Introduction to Social Media for Property Owners
Social media has usurped newspapers and television for how most people receive current advertising and information; younger generations look towards social media websites for news and discussions on the latest events. Companies spend large sums of money on marketing offers and events through apps like Twitter and Instagram; it has infiltrated every area of society; whether you are familiar with it or not, it can be highly beneficial to small business owners.
Social Media can be used to convey anything, from the beauty of your property to the warmth of your personality. Do you want to use Social Media to increase your exposure? Then read this helpful information.
What are the advantages of Social Media?
Twitter lets you get your business in front of people very quickly; you can use it to show off any deals or upcoming events and use it to build brand personality. You can foster a community of like-minded people by following the right users and appearing on the right people's feeds.
More reasons to use:
- You can advertise offers to a vast audience with very little work; selecting the correct # on a post can get you in front of thousands of people.
- 18–35-year-olds are more inclined to visit a place with a social media presence as it instils trust.Twitter is heavily populated with this demographic.
- It is a place where you can show your personality. If you appear welcoming and friendly online, people will be more inclined to stay at your property. Your business is people, and a strong Twitter presence is a great way to attract them.
- You can keep up with industry news and then use this to your advantage in creating posts.
There is so much that can be done with Twitter, but these are a few points that show the benefit and that it is relatively easy to get noticed by a lot of potential customers.
Instagram is an image sharing platform at its heart. Like all social media, you can use Instagram to discover what people want by observing their behaviour. However, as a property owner, you can maximise Instagram and keep it simple to use if you are uncomfortable using social media.
More reasons to use:
- This tool can show off your property to the fullest extent, make a post dedicated to each room, and show that renovation. If you want people to see your property, this is an ideal way of achieving that goal.
- Visitors can tag a photo of themselves at your property, exposing your business to a broader audience. People will visit places if it becomes popular on Instagram; if you can post high-quality photos of your gorgeous property, you will see the rewards.
- It is simple to operate, and the hospitality industry makes excellent use of it, so you will have someone to offer you guidance. Private House Stays uses Instagram frequently; following and interacting with us will create a good base of followers.
Facebook is a perfect place to host a business page as you can provide lots of business information and show pictures to potential guests.
More reasons to use:
- A huge plus of Facebook is that people can tag your business in photos; this is an excellent way of exposing your brand to potential guests, as you will appear on new people's feeds without doing any work.
- An ideal space to interact with customers, they can leave comments, and you can respond for the public to see, or you can have private discussions.
- Older people tend to favour Facebook over other social media, so you are hitting a key group of potential guests by having an up to date and informative Facebook page.
Unlike the other Social media covered, LinkedIn is more business-to-business focused. While it can be used for finding customers, it is a great way to build your network by finding industry contacts.
More reasons to use:
- Having a vast web of people within the same sector can be incredibly beneficial, as you can gain exposure and learn from others’ success. See our blog post here on the benefits of collaboration in the hospitality industry.
- Not many people are aware of the excellent relationship between Google and LinkedIn. If you have a working, SEO optimised business page on LinkedIn; your property will rank higher on the Google search results page due to how the two companies interact.
- Keep up with industry news that may not make it onto other forms of social media, you will get the less flashy information, but it will be helpful nonetheless.
- LinkedIn is more about you as an individual than your business. This means that guests interested in booking with you can find your LinkedIn page and feel confident about you as a host.
This is just an introduction to the many benefits social media can have on a small business. It may seem daunting, but we highly recommend having a presence on each; to start with, you can focus on the one that appeals to you the most. The team at Private House Stays is always happy to answer any questions you have and don’t forget to follow us on whatever social media you choose!
Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn.
What to read next: The Basics of Email Marketing
Blog post by Oliver Bayliss