Some hotels still resisting social media advertising
Despite all the hoopla over social media marketing, almost a quarter of hoteliers in a recent TravelClick poll are not utilizing Twitter and Facebook and instead are doing their advertising through online and paid ads.
Only 20 percent of the poll's respondents cited using Twitter, ten percent cited using Groupon or other forms of online couponing, and only eight percent utilize FourSquare promotions. “Facebook was by far the most preferred social media channel for hoteliers, with 65 percent of respondents using it to increase bookings and revenue,” according to a press release.
"Instead of running cost-efficient promotions on social media channels like Twitter and Facebook, hotels are electing to increase their advertising spend through online advertisements (57 percent) and paid search advertising (20 percent)," said Jonathan Cherins, chief marketing officer of TravelClick.
He added:
"It's important that hotels don't rely solely on advertising to increase bookings. Hoteliers should be incorporating a mix of online marketing, GDS media as well as social media in order touch their key audiences."
The poll also showed that despite the improving economy, hotels are still seeing rate driven guests.
Two-thirds (66 percent) of the webinar attendees, which includes hoteliers from around the globe, agreed that although they are seeing less price sensitivity from their guests, rate is still a key factor in bookings. Only four percent believe rate is no longer the driving issue for hotel guests.
"The data from this poll shows that while rate is often a key factor in consumer booking rates, ultimately smart hoteliers need to have better data in order to optimize channel mix, set competitive prices and forecast revenue," said Cherins.
By David Wilkening
David
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