Every modern business needs to be on social media to increase sales and reach. Twitter is one of the best social media platforms for doing just that. Once you get your head around how to get people talking about your company, it's a powerful tool for raising awareness about your hotel.
Here at Boostly, we’ve made that process easier for you with our top tips for getting Twitter savvy.
Choose your Twitter handle
First, Set up your account and create a short but memorable Twitter handle. It is best to use your business's name if it’s available, which lets you keep the brand going.
For example, you can find us @BoostlyUK on Twitter. The shorter your Twitter handle, the better. When people mention you in their tweets, you don’t want your brand name to exceed their limited character count.
Let your logo do the talking
One of the first things Twitter users will look at is your profile picture. That's why it’s best to use your logo. A selfie isn't an appropriate representation of your brand for a hospitality company. A logo is more professional and recognizable for marketing your vacation rental.
Have an interesting bio
Make your Twitter bio short, sweet and sociable. It should simply say who you are and what you do. When someone looks at your Twitter profile, quite often their first impressions come from what you have said in your bio. People will decide whether to follow you by reading it.
Follow relevant Tweeters
Once your profile is set up, you need to start following people. The best way to ensure you find and follow people who will be interested in your business is to search for people who have used relevant hashtags. Try tags like #hospitality, #hotel, #holiday, or even the area where your business is located, such as #Yorkshire.
People who have used these tags may also be people who will like your company. It’s also a good idea to follow profiles that have similar customers as you do, such as other hotels, restaurants, and hospitality companies in the local area.
Get involved
Twitter is a great place to be sociable with your current and potential customers.
Modern marketing is about joining and starting conversations, asking questions, and following trends. Being chatty on Twitter makes your company more approachable and gives it a personal feel. It makes you look more like a human than a company behind a computer screen.
Get people talking
The more mentions you get on Twitter, the more people your profile will reach. This is because people will see your handle and click through it to your profile. This is another reason why it’s important to start those conversations and make sure you reply to people who mention you.
It’s good customer service, AND it builds your audience. Try starting by asking simple questions like, “What are you doing today?”, or “Of all the countries you've visited in the last 5 years, which was your favourite?”.
Keep it up to date
Social media can be time-consuming, especially since you should be tweeting more than once a day. If you find you don’t have time to keep your account fresh, use a scheduling website such as Hootsuite to schedule tweets.
Tweets get the most interaction and reach 12 pm and 6 pm, as those are the times when people are on their lunch breaks and homeward commute. This means that they are more likely to be on their phones, potentially even scrolling through their Twitter feed.
Try not to forget the late owls, though – schedule a few important tweets and messages for a post-10 pm slot when other accounts aren't as active on the social channels.
Promote your company
There are plenty of ways to promote your company through Twitter to get more reach and more sales. Ask followers for feedback on something your company recently did, such as a function or event, make announcements of upcoming events, promote Twitter-only deals, run competitions where new followers get entered in a prize draw, and add your Twitter feed to your website so people can follow you for direct updates.
Show off your customer service skills
With a phone in everyone’s hand these days, customers quite often review and give feedback on Twitter.
That often feels more instant to them. In order to build your customer loyalty, it’s a good idea to reply as quickly as possible to customers who mention your company on Twitter. If they’ve had a bad experience, ask them to direct message you to talk it through and resolve the issue.
If they’ve had a good experience, reply with “We are so glad you enjoyed your meal/stay/time at our hotel, see you again soon”. Again, it’s all about the personal touch. This engagement will make your customers feel appreciated and welcome. Now you have the Twitter basics, you can set yourself up and get Tweeting. Do you already use Twitter as a business? Let us know what your top tips would be @BoostlyUK.
