Note: This is the third in a series of posts on how independent properties can compete with OTAs. Read the first, and second post.
#3 Facebook Advertising Works
We could spend a week straight and 50 blog posts on social media marketing and not even scratch the surface of the topic. But today, I want to focus on Facebook advertising for hotels.
Facebook's ad platform gives you the ability to target customers in different ways, than say, Google AdWords. And typically it’s a more budget-friendly platform.
Here are some tips on how to effectively target potential guests:
1. Know your guests’ interests. In general, start creating ads based on business goals. For example, are you trying to generate direct bookings, build a social media following, or get people to sign up for your email newsletter?
Next, target Facebook users whose interests align with your goals. The great thing about Facebook ads is you can target your ads based on guests’ specific interests. Certainly, they may be interested in bed & breakfasts, travel, or something very direct like that. But consider focusing on things like local events, types of food, or lifestyles. We work with a property that focuses on writer’s retreats, and another that serves only gluten-free food. Both of those interests could be used to target ads on Facebook.
I did a quick search using Facebook’s ad planner and found that there are almost 19 million people interested in bed and breakfasts and almost 11 million interested in boutique hotels.
That’s a lot of potential guests!
2. Experiment with locations. Historically, where have your guests travelled from? Does your local CVB target specific locations? I recently returned from a trip to Monterey, Calif., and out of curiosity I looked to see how many people on Facebook are interested in that location. There are more than 780,000 people on Facebook who have expressed interest in Monterey!
3. Get really, really specific. Target Facebook customers that have specific life milestone coming up like anniversary or birthdays. It’s highly targeted, inexpensive, and often very effective.
Get more information on Facebook ads, including guidelines and image sizes.
We're nearly to the end of our journey. Read the last part of this series.
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