SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING STRATEGY: RENOVATIONS

SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING STRATEGY: RENOVATIONS

Social media is one of the best and most cost-effective ways to spread the word that your hotel has been renovated and has new modern facilities and amenities. Generating excitement surrounding your brand new property in the worlds of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram will be absolutely critical to your hotel s success as it builds its reputation as a prized Embassy Suites. SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are great venues for you to show a timeline of the renovations as they progress up to completion. Pinterest is a good platform to use as a place for you to highlight new and improved areas of your hotel after renovations have been completed. If you would like to target meeting and event planners, LinkedIn is an important resource for you to showcase brand new meetings and event spaces. SUGGESTED POSTS When it comes to renovations, don t just think about posting great shots post renovation, but instead capitalize on the opportunity to market yourself as you go through the journey. It will keep consumers informed and anticipative of the brand new room they will soon be able to book. Your posts should be fun and informative. Use before and after shots, set a cadence for posting after each component has been rolled out to help spread word of mouth. Finally, when the renovations are complete promote enticing offthe-shelf offers and position them as a package to welcome guests to the new space. Here are some suggested social media post ideas for Renovations: FACEBOOK/INSTAGRAM Looking for some #PrettyGreat travel inspiration? Check us out on Instagram! <hotel link to Instagram> <show new pictures of hotel> CITY_NAME, prepare to be wowed! Check out the new and improved HOTEL_NAME. Yeah, it s #PrettyGreat. #Vacation #Relaxation #Weekend #CITY_NAME o Note: Display before and after renovation pictures of hotel

CITY_NAME, it s the moment you ve all been waiting for! HOTEL_NAME invites you to celebrate in its renovation opening party on MONTH DAY at TIME. Tickets can be purchased here: <link to renovation party>. Yeah, it s #PrettyGreat. Venture out for a little sightseeing, then come back and relax in the newly renovated public spaces at HOTEL_NAME! #EmbassySuites Check out this video of the newly renovated HOTEL_NAME! [Post time-lapse video of renovation]. They're looking #PrettyGreat, don't you think? <link> Highlight of the Week Show highlights of the hotel s renovation as the hotel nears completion Guest of the Week TWITTER Venture out for a little sightseeing, then come back & relax at the newly renovated @HOTEL_NAME! <image> Prepare to be wowed! Check out the newly renovated @HOTEL_NAME. Yeah, it s #PrettyGreat. #Vacation #CITY_NAME It s the moment you ve all been waiting for! Check out @HOTEL_NAME new renovation! Yeah, it s #PrettyGreat. Check out this video/photo of the newly renovated HOTEL_NAME! They're looking #PrettyGreat, don't you think? <link> HASHTAGS TO USE Consider incorporating the following hashtags throughout your social media posts. Use hashtags relevant to the time of year, ones that allow you to be at the center of holiday and seasonal travel. But also use aspirational hashtags such as vacation to reach your audience who may be browsing for their next holiday destination. Don t forget, your location is also important so don t forget to use the city as a hashtag as well. Note that your hashtag strategy may vary based on social media channel. Review the social media guidelines on the MORE Toolkit for more information.

Here are some suggested hashtag ideas for Renovations: #CITY_NAME #Travel, #Relaxation, #New, #Beautiful #Renovation #Weekend, #BeAWeekender #PrettyGreat #EmbassySuites #NAME_OF_HOLIDAY_WEEKEND o #FathersDay, #MemorialDayWeekend LOCAL PARTNERS TO TAG Consider tagging relevant local partners in your market and other brand pages in social media. This allows you to reach their audience as well as your own, strengthens your posts by giving them wider reach and helps your build awareness for your hotel as a destination. Tag local seasonal events and festivals as a way to let guests know your hotel has been newly renovated as they re considering places to stay in your city. Be sure to get local partners to mention your property. Here are some local partner ideas to tag in social media for Renovations: Zoo Golf Course Tours and Attractions Amusement Park Car Rental Company Aquarium Stadium Spa Children s Museum Restaurants Festivals and Citywide Events IDEAS FOR TARGETED MEDIA BUYS Use targeted strategies to reach the right audience, customizable by demographics, behavior, interests, and location. When posting pictures and videos of your new property, consider setting up a media ad buy on Facebook or Instagram to promote your

property. If you already have a good idea of the location of customers you are marketing to, then target these locations when setting up your media buys. Below are suggestions for how to target the best audience particularly on Facebook when considering media buys for airport, downtown and resort hotels: Airports o People: "Target People on Business, Airline Passengers with Overnight Travel"; Age: 18-Any; Gender: Male/Female; Relationship Status: In a Relationship, Single, Engaged, Married o Interests: Travel, Business, Business Travel o Pages: Hilton Portfolio Brands, Airlines, Expedia, AAA, Travelocity, Kayak Downtown o People: "Target Young Adults, Leisure Travelers"; Age: 18-35; Gender: Male/Female; Relationship Status: In a Relationship, Single o Interests: Travel, Vacation, Leisure Travel o Pages: Hilton Portfolio Brands, Airlines, Expedia, AAA, Travelocity, Kayak Resorts o People: "Target Families, Leisure Travelers"; Age: 25-Any; Gender: Male/Female; Relationship Status: In a Relationship, Married o Interests: Travel, Vacation, Leisure Travel, Beach o Pages: Hilton Portfolio Brands, Airlines, Expedia, AAA, Travelocity, Kayak CONTEST/SWEEPS IDEAS 1 Contests and sweepstakes are a great way to connect and engage with your audience on social media. Below are some examples of ideas to leverage for budgets both big and small that can help you reach the right audience. Overall some best practices for contests include: 1. Creating a low barrier of entry for your contest typically works well, since asking people to do too much can reduce your number of entrants. Examples include asking people to share a photo with a particular hashtag, answer a question, or submit their contact information. 2. Keep your messaging simple and easy to follow 3. Note that your contest/sweeps strategy may vary based on social media channel. 1 Note: You should be very specific in the template about the parameters surrounding your prize promotion. If your prize promotion is a contest and involves an element of skill, please refer to the MORE Toolkit to help establish your judging criteria. Once you have entered the specific information for your prize promotion into the correct template, please forward to Nicole.Weatherly@hilton.com in Legal for approval. For any sweeps that exceeds $500, please contact 1099 Vendor Requests.

Depending on your property s budget, your hotel should consider implementing the following: Budget Suggested Strategy $100-$500 1 month long contest, promotion, fan acquisition campaign, or boosted posts $500-$1,000 2 month long contest, promotion, fan acquisition campaign, or boosted posts $1,000+ 3-4 month long contest, promotion, fan acquisition campaign, or boosted posts Here are some suggested social media contest/sweeps ideas for Renovations: #PrettyGreat Trip o Facebook/Instagram- Post a photo of how you would enjoy a #PrettyGreat trip at HOTEL_NAME for the chance to win a free night stay! Embassy Suites Sharable Stories o Facebook - Share your best story from a stay at HOTEL_NAME for the chance to win a free night stay at HOTEL_NAME o Twitter - In just one tweet, share your best story from a stay at HOTEL_NAME for the chance to win a free night stay at HOTEL_NAME Free tickets to hotel s renovation party o Facebook/Twitter: Comment on our renovation party post with why you think our newly renovated HOTEL_NAME is #PrettyGreat and win free tickets to the renovation party! SOCIAL MEDIA CHAMPION Be sure your hotel has an appointed Social Media Champion (SMC), someone to manage your hotel s social media channels and act as the main point of contact for social media communications from the brand marketing team: http://bit.ly/mqgxum. You may also want to consider requiring some social media experience as a job qualification for one position at your hotel. A hotel s SMC is one of a hotel s most important assets as guests increasingly engage with brands on social media. Please submit social media brand social media accounts via http://forum.jotform.us/form/31003642554141.