Pinterest for Hotels: What You Need to Know
How Your Hotel Can Leverage Pinterest (Top 35 List of Boards at bottom)
What is Pinterest?
Pinterest is a visual discovery tool that people use to collect ideas for their different projects and interests. People create and share collections (called “boards”) of visual bookmarks (called “Pins”) that they use to do things like plan trips and projects, organize events or save articles and recipes [by Wikipedia]. See website and app.
Who is Using Pinterest?
Pinterest is predominantly consumed by females. However, more and more men are jumping on the bandwagon. With that said, 70% of travel decisions are made by women. This statistic applies to women who are booking cruises, group travel, tours or tickets through an agent. When you add in online travel purchases, the amount rises to 92%. (don’t show my wife these stats!) This means that hotels need to be in the face of the decision makers, those valuable Pinterest users
Why Should Hotels Use Pinterest?
In today’s socially driven world, businesses in all industries are trying to figure out how they can maximize their reach. This is also true for the hospitality industry. We need to be where our customers are. Our future guests are on Pinterest. Pinterest is more than just sharing recipes, it’s a powerful tool to inform, entice and drive traffic to your hotel’s website, which can convert into bookings. Oh and by-the-way, an optimized Pinterest profile can help your hotel be found in online browser searches too, mobile included.
According to statistics by SocialMediaToday, “Pinterest generates 4x more revenue (per click) than Twitter and 27% more per click than Facebook. Pinterest buyers spend more money, more often, on more items than any of the other top 5 social media sites.”
Now, I am not going to show you How to Setup a Pinterest Business Account. That’s the easy part. What I am going to help you with, is your content. Great ideas and topics for your hotel’s Boards and Pins.
4 Quick Tips to Maximize Your Page
1. Showcase the Vacation Experience
According to social media marketing experts, your hotel’s Pinterest page should show twice as many photos of the destination itself than your actual hotel. Travelers tend to be turned off with Pinterest pages that are peppered with hotel photos because they feel that they are looking at a hard-sell brochure. By featuring images of the different attractions within the destination that house your hotel, you appeal to the travelers’ desire for escape.
2. Create Thematic Boards Based on Your Guests’ Interests
This is where knowing your guests comes into play. Do they love fashion? Then you have to create a board that is dedicated to fashion and the nearby shopping districts from your hotel. Are they foodies? Then you have to create a board that showcases the best restaurants within your hotel’s vicinity or maybe feature your own restaurant, if you have one. Remember, almost all hotels in your category and within your locality are offering almost similar rooms and amenities, so you have to stand out and showcase more than just the functional aspects of your property.
3. Engage with Your Former Guests and Potential Guests
Pinterest is a social network, so you should use it to engage your audience in meaningful interactions. For instance, you can ask your Pinterest followers to contribute images to your board, probably ask for photos that they took while they were staying at your hotel. You can hold photo contests and provide small prizes for the winners (i.e. 10% discount on their next stay, etc.). You’re not only creating meaningful interactions, you’re also getting a steady stream of fresh content.
4. Showcase Your Hotel’s Offerings for Planning Professionals
If you’re a big hotel, your market is not limited to travelers. You can also cater to event planners such as wedding planners and corporate event planners. Showcase what your hotel can offer for these types of events. Probably post photos of previous wedding that were done in your pool area or ballroom. Show images of business events that took place in your function rooms. Help them visualize what you can offer.
35 Perfect Pinterest Board Ideas for Hotels
To help you get started, here are my top suggestions for Pinterest Boards that can help your hotel stand out in a crowd. Click on the links to see examples of other hotels doing a wonderful job.
- Restaurant BoardFeature the best restaurants within your vicinity. You can even partner with these restaurants for promos that you can run via Pinterest. See Examples
- Local AttractionsHelp travelers plan their vacation by collating photos of local attractions. Examples
- Local EventsEntice travelers to book with your hotel by listing the local events within your hotel’s vicinity. Examples
- Local Deals and Sales EventsAdd value to your guests’ booking experience by providing them a list of coupons they can use and sales events they can go to while staying at your hotel. Examples
- Fashion BoardGo to local designer stores near your hotel and take photos (with permission of course). Or, go out and take photos of people wearing the trendiest clothes in the area. Examples
- Promotions or Packages
- High-Res Images of Hotel
- Local Shopping
- Coupons or Deals
- Guests Testimonials and Reviews
- Breakfast or Hotel Dining
- Spa or Fitness Facilities
- Convention & Meeting Space
- Hotel’s Instagram pics
- Promote Your Neighbors (it pays to be nice)
- Pets, Pet-Friendly
- Awards and Recognition
- Weddings or Parties at Hotel
- Summer Activity
- Winter Activities
- Fall Activities
- Your Team. Your Staff Pics
- Amenities
- Local Festivals and Art Shows
- Concerts In and Around Town
- Special Events
- Local Colleges and Schools
- Hospitals
- Recipes
- Funny or Inspiring Quotes
- National Brand: Promotions and Rewards Programs
- Traveling Guests (where to stop on the way to your hotel)
- Cruisers
- Family Reunions
- Local Charities (giving is better than receiving)
The rise of photo-centered social media networks such as Pinterest is no surprise given that majority of people are visual learners. Follow the tips above and start leveraging the power of marketing and search and engagement and…Well, you get the picture. Happy Pinning!
Pinterest for Hotels: NEED HELP SETTING YOUR ACCOUNT UP? I can help, contact me.
Related:
How “Sociable” Is Your Hotel? The Hospitality Industry and Social Media Marketing
2 Tools that Remind Hotel Guests to Post Reviews
