has a score of 76.4, which means it’s popular. You might want to work it into your real estate social media content. Related Twitter hashtags for #realestate include:

Source

You’ll also want to include hashtags for geographic areas where you operate (#FL), recent events (#openhouse), and search keywords for your target market (#listing).

Using relevant hashtags in your real estate social media posts helps people find you. As mentioned above, you can also search for hashtags on Twitter to find potential homebuyers. Plus, tracking dedicated or branded hashtags can help you monitor the success of given campaigns.

In the example below, the NYLA Agency has used three hashtags:

• A Dedicated/Branded Hashtag (#NYLAagency)
• A General Hashtag (#TheDreamTeam)
• A Real Estate Hashtag (#RealEstateExperts)

A team that learns together, succeeds together. #TheDreamTeam #RealEstateExperts #NYLAagency pic.twitter.com/wS7rfjMako

— NYLA Real Estate (@theNYLAagency) May 20, 2016

Pro Tip: Want to post a link to your blog or an article? Does the link cause your tweet to exceed the 280 characters limit? Use a link shortening tool like Bitly to compress your links. That way you have more room to write a CTA or engaging copy in your tweet.

Did you know that you can use SEO techniques to increase the visibility of your Twitter profile? No? Want to find out how? Read our article: 7 Twitter SEO Tips: Leverage Your Social Presence for Better Traffic!

Instagram Social Media for Realtors

With Millennials taking over the home buying market, you can’t afford to overlook Instagram. Plus, as a photo sharing app, it’s a perfect place for real estate social media posts that contain images of properties.

There are two important things you need when using Instagram – beautiful images and appropriate hashtags. Again, do not use stock images. It’s better to take amateur photos with natural filters than to try to post fancy stock images.

When it comes to choosing hashtags, you want to use a mix.

• Popular Instagram Hashtags
• Niche or Topic-related Hashtags
• Industry Hashtags (Real Estate)
• Location-based Hashtags
• Branded Hashtags
• Dedicated Campaign Hashtags

15 Popular Instagram Hashtags for General Use

• #love
• #instagood
• #photooftheday
• #beautiful
• #happy
• #cute
• #followme
• #picoftheday
• #follow
• #summer
• #art
• #instadaily
• #friends
• #repost
• #nature

Notice that stephanillouz only uses a few popular Instagram hashtags in his post. He balances them with more targeted, location-based hashtags (#brentwood) and industry hashtags (#realestate).

High volume hashtags give you reach, and niche hashtags put you in front of the right audience.

Do keep in mind that you don’t want to overuse hashtags. Mix and match a couple of hashtags from each category to get a good balance.

15 Examples of Niche or Topic Related Hashtags

Notice that the house in the prior example is a luxury home with a pool. When your real estate social media post includes something niche or specific like a pool or a sunset you can use niche hashtags.

• #luxurylife
• #luxury
• #luxuryrealestate
• #modern
• #architecture
• #design
• #pool
• #poolwithaview
• #homelibrary
• #library
• #librarygoals
• #den
• #beautifulrooms
• #interiordesign
• #homedecor

15 Examples of Real Estate Industry Hashtags

To hit the right audience, you’ll want to use industry hashtags. For real estate, good examples of industry specific hashtags include:

• #realestate
• #realtor
• #justlisted
• #forsale
• #newhome
• #househunting
• #dreamhouse
• #properties
• #homelisting
• #mortgage
• #homeforsale
• #homesweethome
• #renovated
• #fixandflip
• #houses

In the example below, chrissapp83 uses 9 real estate industry hashtags:

Notice that he’s also used a branded hashtag #ChrisSappRealtor (in blue). Using branded hashtags can help you keep track of your real estate social media posts and their success. That’s true for Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

He also uses a mix of niche hashtags – e.g., #poolwithaview.

One thing he doesn’t do is use location-based hashtags or popular Instagram hashtags.

Examples of Location-based Hashtags

Using location-based hashtags is a great way to make sure the right audience is checking out your post. You can start small and tag your city, followed by your neighborhood, area, and state.

You can also add variations of location-based hashtags. Let’s say you’re selling homes in Los Angeles. You might try #la and #losangeles. You can also mix it up by adding real estate terms – e.g., #nychomes or #orlandorealestate.

• #[your city]
• #[your neighborhood(s)]
• #[your region or area]
• #[your state]

In the example below, Metro City Realty used customized, location-based hashtags including:

• #orlandorealestate
• #orlandohomes
• #orlandohomebuyer

They also used four of the general real estate hashtags listed above including:

• #homesforsale
• #buingahome
• #dreamhome
• #househunting

Examples of Branded or Dedicated Campaign Hashtags

Using branded hashtags allows people to identify a post as a real estate social media post. Instead of seeing another aspirational home, they’ll understand that they can buy.

As mentioned before, branded and dedicated campaign hashtags also makes it easier for you to keep track of your posts.

• #[your real estate team]
• #[your brokerage or agency name]
• #[your name]
• #[name of your social media campaign]

For example, #ChrisSappRealtor is branded hashtag. Also, Snyder Pritchard Homes turns their agency name into a hashtag – #SnyderPritchardHomes – and adds the name of the parent company for good measure – #williamraveis.

Pro Tip: What can you post on Instagram besides beautiful photos of homes? Try using Instagram Stories to show your day-to-day activities as a real estate agent. You’ll give your followers interesting, personal content to engage with, and you’ll build trust with your clients.

Still not sure how to use Instagram for your real estate business? We’ve got you covered. Check out our article: Instagram for Your Business: 11 Tips for More Engagement

YouTube Social Media for Realtors

YouTube isn’t for everyone. If you’re not doing a lot of video content, you can shelve plans for a channel until later. But let’s say you do have the time and money to make videos.

What kind of real estate social media posts are appropriate for YouTube? Well, the platform is perfect for posting video walkthroughs of new properties.

Older clients especially find virtual tours helpful, but 48% of all buyers appreciate video walkthroughs. Another 27% find videos helpful in general.

Here’s an example of a very basic video walkthrough of a typical home in Ohio:

Notice that the person making the video is only using his phone and walks through the house pointing out the property’s features. There is nothing fancy about the video, but it still got over 100,000 views.

Don’t want to speak? No problem. Here’s another video walkthrough that only uses music:

Want to get more creative? Try catching up with clients after renovations. Testimonials or Before and After videos show that your properties have potential and that you’ve created trustworthy relationships with past clients.

Pro Tip: Once you’ve created a video for YouTube, share it across other channels. Made a video for Facebook or Instagram? Reformat it for YouTube and post it on your channel. Videos are great real estate social media content that you can share across multiple platforms.

Having a hard time getting views on YouTube? Want to know how to get more YouTube views for free? Read our article: 21 Tips on How to Get More Views on YouTube for Free

LinkedIn Social Media for Realtors

Again, LinkedIn is one of those social media platforms where it’s best to have a business page and to encourage all your employees to have their own personal profiles.

That way clients can check out individual agents and still get information about your business.

Use the platform to connect with other professionals, recruit new employees, and post professional content.

What type of content is best for LinkedIn?

RIGHT

Design your real estate social media content for LinkedIn to establish yourself and your brand as trustworthy. Also, it’s a good idea to post content that establishes you as a thought leader in your industry.

WRONG

LinkedIn isn’t the best place to post listings or images of properties for sale. Use the platform instead to build integrity, trust, and expertise. That way, buyers and sellers who check you out on LinkedIn get the impression that they’re working with people who know what they’re doing.

7 Real Estate Social Media Strategy Tips for 7 Days

Once you’ve got your real estate social media profiles set up, what’s next? Here are seven ideas that you can try out or consider over the next seven days.

So, let’s get started on a few ideas to boost your social marketing strategy.

Day 1: Find and Create Facebook Groups

Facebook groups are great for getting your content in front of a targeted audience. Also, you can think of joining real estate groups. In these groups, you connect with other realtors and share advice and initiatives. Here’s an example:

To find local groups for listings, try “homes for sale [your city]” or other keyword combinations. You may be surprised to find content that isn’t real estate social media content.

For example, “homes for sale Indianapolis” resulted in two groups with pets for sale. In that situation, use Facebook’s auto suggest feature to find more relevant keywords.

To find real estate related groups in your area use the keyword “real estate [your city].”

Creating a your own Facebook group isn’t difficult either. You can find the option in the drop-down menu. Select “Create Group,” give your group a name, add members, and choose your privacy settings. Click create and you’re done.

Pro Tip: If you’re administering a Facebook group, be sure to put a link back to your main Facebook business page. That way all of your profiles are interlinked and connected.

Day 2: Integrate Facebook Live Into Your Strategy

Have you ever considered doing a Facebook Live Video of a walkthrough? Maybe you should. Why?

Live streaming allows the audience to comment and react in real time. You can use the opportunity to conduct a Q&A session about the property. Plus your audience gets a feeling of exclusivity or of being an insider.

Facebook also allows you to choose your audience for a live stream. That gives you a better opportunity to get your real estate social media content in front of the right people.

Setting up live streaming is a bit more complicated than creating a group or an event. First, you need to download streaming software then you need to click “create a live stream.” You can go live from your Facebook page, an event, or a group.

You’ll get something called a stream key that you paste into the software along with the server URL.

While you’re streaming a live video, viewers can react and comment in real time. You can also write comments and respond to your audience while the video is streaming.

You can also embed the live stream in a website by clicking on near the bottom of the page. You’ll get an HTML code that you can copy and paste to your website.

Day 3: Organize an Event and Share It on Facebook

Having trouble coming up with real estate social media ideas?

When you go through a content dry spell, maybe it’s time for an event. Facebook events can range from local events and open houses to training or company events. You can organize events and invite guests.

For example, The Pineapple Group, a real estate agency in Pennsylvania, organized a roller skating party:

The local roller rink went up for sale, so the Pineapple Group created a fun event for the whole community. As a part of the marketing effort for the property, they made photos and videos during the event.

Such an event gave the agency an opportunity to connect with their community. They also created hype for a property and got great photos and videos for marketing purposes. Notice that almost 200 people liked the post thanking guest for coming to the event:

Pro Tip: Your event doesn’t have to be extravagant. Is there a local festival or charity run? What about that booth you set up every year at a conference or recruiting event? You know what you’ve got in the pipeline. Add it to Facebook and you’re good to go.

Day 4: Find Free Advice to Share Across Channels

Some days, you won’t have listing or an event. You won’t have videos or any real estate social media content at all.

On days like these, try posting some free advice across your channels. What kind of advice? Here are some examples:

• How to Move
• How to Stage
• How to Sell
• The Buying Process
• Neighborhood Tips
• Renovations
• Interior Design Trends
• Real Estate Statistics

Remember honest agents are what people want. The more advice your share and tips you give, the more honest and trustworthy you will seem to potential clients. Here’s an example of a real estate social media post with advice:

Day 5: Consider Creating a Blog for Your Website

While we’re on the topic of advice, a blog is one of the best places for detailed content of this sort. Real estate social media posts allow for a snippet of advice here and there. But blogs allow you to answer all your clients’ questions in detail.

The thing is, 95% of all buyers use an online website as a source of information. A further 12% want to find information about the home buying process.

Now, let’s say you have a blog with articles that walk new buyers through the home buying process. You use SEO best practices. Your articles are ranking well on Google. What is the result?

You’re giving your audience what they want. Plus, your blog is bringing new people to your website and keeping them there. You’re boosting your organic traffic and generating promising leads. Nice, right?

At the very least, your blog can establish you as an expert in your industry and build trust with your clients.

No, blogs are not social media marketing, but they can go hand in hand with your social media efforts. That’s because you can push links out across all channels. Plus, you’ve got great content for your website and your newsletter. It’s a win-win.

Day 6: Congratulate and Celebrate a Buyer or Seller

Another great real estate social media post idea is to promote success stories.

When someone finally buys or sells a house, you’ve got a success story on your hands. Ask your clients if they would be happy to share their story. Most will be proud to have their success shared with others.

Plus, other clients will see that you secure the happiness and success of your clients. Congratulations, you’ve just made the whole experience that much more human.

Here’s an example of how The Wright Group, realtors from Ohio, shared a buyer’s success story on Facebook:

Pro Tip: Notice that the names of the buyers are not mentioned in the post. If you want to take success stories to the next level, you can create a testimonial. Ask your successful buyers and sellers if they’d be willing to make a statement that you can share on social.

Day 7: Consider Using Geo-targeted Ads on Facebook

Unfortunately, Facebook made recent changes to their algorithms, placing an emphasis on content generated by family and close friends. What does this mean for your real estate social media content?

That means that most of your followers aren’t going to see your posts. And if they do, it’s hard to hit them with the right content at the right time. That’s why it is now necessary to buy ads and promote your content.

Buying targeted ads on Facebook gets your content in front of the right person at the right time. You’ve got a home to sell? A Facebook ad will put it in the feed of someone looking to buy. It’s unfortunate but necessary.

Don’t want to spend too much money? Facebook points to Zephyr Real Estate as an ad solution success story. The San Francisco real estate agency used Ringtail’s ad automation solution, resulting in 76% lower cost per lead.

The solution allows you to auto-generate copywriting for ads. You enter the content it converts it to copywriting. That way you can send bulk ads out without having to waste time on creating copy for each individual ad.

Conclusion

You can make your real estate social media strategy as easy as picking a platform and posting images. You can take it to the next level with the 7 day idea strategy outlined in this article.

Regardless, a good strategy is all about being online. Just be there. Connect with your audience. Build trust. And the rest will come.

When a traveler goes online to book a hotel, do they go to your website? Or do they visit sites like Booking.com or Airbnb?

How do you position your hotel and website as desirable destinations?

Well, the only way a guest visits your site directly is when they recognize your brand. And unless you’re the Marriott, the Hilton, or the Ritz, you’ve got work to do.

The best way to make yourself known is to create an online presence. It’s about putting the right content in the right place through hotel social media strategies and content marketing.

Still, it’s not enough to have beautiful Instagram or Facebook profiles. You need to make your hotel a desirable destination across all channels.

That’s why this article will show you:

• Which social media networks are the best for hotel social media strategies.
• How to make the best content for hotel social media marketing strategies.
• How to use social media management as a hotel to your advantage.

The Best Hotel Social Media Strategies Begin With the Right Networks

To start, it’s best to point out that every hotel is different and there is no one-size-fits-all hotel social media strategy.

You may run a boutique hotel or a Bed and Breakfast in a trendy vacation spot. On the other hand, you may only cater to business clientele. Perhaps, you want to cater to a mix of guests year round.

It’s important to remember that most travelers don’t start making travel preparations by booking a hotel. First, they imagine themselves in various destinations.

Do I want to go to Brazil or Bora Bora for my honeymoon? Do I want to take the kids to the beach or to the mountains?

Destination shopping starts with dreaming. Plus, there are three other travel industry micro-moments you need to understand as a hotel. There are the planning and booking stages, when travelers make their dreams reality.

Finally, there’s the days of anticipation leading up to the trip. Now, while those moments don’t sound like they have anything to do with hotel social media strategy – they do. The majority of travelers expect hospitality providers to engage with them before and during their trip to enhance their experience.

So, for any hotel that considers itself a vacation destination, it’s important to create content that reaches guests at every “micro-moment” of the journey.

At the same time, you may want to reach those who know where they’re going and may not be thrilled about it. The “I have to go to London for business” crowd. And here is where things get tricky. To cater to both crowds using the right tone, you need to dominate several channels at once.

Here are some things to ask yourself when creating your hotel social media strategy:

• How many social media networks do I have the time and money to run?
• Which social media networks do my customers use the most?
• How often can I post on social media?
• How can I integrate my social media strategy across channels?
• How do I want to tackle social media advertising and what’s my budget?
• How important is social media management for hotels and resorts?

Pro Tip: For smaller hotels that do not have a budget for several social media channels, it’s best to start by reaching out to the clientele you have. For example, if you’re that trendy boutique, you won’t want to miss out on Instagram.

Which Social Media Platforms are the Best for Your Hotel or Resort?

Here are the top five social media networks for hotels and resorts:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Pinterest
• TripAdvisor

Now, while TripAdvisor is a review site and not a social media network, you will need to manage it on a regular basis. Responding to reviews is one of the best ways to show that your hotel listens to customers and pays attention to their needs.

1. Facebook Social Media Marketing for Hotels and Resorts

Facebook is the perfect general-use social network for hotels and resorts. That’s because the platform allows businesses to add all sorts of extra tabs, cross referencing all other social networks and websites. Plus, it’s a great place to add all your contact and amenity details.

One other thing to keep in mind, is that Facebook will often assign pages to businesses. It’s best to claim your page so that you have control over the content and conversation.

Here’s an example of a hotel that uses Facebook social media marketing well:

As you can see in the cover image, 41 Hotel was voted the number one hotel in London by Travel + Leisure in 2017. Your cover image is a great place to point out why you’re the best. A lot of hotels also use the space to add videos.

Consider the fact that video will account for 82% of all consumer Internet traffic worldwide by 2021. Plus, video brings travel locations alive. There are plenty of free tools to help you make videos, and you can share your videos on Instagram and YouTube as well.

Among the standout tabs on 41 Hotel’s profile you can see:

• TripAdvisor Reviews
• Instagram Feed
• Offers
• Book A Table
• #Hotel41

We’ll come back to the TripAdvisor Reviews tab in a moment. So, let’s start with the Instagram Feed tab. The tab merges your Facebook and Instagram accounts. Users can go directly to your Instagram feed by clicking the “View on Instagram” button within the page.

One of the best hotel social media ideas is to think of Facebook as a hub for your social profiles and website content – a place on social media where everything comes together. You should try to integrate as many as your social profiles with Facebook as possible.

Plus, all your content should cycle through Facebook – especially if you have a blog. The idea is to give users access to as much information about your hotel as possible in one location.

Next, is the Offer tab. Clicking on the Offer tab allows users to view offers without having to see them in their feed or yours. They will see that you’ve posted an offer, but the content is categorized as such. That way you’re not feeding your followers spammy content, and can use your posts to promote more engaging content.

For example, 41 Hotel hung stockings on their guests’ doors for Christmas. Not only is it a nice gesture, but it’s great content for a well-planned hotel social media strategy. Add a hashtag – #christmasstocking – and add some copy. The result – 84 reactions and several comments.

We’ll jump to the #Hotel41 tab next. Clicking on the tab allows users to see a feed of all content from Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram with the hotel’s branded hashtag. The tab is another great way to integrate content across platforms.

You’ll notice that a lot of the content is user-generated. The travel and hospitality industries are perfect for user-generated content. Think about it. When do people take pictures the most? When they’re on vacation.

But why would you want to retweet or share so-and-so’s vacation pictures? Research shows that Millennials (aka most consumers) trust user-generated content above all other forms of marketing.

Plus, 53% say user-generated content influences their purchasing decisions over traditional media or banner ads. So, put user-generated content to good use by retweeting, sharing, and liking your guests’ content.

Consider creating a branded hashtag to make it easier to track the success of your hotel social media marketing campaigns (more on that later) and to engage with user-generated content.

Finally, the “Book A Table” tab, “Book Now” button, and “Send Message” button all allow guests to make bookings and interact with the hotel directly from Facebook. It’s important for hotels to make it easy for guests to book. Adding Calls to Action (CTA) and click-to-book buttons on landing pages is one of the easiest solutions.

Now, let’s go back to the TripAdvisor Review tab. If you could only choose one tab, consider integrating Facebook with TripAdvisor. It’s important to respond to TripAdvisor reviews and to make it easy for people to leave reviews. Many hotels have added the tab to their profiles.

By adding the TripAdvisor tab, you’ll allow your users to write TripAdvisor reviews through Facebook. Both 41 Hotel and One & Only Palmilla have created TripAdvisor tabs to their pages. Clicking on the tab allows users to see images, reviews, and ratings without leaving Facebook.

Pro Tip: Do remember that Facebook also has its own review function. Be sure to activate this function so that users can leave Facebook reviews as well. Collecting Facebook reviews is what enables the star rating on your profile.

2. Twitter Social Media Marketing for Hotels and Resorts

Social media marketing for hotels can begin and end with Twitter. For example, the Sol Wave House Mallorca Hotel calls itself the first “Tweet Experience Hotel” in the world.

In 2012, the Spanish hotel created a Twitter-based community called #SocialWave only available through the hotel’s wifi. Hotel guests sign in with their Twitter accounts, gaining access to the community of guests staying at the hotel and a concierge service.

Share your best moments with us this Winter. Keep the #socialwave spirit alive!
#️⃣
N A S T Y #socialexperience #solhouse pic.twitter.com/EXrr5FhKW4

— Sol Wave House (@SolWaveHouse) October 29, 2017

With one tweet, guests can summon cocktails from the bar, order food to their rooms, or engage with other guests through chat, contests, and photo sharing.

⚡️ SUMMER LOADING… ⚡️ #Cocktails #Mallorca pic.twitter.com/dA9JBlTsM5

— Sol Wave House (@SolWaveHouse) January 2, 2018

While an extreme example of hotel social media strategy, Sol Wave House does illustrate how far hotels can integrate their services and identities with social media.

On a less extreme level, most hotels will want to use Twitter to conduct customer service and to send guests time-sensitive updates about events happening at the hotel or in the area. One example of a hotel that does Twitter marketing well is The Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas.

The hotel has the second largest Twitter following after the Wynn Las Vegas Hotel at 460K followers. Plus, The Cosmopolitan serves up engaging content ranging from polls and user-generated content, to insightful articles and local events.

After a night at @MarqueeLV, where do you end up?

— The Cosmopolitan (@Cosmopolitan_LV) January 9, 2018

Twitter is best used to update guests about things that are happening right now. It’s the social media platform that you use to engage guest during their stay. At the same time, your guests need to be on Twitter in the first place.

That’s why you need to build up a following before fully investing in a Twitter hotel social media strategy. Once you’ve built a following, then you can use Twitter to feed guests updates. Plus, Twitter is a great place for hotels to conduct customer service. According to a study by Twitter on UK users, 33% use Twitter for travel-related customer service issues.

Responding to customer service queries on Twitter can result in an increase in guest spending, recommendations, and repeat guests. Twitter found that 96% of users who have a friendly experience buy from the brand again, while 83% recommend the brand to others.

One example of a hotel with a working, dedicated Twitter handle for customer service is Hyatt Hotels – @HyattConcierge. Do keep in mind that Hyatt is a large hotel chain with a team that can answer Twitter queries 24/7.

Hello @Juyoungpark8, could you please provide your membership number, full name and home address via DM? ^PB https://t.co/9EWUzSHAoa

— Hyatt Concierge (@HyattConcierge) December 22, 2017

And that’s the one thing to watch out for – answer speed. As much as 71% of Twitter users expect a brand to respond within an hour of Tweeting.

While the majority of brands don’t have a problem, you may want to hold off creating a dedicated customer service Twitter handle if you can’t keep up with queries.

3. Instagram Social Media Marketing for Hotels and Resorts

Visual content is important for travel and hotel social media marketing strategies. That’s why Instagram is one of the most important social networks for hotels.

You want travelers to get excited when visualizing staying in your hotel and spending time at their destination. Instagram is the perfect platform for posting beautiful images of your hotel and desirable destinations in your area.

Here’s an example of a hotel Instagram marketing done right:

Here’s an example of content that citizenM posted to Instagram to show desirable locales around London:

The citizenM Instagram post does two things right. First, it shows a restaurant in London that has a button for champagne. It’s important to keep the tone of the social platform. Instagram leans toward the artistic and glamorous. Champagne buttons are pretty glamorous.

Second, the post mentions that there are more London hotspots available in the hotel’s city guides. CitizenM has a dedicated blog that gives readers recommendations, information, and other interesting content.

Having a blog is one of the best things you can do to make your hotel’s website more visible. You’ll show up for more queries in Google, your website will have a stronger domain authority, and you’ll have endless content to push out through your social media channels.

Again, you’ll want to make sure you do include some user-generated content as a part of your hotel social media strategy. That’s also why you’ll want to make sure you’re using popular and dedicated hashtags across all platforms.

Here is an example of a citizenM post. Here the hotel has integrated user-generated content into their Instagram marketing efforts:

Another thing you’ll want to do for your hotel Instagram marketing strategy is create space within your hotel that is designed for Instagram selfies. Now, you don’t have to “create” the space. You can use space that already exists by promoting it as Instagrammable.

For example, citizenM has a marble, spiral staircase in one of their locations. They posted an image to Instagram stating that you can find an “Instagrammable spiral staircase” right in their hotel:

Here’s another example of a hotel that uses the space it already has:

In this post, you can see a lot of the best hotel social media marketing tactics in action. For example, the content is a user-generated Instagram post shared by the hotel. Second, the post integrates Instagram and Facebook.

Third, if you didn’t notice, the Stanley Hotel is the very same hotel from Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. The iconic hallway from the film is perfect Instagram material. Promoting the image invites users to use the space as such.

Pro Tip: Consider creating corresponding hashtags for your Instagrammable space. Remember, you’re creating opportunities for your guests and influencers to feature you on Instagram for free. A hashtag will let you keep track of the success of the campaign.

4. Pinterest Social Media Marketing for Hotels and Resorts

Having both a Pinterest and an Instagram account is ideal for hotel social media strategies because the two platforms serve two different purposes. The difference between Pinterest and Instagram is aspiration.

Many Pinterest users spend time pinning images of places and hotels they would like to visit sometime in the future. Instagram is for showing off that you made it there. Plus, Pinterest is different when it comes to demographics.

The majority of Pinterest users are women in their 40’s who make $50K per year or more. These are women who have money and plan their family vacations using the social media platform. Plus, it’s interesting to note that Millennials use Pinterest as much as Instagram.

Instagram is not going to give you the same type of targeted demographic. Instagram is more about engaging the influencer. Pinterest is about engaging the mom with the checkbook.

One hotel that does Pinterest hotel marketing well is the Four Seasons. The hotel chain has seen an incredible gain in traffic since they joined Pinterest as a part of their hotel social media marketing strategy.

Traffic gains include a 1,000% increase in daily average visitors from Pinterest and a 1,700% increase in daily average clicks to its website from Pinterest year-over-year. One reason why Four Seasons is so successful, is that the hotel tracks saves, likes, and visits to figure out what’s popular on Pinterest.

On their main account, Four Seasons has 63 boards ranging in topics from travel destinations and food to bridal inspiration and their “famously comfortable” beds.

Another important aspect of the Four Seasons Pinterest strategy is that the hotel creates individual accounts for each location. For example, the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles in Beverly Hills uses its boards to highlight the luxury of Hollywood and California Flower Power.

If you’re a large chain hotel like the Four Seasons, creating accounts with individualized board for each location is the way to go. Plus, remember that Pinterest isn’t just about sharing great images. Pinterest is a social media platform for bookmarking ideas. Whether it’s flower arrangement instructions, a recipe, or furniture DIY, make sure you include valuable content that’s easy for pinners to revisit and use later.

5. TripAdvisor Social Media Marketing for Hotels and Resorts

You need lots of quality, online reviews if you want your hotel to perform well. That’s because most customers rely on online reviews and sites like TripAdvisor to decide which hotels to book.

The first thing you need to do on TripAdvisor is claim your listing. Once you do that, you can respond to reviews, update details about your hotel, and get analytics for your hotel on TripAdvisor.

It’s of the highest importance that you update even small details about your hotel. You have to make sure that what people see online is what they’re going to get in reality. See, your guests are already building up expectations about your hotel in their heads. When reality doesn’t align, that can result in bad reviews for you.

Anytime there are new amenities, renovation, or a fresh coat of paint, you need to make sure your TripAdvisor account reflects the change. To be honest, a good rule of thumb for hotel social media strategies is to make sure all your social media accounts reflect any changes.

People want to get what they see. Keeping your information and images fresh and accurate ensures that happens and builds trust and loyalty with your guests.

Here’s an example of a hotel that has a handle on TripAdvisor social media marketing:

The 414 Hotel is the #1 Traveler Ranked hotel in New York City on TripAdvisor. Users looking for hotels with TripAdvisor can filter by Traveler Ranked, Best Value, Lowest Price, and Distance. It’s best if your hotel pops up in the top results for Traveler Ranked, but you need a lot of positive reviews for that to happen

That’s one of the reasons why you want to encourage lots of reviews as a part of your hotel social media strategy. One way to do so is to sync TripAdvisor with your Facebook profile as mentioned before, another is via email. But one thing you will want to stay away from is adding the TripAdvisor widget to your website.

If people are visiting your website, they’re either looking for information or they’re ready to book. Either way you do not want to hinder their activities or redirect them offsite. While it sounds like a good idea, adding the TripAdvisor widget to your website could be damaging.

Finally, the most important part of managing a TripAdvisor account is responding to reviews. Now, it’s obvious that bad reviews need mitigation. Here is an example of how the General Manager at the Belvedere Hotel in New York City handled a bad review on TripAdvisor:

You can see that he promises that action will be taken and that he will be “reviewing comments with the staff” to ensure no one has an experience like the guest described in his review. Treating bad reviews as “feedback” is a good move for hotel social media strategy. Guests want to see that you’re listening and that you care about them and their experience.

The less obvious strategy is to also respond to and reward positive reviews. Saying “thank you” for a positive review again makes your guest feel heard, and let’s them and others know that you’re paying attention.

Pro Tip: While Snapchat caters to a demographic too young to book a hotel, you may want to consider it. Using Snapchat Geofilters for your hotel is a great way to engage with younger guests staying with their families.

Feeling confident about your hotel social media strategy? Want to take the next steps and find out how to use social media for market research? Check out our guide: 7 Tips on How to Use Social Media for Market Research

Tying It All Together With Google My Business Profiles

One thing that needs to go at the top of your hotel social media marketing strategy “To-do List” is claiming your Google My Business Profile(s).

Remember, if you’re running a franchise, you will need to claim a profile for each location. And if you’re part of a large chain, you need to make sure information across business profiles, social profiles, and websites is consistent.

Why is claiming your My Business Profile important?

Claiming your profile allows you to show up in your own Knowledge Panel in Google search results. That’s prime Google real estate. Knowledge Panels contain nuggets of information about your business, including links to all your social media profiles.

Here’s an example:

Want to find out more about how local SEO practices, such as Google My Business Profiles, can help small hotels and businesses? Read our guide: Local SEO for Small Businesses

3 Tips for Understanding Social Media Management for Hotels and Resorts

Social media management for hotels and resorts is a great way to manage your online reputation, conduct customer service, find influencers, and track the success of social media campaigns.

Tip 1 – Use Branded Hashtags to Track Hotel Social Media Campaigns

To manage your online reputation and conduct customer service, you’ll use your brand name. But to find influencers and to track the success of a hotel social media strategy, you may want to consider using dedicated hashtags.

What are dedicated hashtags?

Dedicated hashtags are anything that represents or symbolizes your campaign and isn’t already a popular hashtag. You don’t want to use hashtags that people can apply to anything. Otherwise, it will be difficult to sift out mentions pertaining only to your campaign.

One way you can create a dedicated hashtag is to use the name of your hotel as citizenM does for their campaigns. In the post below, you can see that they’ve created a couple of dedicated hashtags including #citizenMsays and #citizenM.

You can also create a dedicated hashtag that reflects the nature of the campaign. A good example is Travel Brilliantly for Marriott hotels.

The Marriott launched the marketing campaign in 2013 and still uses it to unify it’s brand across marketing materials and social media channels with the hashtag #TravelBrilliantly. While the hotel social media strategy is quite old, the hashtag still gets traction across different channels.

Here you can see how the Marriott incorporated the slogan into their Facebook cover image to form a cohesive brand message across platforms:

To track campaigns, you would simply plug the hashtag into a social media monitoring tool:

The result? You’ll see all public mentions using your hashtag. What might be rather surprising is that these hashtags don’t seem to get much traction. For example, citizenM’s namesake hashtag appeared in 18 mentions over the last month.

The Algonquin Hotel’s #algonquincat hashtag only appeared in 8 mentions last month. Granted, the hashtag only applies to posts about the Algonquin Hotel’s famous live-in cat, Hamlet, and the hotel’s social media strategy that casts Hamlet as a mascot.

And while #TravelBrilliantly did well in comparison with 254 mentions, most were made by the Marriott themselves.

That’s why it’s a good idea to use popular hashtags alongside your branded hashtags. Using popular hashtags will give you the reach you need to get your message in front of a bigger, more influential audience.

Tip 2 – Use Popular Hashtags to Increase Hotel Social Media Reach

The hardest part here is identifying which hashtags are popular. Simple hashtags like #hotel and #travel tend to be popular and get a lot of traction. For example, while #TravelBrilliantly had only 254 mentions, #hotel had almost 28,000 mentions over the course of one month.

Other popular hashtags used in mentions with #hotel include #travel, #vacation, and #luxury. All are good choices for a hotel social media strategy for Instagram.

Other popular hashtags for hotel social media strategies include:

• Location-based Hashtags ( #paris, #nyc)
• Other Hotel-based Hashtags (#hotellife, #hotelroom)
• Travel Hashtags (#traveller, #travelblogger)
• General Use Instagram Hashtags (#love, #instagood, #beautiful)
• Object-based Hashtags (#coffee, #champagne)

So, a post with both branded and popular hashtags would have a string of hashtags that looked something like this:

#citizenM #london #hotellife #hotel #travel #linstagood #beautiful #campagne #lovelondon

Tip 3 – Identify Influencers for Content and Popular Hashtags

One way to track down popular hashtags for your hotel social media strategy is to check out what the influencers are using. You can do that by finding influencers already using your dedicated hashtags. Plus, it’s not a bad idea to check out the accounts of the top travel and hotel brands.

For example, the top influencer using the #TravelBrilliantly hashtag is Instagrammer lavivienyc, who also happens to rank as a top influencer for #hotel.

Here’s the post from above on Instagram:

Notice the use of branded hashtags for both the Sheraton and Marriott hotels. Plus, there are several location-based hashtags (e.g., #hawaii) and some general travel hashtags, such as #travelblogger and #travelmore.

Once you’ve mined the post for popular hashtags, you might want to consider posts like the one above as perfect for user-generated content that you can share and promote across your social channels. And once you’ve done that, you may even consider reaching out to an Instagram influencer like lavivienyc to further promote your brand as a part of your hotel social media strategy.

Remember, Instagram users are some of the most engaged social media users – 10x more than Facebook users for example. And many people are now choosing destinations only to recreate images they find on Instagram.

Connecting with an influencer who acts as a brand ambassador for your hotel could result in a ripple effect. Other Instagrammers will book your hotel hoping to capture the same images and luxurious experience as the influencers they follow. And yet others will book thanks to them. That’s why influencer marketing is one of the best hotel social media strategies.

Pro Tip: Let’s say you decide to find an Instagram influencer for your hotel. How do you choose a great brand ambassador? The key is to look beyond the number of followers. Instead, choose influencers who are well suited to your brand and have a highly engaged following.

Making sure your social media monitoring keywords render the perfect results is difficult. Find out how to refine your searches for more relevant results. Read our guide: Boolean Search Operators for Social Media Monitoring

Conclusion

The thing to remember as a hotelier is that taking a customer from daydreaming to booking is all about well-positioned content and timing. That’s why it’s important to have a well-crafted hotel social media strategy.

Plus, the only way to beat the big boys who dominate Google Ads and the search results is to make yourself known. Create blog content that outranks your competitors. Create a social media marketing strategy for hotels that takes that content to guests when they need it most.

Do these things and you’ll find that you’re well on your way to turning your hotel into a destination all by itself.