Luxury Hospitality Marketing Trends for 2018 Now you can take a virtual tour to iconic resort Sandy Lane in Barbados with our virtual reality tour experience. 2018 will be another year of great change for marketers. Emerging trends in social media, virtual reality and the growing influence of video will present opportunities for your brand. VIP Worldwide were proud to sponsor The Leading Hotels of the World Annual Convention in Cannes once again, as preferred providers of video and social media to the Luxury hospitality sector. Ephemeral content for the best engagement rate Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook stories have all led to the increasing popularity of “ephemeral content.” Ephemeral content, when delivered effectively, allows you to be more authentic. We are seeing many brands using their Instagram and Snapchat to deliver high-quality real-time content to help deliver their marketing and sales strategy. Short Form Video Campaign for social media platforms We recommend a short form video campaign. This would consist of a ‘snackable’ content series produced specifically for Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. We saw the importance of social media video content grow in 2017 for all of our clients. In 2018, video marketing should be an even more important part of your content strategy. User-Generated Content (UGC) UGC continues to dominate all channels. Social media is the ideal medium for finding appropriate posts and then sharing them. For 2018 it is important to ensure you maximise all appropriate UGC for your brand and individual properties. Research shows that people engage more with users’ photos on social media compared to brand photography. Why should VR (Virtual Reality) and 360-degree video be central to your marketing strategy in 2018? In a recent Google study, they ran 2 variations of the same advert – a traditional video versus a 360 VR-degree video, the 360-version performed with 41% more earned actions, including subscribes, shares & views. Continued investment in influencer marketing Like it or loath it, influencer marketing is the fastest-growing online customer acquisition method and the most cost-effective method. Some of our clients can receive between 20-40 request a day for a “social media collaboration.” It is important to have a budget for influencers and to ensure you can identify the most suitable influencers that will appeal to your audience for hosting opportunities. The right influencers can help your brand Improve your search ranking - Good SEO relies on high-quality organic links from high-authority sites. Engage a new customer base of loyal followers - Influencers tend to have really engaged followers who trust them and want to emulate their lifestyle. Generate content - Most influencers tend to be great photographers - or have a traveling companion who is great at photography and/or videography. Drive engagement - Working with influencers to run competitions or promote content where the mechanic involves following the brand and using specific hashtags drives consumer engagement Boost credibility - Association with well-regarded influencers - whether they’re bloggers, celebs or well-known creatives in their field - elevates your brand, as their fans trust their recommendations Extend your reach - Working with influencers allows you to get on the radar of future customers who otherwise wouldn’t come across your property Create brand awareness and boost visibility - If you keep cropping up on people’s feeds, they’re more likely to want to engage with your brand Award Winning Social Media Services for Luxury Hotels and Resorts As leading experts in fully outsourced social media marketing to the luxury hospitality industry, we work alongside our valued clients’ marketing and sales teams to find new ways to increase brand engagement. We deliver integrated brand campaigns with impact and reach utilising digital and social media. We specialise in brand building and encouraging user-generated content to ensure you stand out in what is often an overcrowded feed. We offer affordable packages based on 12 months and 18 months. Please contact us for more information; kirsty.beasley@vipworldwide.tv |