Instagram Stories offer hotels an ideal platform to showcase guest experiences and build credibility and foster community spirit – while providing an organic channel for bookings in the future.
Use interactive questions to engage and intrigue audiences by asking them for their responses, such as guessing local attractions or menu ingredients that may remain secret. This approach engages and captures audiences.
1. Use Hashtags
Instagram Stories offers hotels a powerful marketing tool to engage their target market. Users can post short videos and photos that viewers can swipe through quickly; in addition, other tools within Instagram Stories allow hotels to promote their brand and create an immersive experience for followers.
Utilizing hashtags in Instagram Stories can help your hotel reach a broader audience and drive greater engagement. Relevant hashtags will appear in search results when people search on specific topics related to them, increasing its chances of discovery and potentially leading to additional bookings for your hotel.
As well as using hashtags, it’s also essential to be familiar with how Instagram’s algorithm operates. Instagram prioritizes posts with high numbers of likes, comments and shares – therefore posting relevant and quality content relevant to your target audience should increase chances of being seen by more people.
One effective strategy to promote your hotel on Instagram is creating a photo gallery or scrapbook featuring its amenities and features, giving prospective guests an idea of what the rooms look like and encouraging them to book their stay there.
Instagram Stories provide the ideal way to highlight special events and activities at your hotel, creating excitement among followers as well as FOMO (fear of missing out). Host a happy hour or live music event then share it on Story!
Instagram Stories provides another powerful way for hotels to utilize user generated content by encouraging guests to share their own experiences at your hotel with the world. One effective strategy for doing this is informing guests they have the option of tagging your hotel in their Instagram posts; user generated content has an impressive 4.5% higher conversion rate compared to other forms of media. You could even reward guests who share by hosting contests or giveaways that require them to tag your hotel for eligibility – another great way of making use of Instagram Stories in hotel marketing!
2. Encourage Guests to Share
Instagram Stories was initially met with some suspicion upon its debut in 2016. At first, many saw it as simply another copycat feature to Snapchat which had already gained significant traction at that point. Over time, however, Instagram Stories has proven an effective tool hotel businesses can leverage to engage followers, build brand persona, and increase bookings.
An effective way for hotels to encourage their guests to share content on Instagram is through offering incentives. Hotel marketers can utilize the psychological theory of scarcity to drive more engagement and bookings by advertising an exclusive offer which expires within 24 hours – this strategy ensures maximum bookings!
Hotels can use Instagram Stories not only for promotions but also as an effective tool to showcase guest reviews, experiences and photos from guests – creating trust while showing off what sets your hotel apart from others. Encourage guests to leave reviews via your WiFi, email or SMS system or manually select posts to showcase in your hotel’s Story on Instagram.
Instagram Stories provide the perfect way to provide new customers with a virtual tour of your hotel, especially those unfamiliar with what to expect upon checking-in. Add maps and directions so they can find their way easily around.
Instagram Stories can also be an effective way for hotels to promote events they are hosting, such as restaurant menu changes or stunning views from your property. Your story could also serve to notify guests of special deals or discounts being offered by your establishment.
Use Instagram Stories to showcase the region around your hotel. By showing local coffee shops, music venues or scenic walks on these platforms, Instagram Stories allows hotels to showcase themselves as experts on their region and its attractions while simultaneously drawing potential customers.
3. Create Highlights
Storytelling is at the core of successful Instagram travel marketing, providing hotels a chance to highlight themselves through visual, engaging video content, or photos that only last 24 hours before disappearing forever. Leveraging Instagram features can set you apart from competitors while drawing in new travelers.
Instagram Stories Highlights enable users to save and categorize Stories beyond the 24-hour timeframe, providing long-term viewing and engagement options. When the team at Sprout shared Instagram Stories, they could create Highlight categories such as “Events,” “FAQ,” or even “#GoGreen,” to better reflect company values and interests. Instagram found that using such highlights led to higher views, clicks, and replies than a standard Story post would.
Hotels can make use of Instagram Stories Highlights as well as its Questions sticker to engage their followers with special offers or collect information such as location or preferred travel activities. Sprout’s team often use this sticker to ask followers a question before recording themselves answering on top of photos or blank backgrounds. This feature allows for conversation-style engagement while simultaneously gathering data about target audiences such as where they reside or which activities interest them most.
Hotels can use Instagram travel marketing to share information with their followers such as restaurant menus or events occurring on property. Instagram travel marketing also plays an essential part in inspiring wanderlust; therefore hotels should create content to showcase the beauty and surrounding attractions in their area.
As new hotels continue to open, it’s crucial for established brands to remain relevant on social media. By adding Instagram Stories into your marketing plan, hotels and motels can connect with both current guests as well as attract potential travelers – more than one billion active users make Instagram an excellent way for hotels and motels to reach potential guests! Our team of experts would be more than happy to assist! If you would like more information on how your hotel could utilize Instagram to increase bookings contact us immediately – they would be delighted to assist!
4. Post Frequently
Instagram Stories reach 500 million active daily users, making it an excellent way to reach online viewers and draw their interest to your business. Use Stories to promote events, post throwbacks and announcements as well as providing behind-the-scenes content. Engaging regularly on Instagram Stories may even get your content listed on Explore pages for added exposure and traffic increases.
Additionally to sharing photos and videos of your hotel online, Reels videos offer another engaging way of showing it off. Reels allow viewers to experience what it’s like inside your hotel through interactive, immersive clips.
Instagram Stories allows you to conduct surveys and polls with your followers, giving you valuable insights into their travel preferences or preferred activities – information which will allow you to better understand their target market for future campaigns and develop effective marketing strategies.
One way of drawing audiences to your Instagram Stories is by offering exclusive deals or promotions, such as countdown timers and expiry dates that incentivise viewers to act quickly – this will increase bookings and conversions.
Instagram Stories can also be an effective way to showcase customer service or provide educational information regarding products and services. Amorino Gelato uses Stories to inform their followers how best to enjoy their product, providing value while engaging their target audience more fully.
If guests are tagging your hotel in their Instagram Stories, repost these photos or videos on your Instagram profile for your audience to view as an engaging first-hand view of your property and cement its reputation as a trustworthy, genuine destination for leisure or business trips.
Make it easier for your followers to share their experiences by providing a Story template they can fill out and share. Many content creators and brands have taken this route; Joey from ShetheSpy offers useful templates so her fans can share in their Stories.