Unlocking the Power of Influence: 4 Creative Strategies for Hotel Marketing

Introduction

Imagine you’re trying to get more people to visit your hotel. You want something new and effective that makes people interested in what you offer. There’s a special tool you can use in today’s world filled with smartphones and the internet, and it’s called influencer marketing.

This method is about working with people who have a lot of followers online to share their experiences at your hotel. These influencers can reach thousands, even millions, of people with just a post or a video, showing how fun, relaxing, or luxurious a stay at your hotel can be.

For any hotel, big or small, using influencer marketing is like finding a treasure map. It’s not just about telling more people to come and stay; it’s about making real connections. When an influencer enjoys their stay and tells their story, their followers see your hotel through their eyes.

This can make these followers want to experience what the influencer did. It’s like if a friend tells you about a great place they discovered. You’re likely to be interested because you trust your friend. Influencer marketing works in a similar way but on a much larger scale.

How to Use Influencer Marketing for Hotels

1. Add Influencers to Your Programming

Why Bring Influencers into Your Hotel’s Special Activities?

Imagine your hotel does some really cool things. Maybe every morning, your guests can enjoy a fancy breakfast with all sorts of delicious foods. Or perhaps you offer classes where guests can do yoga facing the sea, feeling the breeze, and hearing the waves. Or maybe you have special trips where guests can explore nearby sights with someone who knows all the secret spots. These unique activities make your hotel special.

Now, think about inviting people who have lots of fans online to try out these cool activities. These people are known as influencers because they can influence or affect what their fans think or do. If an influencer joins your cooking class with a famous chef and then tells all their followers about how amazing it was, guess what? Many of their followers will want to come and try it, too.

How Does It Work?

Let’s say your hotel has a special cooking class. You invite an influencer, someone who loves food and has lots of followers who also love food. This influencer joins the class, learns to make something delicious, and has a great time. Then, they go online and tell everyone about their experience. They might post pictures of the dish they made, a video of the class, or even just talk about how much fun they had.

It’s like if you found a hidden beach and told your best friend about it. Your friend trusts you and gets excited because you liked it. Influencers have thousands of friends online who feel the same way. So, when an influencer shares their real, fun experiences at your hotel, their followers listen. They think, “If they had a great time there, maybe I will too!”

Why It’s So Powerful

When influencers share their honest thoughts and fun times at your hotel, it does something special. Their followers, who trust them a lot, start seeing your hotel as a place where they can make their own fun memories. It’s not just an advertisement; it’s a real story from someone they look up to. This makes people much more likely to think about staying at your hotel when they plan their next trip.

2. Promote Key Programming Creatively

Why Show Off Your Hotel’s Special Features with Help from Influencers?

Every hotel has something special about it. It could be a super relaxing spa weekend offer or maybe a big, fun event that happens every year. These special things make your hotel stand out from others. To really show the world how great these features are, you can team up with influencers. Instead of just telling people, “Hey, we have a great spa!” you can let influencers show it in real life. They can use videos or pictures to take their followers on a little adventure, showing them what it’s like to enjoy what your hotel offers.

Being Creative with What You Share

Creativity is key. It’s not just about showing a picture of a spa room or a dinner plate. It’s about telling a story. Imagine an influencer sharing their whole day at your hotel. They could start with the sunrise they see from their room. Then, they might share their visit to the spa, showing the peaceful setting and the treatments they get. They might end their day showing off the local nightlife or a special dinner at the hotel. This way, their followers can almost feel like they’re there, living those moments.

How This Makes Your Hotel More Inviting

When an influencer shares these experiences, it does something really special. It makes the idea of staying at your hotel feel more real to people. Instead of just reading about a spa weekend, they see someone actually enjoying it. They see the real smiles, the real relaxation, and the real fun. This makes people think, “I want to be there too! I want to feel that relaxed and happy.” It’s like when a friend shows you photos from a trip, and you start dreaming about going there yourself. Influencers can do this for your hotel, but on a much bigger scale, reaching lots of people all at once.

3. Incorporate Influencers into Your Video Shoots

Why Use Videos with Influencers for Your Hotel?

Videos are a fantastic way to grab people’s attention. When you watch a video, you can see and hear what’s happening, which makes you feel closer to the experience. Now, think about mixing videos with influencers. These are people who already have lots of fans watching what they do. If these influencers are in videos about your hotel, showing them looking around, trying out things, or talking to other guests, it makes those videos even more interesting.

Instead of just showing a simple tour of the hotel rooms or the lobby, an influencer can make it feel like a fun adventure. They can take their followers on a virtual journey, making them laugh, showing them cool spots, and sharing what they honestly think and feel about their stay. This way, the video feels more like a story and less like an ad.

Making Your Videos Feel Real and Friendly

The most important thing about these videos is that they need to be real. People like to watch things that feel true and heartfelt. If an influencer in your video is genuinely having a good time, discovering cool things about your hotel, or enjoying a delicious meal, it makes the video much more enjoyable. Viewers can tell when someone means what they say, and seeing an influencer’s real reactions and emotions can make them think, “Hey, I want to experience that too!”

Imagine a video where an influencer talks about how comfy the beds are, and you can see on their face that they really mean it. Or maybe they’re trying a dish from your hotel’s restaurant, and you can tell they’re honestly loving every bite. This isn’t just someone telling you to come to the hotel; it’s someone sharing a piece of their life and inviting you to be part of it.

Why It’s a Great Idea for Your Hotel

When you put influencers in your hotel’s videos, you’re doing something smart. You’re not just showing off your hotel; you’re connecting with people on a personal level. You’re telling a story that potential guests can see themselves in. And because influencers have so many followers, when they share these videos, lots of people will see them. This means more people learning about your hotel, getting interested, and thinking about visiting.

It’s like when you see a friend’s vacation video and think, “Wow, that looks amazing. I want to go there!” But with influencers, it’s like having hundreds, thousands, or even millions of friends all getting excited together. This is why using influencers in your video shoots is such a powerful way to invite more people to discover what your hotel has to offer.

4. Invite Influencers to Events

How Inviting Influencers to Your Hotel Events Helps

Think about the special events your hotel might host. It could be a big party to celebrate the opening of a new area in the hotel, a fun festival that happens when the seasons change, or even a fancy event to help raise money for a good cause. These events are important because they show what your hotel is all about. Now, imagine having influencers at these events. Influencers are people who have lots of fans online who listen to what they say and watch what they do.

When you invite influencers to your events, they can use their cameras and smartphones to capture the fun, the excitement, and the beauty of what’s happening. They can share these moments with their followers, showing them how amazing your hotel is and how cool its events are. This is great because it lets people who aren’t there see what they’re missing out on, making them think, “I wish I was there!”

Working Together for the Best Results

Before your event starts, it’s a good idea to talk with the influencers you’ve invited. You can tell them about the special parts of the event you really want them to show their followers. Maybe there’s a theme, like a tropical beach party, or maybe you want to make sure they capture the moment when you reveal something new at the hotel.

During the event, make sure the influencers have everything they need. This might mean giving them a special place to take pictures from, helping them get interviews with the people running the event, or just making sure they know where all the best parts are happening. This helps them create really cool and interesting posts and videos that their followers will love.

Why This Makes Your Hotel Look Great

Inviting influencers to your events does two big things. First, it helps more people find out about your events and your hotel. When influencers share their experiences, their followers get to see what’s going on and might decide they want to visit your hotel too. Second, it shows off your hotel as a place where fun and exciting things happen. It’s not just a place to sleep; it’s where memories are made.

This strategy is not just about showing off a single event. It’s about showing that your hotel is the kind of place where cool stuff happens all the time. It’s a place where people can have fun, meet interesting people, and experience something new. When influencers share these experiences, it makes your hotel look like a lively, fun place to be, attracting more guests who want to be part of the action.