Why do you have social media accounts to help promote your holiday rental accommodation(s)? Well of course the answer’s right there in the question – to promote it / them.
However if this is your only focus you may not get the results you want. Interaction is the whole point of social media. It doesn’t matter whether you have a personal account on Facebook or a professional profile on Twitter, or any other social media site. The key to having the best experience is to interact with others.
More followers = more bookings
Every business works hard to build up a good number of followers. Social media sites work in much the same way as a mailing list. The more names you can attract the more chance there is you’ll make more sales.
Of course when it comes to Facebook, Twitter, etc. you have the potential to interact on a much more immediate basis. People don’t have to email you and wait for a response. They can send a message through the site and you will see it show up on your page, in your timeline or in your list of tweets.
This in turn encourages yet more people to follow you. When they see you interact with other followers they will be more inclined to follow you, as opposed to another company that doesn’t.
Fast interaction works even better
How often do you monitor your social media accounts? Did you set them up months ago, complete a flurry of messages and tweeting and then forget all about them?
If that’s the case you’re not alone. However it’s never too late to do something about it. You can start monitoring your social media activity on a daily basis. There are apps for smart phones if you’d prefer to do it while on the go.
If someone tweets a question to you about your holiday let, imagine how impressed they (and your other followers) will be if you come back to them within minutes. They’re more likely to recommend you to others and they’ll certainly appreciate your responsiveness. You won’t always be able to be this quick, but it certainly helps to keep on top of things.
And remember this is actually enjoyable too! You’re sharing news and developments about your holiday rental property and what’s going on in the surrounding area. You’re developing relationships with other people in the tourism industry. You’re connecting with potential guests.
Creating a social media profile and page that engages with people and attracts more attention will spread the word faster than many other forms of advertising.
You’ve heard this saying, I’m sure: “If you build it, he will come.” By building a sociable and interactive social media presence, he (your potential guests) will come to find out more.
Then maybe after ongoing interaction that helps build trust, and finding out more about your accommodation and its local area, they will go one step further to make a booking. Who knows. But the knock-on effect of interacting more on your social media accounts could lead to a wider audience reach than you ever thought was possible – and all down to just spending a little time listening and responding.
So how much do you interact on your social media channels?
Leave a Reply