Six Basic Types of Social Media (And Which Is Best For You)
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Type 1: Social Networks
What it is: A online community of people that share interests
Suggested use for the hotel marketer: Facilitate discussion and brand awareness through groups, profiles, and participation
Type 2: Blogging (and Microblogging)
What it is: A journal-style website of frequently updated information (microblogging is publishing brief text messages)
Suggested use for the hotel marketer: Communicate information about your hotel or surrounding area (as a travel destination)
Type 3: Social Bookmarking
What it is: Allows users to save and share web pages they find
Examples: Del.icio.us, Digg
Suggested use for the hotel marketer: Configure your blog or website to enable visitors to spread important content
Type 4: Media Sharing
What it is: Enables the sharing of photos and videos
Suggested use for the hotel marketer: Take photos and video from your hotel, and publish them to media sharing sites for increased visibility
Type 5: Social Reviews
What it is: Allows travelers to review hotels (potential guests can use this to make their travel plans)
Examples: Yelp, TripAdvisor
Suggested use for the hotel marketer: Find out what guests are saying about your hotel, and respond with solutions as needed. 89% of US buyers read online reviews, so it’s important to be aware of what they’re saying about you.
Type 6: User Generated Content (UGC)
What it is: Travel guides written by the end users
Examples: WikiTravel, World66
Uses for the hotel marketer: The opportunity to be involved in writing your city’s visitor guide
How do you choose which types of social media to get involved in? Most likely you’ll use a mix, but it depends on who you’re trying to reach.
More on this tomorrow…
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Great stuff. I am really finding it difficult balancing the amount of time it takes to do all of the above, coupled with wanting to provide some measurable and tangible results. My clients are very kind to me and give me a lot of space and trust…. but I get nervous about what I can offer at times. It is all so long term. I get random bookings off yelp or twitter at times, but the amount of return versus time is not exactly providing the best case for future pay. To do a really fantastic job with *one* brand, you need to be paid enough to spend that endless amount of time on it. Any thoughts you have on that would be great… especially on how to provide an “end of the day/week” report or how you quantify all your activities online.