Video marketing is one of the most powerful and important strategies in the digital marketing space, with different forms of video suited for various different purposes in the hotel industry.

When used in conjunction with online content (SEO articles and blog posts) and social media optimisation – video can be the ultimate converter for any business. As customer experience is well on its way to overtake price and product as the number one brand differentiator in 2020 – it makes sense to shift a larger proportion of focus to share the experience of your hotel.

But why use video marketing over more traditional text and image-based digital techniques?

A picture says a 1000 words

They say a picture says a 1000 words, so then how many words does a 30-second clip yell out? I’ll let you do the maths. Point is, video lets you tell a story and share an experience much more coherently than a text/image based approach ever could.

When it comes to the hotel industry, the customer experience that coincides with the stay is second to none and being able to accurately describe this with a motion-based visual aid gives the customer confidence in the quality of the company.

How many times have you been away only to be disappointed that a room is much smaller than previously anticipated? Sites often use clever angles when creating images to create the illusion of space, tricking customers into false promises.

There’s much less risk of the same fate when a video is used as the reference – in fact, it’s very difficult to be able to fool when the camera involves pans, changing angles and continuous shots – allowing for a level of trust to be instilled in the customer. It’s exactly the same reason that healthcare companies are opting for video marketing more and more in 2019 – the level of trust in phenomenal!

Investing time (and a little bit of money) to create professional content highlighting both facilities and rooms for promotional content might just be the best decision you’ll ever make!

Videos are much more personal

Video isn’t just good for showing off the facilities – it’s also great for building trust and developing a sense of personality with the hotel and everything that goes along with it.

Personality is vital when it comes to the hotel industry, as we’re sure you’re aware, with the staff often being the highlight of the stay for so many guests. When using alternative forms of media, it can be hard to portray the personality of the establishment, but a careful promotional video where personalities are allowed to shine through can be the decider between you and a competitor.

Not every piece of content needs to be straight-faced, formal and professional – especially when talking about the hotel industry – instead, true, honest documentation and portrayal of daily life from the point of the guests and staff can be just as powerful. Whether that’s a short 20-second clip of friendly antics at the bar, a walkthrough of the stay at your hotel or a room/facility tour posted onto social media, everything helps to build the image of the hotel, convincing potential customers to make a booking.

Social media outlets are great tools for sharing short videos with Instagram and Facebook stories allowing for 10-second snapshots of your hotel experience. Update them regularly and consistently for maximum attention!

It doesn’t have to be in-house

Although in-house and homegrown videos are a great way to build a brand, it’s not the only way that video can be used to market a hotel.

The most difficult component of video marketing is finding and reaching an audience that resonates with the content and that will be interesting in making a booking. Although paid advertisements in social media such as Facebook and Instagram are very relevant and often successful strategies, preaching to already established audiences can be a better ticket.

By reaching out to influencers and social media celebrities and offering a complimentary stay in return for content creation posted to their own accounts, you can attract more attention from those with loyal and dedicated audiences. Looking for accounts with common ground and similar target audiences are the best bet for mutual benefit, but the larger the audience reached, the more you should expect to pay.

It’s all about being creative to get your hotel seen in the world of social media. Find where the attention lies and go after it!

How to utilise video marketing

With 12 different types of marketing videos available (demo videos, brand videos, event videos, expert interviews, educational/how-to, explainer videos, animated videos, case studies and customer testimonials, live videos, 360° and virtual reality videos, augmented reality (ar) videos and personalised messages) it’s no surprise that there’s plenty that can be done to utilise the media platform.

Off the bat, your mind is probably spinning with ideas and strategies to get started with video marketing. Maybe you host an event and hire a videographer to document and create a short promotional video, maybe you create a virtual reality video or 360° room tour to show-off where your guests will be staying… There’s so much that can be done!

If you’re not quite sure where to start, I’d recommend to keep it simple and low cost from the get-go. Organic and homegrown content is a fantastic place to start, depending on the target tone and audience that’s intended to be reached.

Consistent posts on social media pages, live video updates (by using Instagram Stories), before branching out to more professional facility based content (room tours, promotional videos etc) will get you heading in the right direction. Not sure where to start? Here’s a list of agencies that can help.

Practice patience and keep on building

By being creative with your video marketing (and consistent) you’ll be able to share your hotel with audiences big and small to build relationships, generate bookings and collect conversions from plenty of different strategies.

It may take time but by exercising patience, building the video portfolio can be an incredibly valuable and lucrative strategy in marketing your hotel in 2019. Or you can always work with an agency that can help you figure it all out!

To read more on topics like this, check out the marketing category.