Paul Andrew 
The internet has changed how hotels market themselves. Customers increasingly rely on online reviews and social media when deciding where to stay.
As a digital marketing consultant for hotels, you must use these modern tools to attract customers. Working with influencers with loyal social media followers is one powerful internet marketing tactic for hotels.
Why Hotels Should Care About Influencers
- 73% of customers use social media to guide purchasing choices
- 49% of customers rely on influencer recommendations
- One influencer post can generate hundreds of room bookings
Partnering with travel, food, and lifestyle influencers exposes your hotel to new online audiences. Their posts and reviews lend your brand credibility.
Influencers act like virtual word-of-mouth marketers. Their followers trust recommendations from people they relate to.
Types of Influencers Hotels Can Work With
| Type | Description |
| Macro | 500K+ followers, massive reach |
| Micro | 5K-100K niche followers |
| Nano | <5K hyper-targeted reach |
Nano and micro-influencers are affordable. They connect intimately with niche groups genuinely interested in their content.
Identify influencers whose interests and values align with your hotel brand. Topic matching strengthens partnerships.
Micro-Influencers Drive Results for Hotels
Recent data confirms that micro-influencers perform exceptionally well for hospitality brands:
- 4% higher engagement than celebrities
- 4x more likely to drive bookings
- Offer 11x better ROI on marketing spend
Do not underestimate working with niche internet personalities!
Best Practices for Influencer Partnerships
Follow these tips when reaching out to potential influencer partners:
Be Personal – Craft unique outreach messages referencing their content and brand values. Mass emails seem spammy. Show you respect them through personalization.
Suggest Exciting Experiences – Entice influencers by offering exclusive hotel experiences that intrigue their followers. Experiential perks make great social content.
Co-Create Partnerships – Allow influencers creative input on partnerships for sponsored posts or hotel takeovers. They best understand what resonates with their community.
Compensate Fairly – Pay influencers adequately for their marketing efforts. Free nights and exposure alone seem exploitative. Value their work professionally.
Measure Everything – Track engagement, reach, link clicks, and bookings from influencer content featuring your hotel. This data proves your return on investment.
Partnering with relevant influencers boosts a hotel’s digital presence exponentially.
Be selective in outreach, provide VIP experiences, co-create partnerships, compensate rightly, and analyze impact.
This winning social media marketing formula leads more customers to book stays at your property.
FAQs
How much do influencers typically charge?
Influencer rates vary greatly depending on their following size, content quality, and industry. Micro-influencers may only charge $50-250 per sponsored post. Macro influencers often charge $1,000+ per post. Discuss rates to align on fair compensation.
What legal considerations are there with influencer marketing?
Have influencers sign contracts allowing your hotel to reuse content. Ensure influencer posts follow FTC endorsement guidelines requiring #ad disclosures. Protect guest privacy when filming in public hotel areas.
What metrics indicate an influencer partnership is successful?
Track code redemptions, link clicks, bookings from swipe-ups, increased brand awareness, growth in followers, and engagement on promoted posts. Set key performance indicators (KPIs) beforehand and analyze results afterward.
Should we work with travel bloggers, too?
Definitely build relationships with travel bloggers relevant to your hotel’s location and offerings. Though smaller personal audiences than influencers, hyper-targeted travel content drives qualified traffic. Comp rooms for sponsored reviews.
How often should hotels post on social media?
To stay top of mind, share social content 2-3 times daily on larger platforms like Instagram and Facebook and 1-2 times daily on Twitter. Mix inspiring images, engage with comments, run contests, and showcase events. Post to your blog or IGTV weekly.
