The Cornell Center for Hospitality Research and business analytics firm SAS shared their tips for making the most of social media in their webcast "Getting in on the Conversation." The webcast addresses challenges the hospitality industry faces, including finding your voice, interacting with your guests, and analyzing comments for market information.
"Developing a social media strategy begins by discovering what your customers want to hear about," says Lauren Walker, internet marketing manager, Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas. "Hard Rock started simply by posting information. As our customers responded, we used what we learned to develop relationships and build a strategy. For instance, now we have ‘Twitter Tuesday’ deals for those who follow us."
Another panelist, Kelly McGuire, director of business development, hospitality, and gaming for SAS, outlined three ways that hospitality firms can use the information on social media channels to improve marketing and operations. "You have access to an exciting new data source," she notes. "First, you have basic descriptive statistics, like tracking the number of followers and friends. Second, you can see who follows which opinion leaders to determine influencer networks. And third, and most valuable, you can analyze the posts to find themes and sentiments that will help you improve your service. This is all public, and so you can compare your operation against your competitors."
