Instagram’s New Twitter Competitor is Right Around The Corner. How Can You Prepare?

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The world of social media feels like it’s always changing – especially right now. With Elon Musk taking over Twitter, Mark Zuckerberg pushing the metaverse (or trying to), and the meteoric rise of TikTok, there’s a lot to keep track of.

In addition to all the other changes we’ve had to deal with in the last few years, there’s one more on the horizon: a new social media platform from Meta. This new platform is very interesting, and provides for some clear advantages over other new platforms that have risen over the last few years, especially for hotels that have already built followings on Facebook and Instagram. We’re here to clear up as much as we can and help you prepare for its launch.

What is Meta’s Newest Social Media Platform?
This new project from Meta is codenamed “P92” or “Barcelona” and was first reported on by Lea Haberman of marketing newsletter ICYMI. It’s the company’s response to Twitter, which has seen extreme turmoil since being purchased by Elon Musk in Fall of 2022. While Twitter’s stability has come into question and with TikTok facing statewide bans in states like Montana, Meta could be poised for success with this new platform, rumored to be called “Threads” according to The Verge.

Source: Lia Haberman

How Valuable Will Meta’s New Social Media Platform Be For Marketers?

As TikTok user growth slows sitewide, Meta offers an attractive proposition: take your followers from Instagram with you to this new platform. According to a leaked graphic from Meta, “P92” allows you to bring your fans with you: “In one tap, anyone can follow the accounts they follow on Instagram”. This gives marketers a whole new way to reach the people that are already familiar with their brand, in a faster-paced, lower stakes environment where every post doesn’t have to be curated to fit your feed’s aesthetic. 

This new social media platform is also built on the decentralized ActivityPub platform, allowing users to connect with users cross platform from other Twitter-alternative apps such as Mastodon.social, a platform that crossed the 2 million user mark in December of last year. This gives your hotel a new way to reach users that avoid mainstream social media sites and privacy minded users that prefer open social media networks. 

Source: The Verge

What Kind of Content Should Our Hotel Be Posting?

While it’s impossible to know exactly what kind of content will reign king on Meta’s new platform, we can look at Twitter to get an idea about what kind of content to start planning for. 

  • Visual content that is easy to engage with will always be a good play online (hint: repurpose your hotel’s best Instagram posts).
  • Engage directly with customers and prospective customers - this is like responding to Instagram comments, but even more public since it’s not hidden underneath a post. This shows you care about guest experiences.
  • Engage with thought leaders in your community or industry.
  • Provide timely updates to local happenings like new businesses in your area, special events on and off property, and new improvements on your property.

The leaked slides also say you can “attach links”, something you can’t currently do on Instagram without linking to an external website through your bio. This could help marketers and creators drive more direct-response actions through social posts.

These are just some ideas to get you started thinking about what kind of content you’ll be posting on this new social media platform. Remember, the more high quality, useful content you post, the more your audience will see you as their go-to for their next trip and the more likely you are to reach new audiences that haven't yet heard of you.

When will Meta’s New Social Media Platform Be Released?

Meta has stated that the social media app will be launched “As soon as we can” with Lia Haberman teasing a late-June launch. 

Whether this new social media app is launched next week or later this summer, it could be a game changer for you and your hotel. Sign up for our newsletter to get continuing updates on the platform and even more tips when it first launches.

[E-Book] 6 Big Travel Trends for 2023

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We are excited to share our E-Book, 6 Big Travel Trends for 2023. It's filled with insights on the current state of the hospitality industry and where it's headed in the future.

With this knowledge, you can make the most informed decisions and have an advantage in the ever-evolving hospitality industry.

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Community Marketing: How To Build Your Own Fierce Brand Community

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Download our free presentation on how to build your own brand with community marketing.

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How A Full Marketing Funnel Helps Boost Your Facebook Ads

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Have you ever wondered how both a prospecting and retargeting campaign can help move your potential customers through the funnel and eventually lead to conversions? Keep reading to learn how we use this in our Facebook ads and the results we have seen.

The marketing funnel starts at the top with awareness. Awareness campaigns help educate your audience on your hotel, product, or anything else unique about your company that will help you stand out from the crowd. Usually this can include amenities, activities, or experiences you offer at your hotel that will make it enticing for the next person to learn and eventually book with you. In awareness campaigns we utilize lookalike audiences which is a segmentation tool that finds people whose demographics and interests are similar to your current followers. We also use Adara audiences that have specific audiences that we can target based on their interests, hotel experiences, location, travel, and more. There is also detailed targeting and location targeting that helps us get the best results with our ads.

Then we go into consideration. Consideration can include ads or Facebook posts. You can go into more detail about your hotel, product, or service that will make your potential customer consider buying from you. 

Next, we try to convert our audience through Facebook ads. This is how we move people through the funnel to eventually booking with us. This would be in a retargeting campaign where we try to attract that user who showed interest and target them and remind them about us. In retargeting, we promote ourselves and usually offer some kind of incentive such as an offer, deal, or discount code to bring them in to eventually converting. When it comes to targeting we utilize website visitors, social media engagement, or customer lists to remarket to potential customers.

Lastly, we have engaging your audience on Facebook ads. This could involve customers interacting with your ads and leaving positive feedback about their experience with you or this could also include boosted posts on Facebook to get more engagement and interest in what you are promoting or offering. 

Below we will show some data from our hotels’ Facebook ads campaigns that use this full funnel approach and how it helps them move potential customers through the funnel and to eventually convert. The data is shown from the whole month of July. 

Hotel A received 44,036 impressions, 519 outbound clicks, and a 7.16% CTR. 

Then for retargeting we saw 169 clicks, 11.58x ROAS, and 12 conversions.

Then we move onto Hotel B that also uses this funnel approach. 

In this prospecting campaign we got 103,303 impressions, 3,943 outbound clicks, and an 8.58% CTR.

In retargeting we got 212 outbound clicks, 74.54x ROAS, and 19 conversions. 

How were both of these hotels so successful in their Facebook ads campaigns? First, they had their prospecting campaign. This campaign included details about the hotel, experiences, and special features. Then they had the retargeting campaign that features special events, promotions, or limited time offers to hook in their customer in booking with them. Then to keep engagement with past, present, and future customers they post regularly on their social media and utilize boosted posts that promote an offer or something that is exclusive to either educate their audience or remind them to book with them.

The marketing funnel approach works to move people through the funnel to converting with your hotel, product, or service you are offering. Make sure you stand out from the crowd and show off images of your property, special features, amenities, and exclusive offers. Is there a deal you are offering that you don’t want people to miss? Promote the deal, but also focus on the experience that someone can have at your hotel. What does it feel like to stay there? What experiences, adventures, or activities near your hotel are there for your guests? 

Hopefully this has provided a better understanding of the marketing funnel and how to best use it for successful hotel Facebook ad campaigns. Contact us today to get started on your hotel’s Facebook advertising strategy!

Everything You Need to Know About Google Analytics 4

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By now, many of you have heard us talk about Google Analytics 4 (GA4). This new analytics update is part of a series of steps that will bridge the divide between database driven analytics and privacy concerns. The GCommerce team has been implementing GA4 for our clients over the past year and now Google has officially announced that the existing Google Universal technology will no longer receive new data as of July 2023, the clock is truly ticking.

Download our free ebook that will tell you everything you need to know about GA4 - what it is, what to expect and why it’s important to your business.

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Best Practices for Facebook Ad Optimization

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Facebook is not just a social site to connect with friends and family, it is now a platform used by many businesses to promote their products and services. Facebook Ads have proven to be one of the most effective ways to promote your business and get your CTA to the appropriate consumer. But, are you creating content for this platform that will be successful?

Download our free ebook that will tell you everything you need to know about Facebook Ad Optimization, including copy analysis and the value of successful Facebook Ads.

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