There is a growing need for people who have formal hospitality training in social media. Social media marketing presents a remarkable opportunity for the hospitality industry and has revolutionized the business world itself. Fewer people rely on traditional travel agents or printed restaurant reviews. Instead, they make decisions based upon web reviews and ratings. The hospitality industry specifically has a unique advantage in being able to use a multitude of social platforms, from Twitter to Facebook to YouTube! It has never been easier for hospitality managers to connect with a mass audience of consumers, all in a matter of seconds.
Hospitality training programs have started to integrate social media education into their curriculum. These new media platforms help those working in the hospitality industry to understand their overall hospitality competitive assessment. Hospitality managers can review the social media pages of competitors to see what they are promoting and what response they are receiving from consumers. This tool offers managers the opportunity to gain insight and make strategic comparisons between competitors on critical success factors. Managers can view the pages of direct competitors and then use insightful information they find to inform future planning initiatives for their own companies.
One great potential advantage of social media is that guests are willing to share information about their likes and dislikes. Restaurants and hotels can also benefit from social media sites like TripAdvisor and Yelp, where travelers and diners can share personal reviews on their experiences at specific venues. In the past, people had designated roles as critics; but now, everyone is a critic and is free to share his or her opinion with the online world. This easily accessible information can also prove useful for hospitality competitive assessment.
The most revolutionary aspect of social media, especially as it relates to hospitality, is the ability to elicit timely feedback from customers and generate online buzz instantly. However, not all buzz is good for business. Hospitality training will teach managers how to measure customer sentiment and generate online popularity in a way that best applies to the organization's unique marketing approach. In addition to engaging with consumers, social media also offers managers the opportunity to break into new markets and gain consumer insight in ways that were previously unthinkable.
Hotels have the opportunity to generate this media hype and to be creative with videos on their social media sites. By creating video campaigns and contests, hotels can show off their personality and leave fans with a more intimate feel. Stimulating excitement with giveaways and discounts will be sure to boost business and overall consumer interaction!
Social media has an allure and has transformed the way in which hospitality does its marketing. It is an aspect of marketing that many know about, but are unfamiliar with the proper business execution of. Social media is community-driven, puts businesses directly in touch with customers and can provide customer-sentiment data previously unattainable. A comprehensive strategy of customer engagement will employ all social media, whether it's Facebook or Twitter, YouTube, or Yelp- or all of them, and will assist hospitality managers in keeping an eye open for new customer requests and desires.
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David Shoemaker is Vice President of Learning Solutions and Innovation at eCornell. For more information on hospitality competitive assessment, hospitality training, or eCornell, please visit http://www.eCornell.com
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