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Comment: Getting Competitive [HotelierMiddleEast.com]
[April 20, 2014]

Comment: Getting Competitive [HotelierMiddleEast.com]


(HotelierMiddleEast.com Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) We've all seen them, mainly on Facebook, but also on other social media platforms: competitions. Social media competitions can be a great way to generate new social connections, drive engagement, and generate visibility for your hotel or restaurant.



Unfortunately, they're often done wrongly and, without proper planning and a good strategy, your efforts may well be going to waste.

Did you know that Facebook changed its algorithms yet again a little while back? The world's favourite social network now actually penalises company pages that run unsophisticated "like and share" competitions. Keep running them and Facebook will limit your page's reach, making it harder for fans to see your posts.


Generally, competitions should only represent a small part of your social media marketing strategy and, like everything else, require detailed planning to be successful.

Start with setting a goal. Think of social media competitions as a "give and take" - you're giving something away (a room, a meal, an experience), but you also want something in return. Somewhere down the line, the effort you put into running a competition and the prize you're giving away, should be offset by an increase in business. Goals can vary; for example, do you want more visibility for your property or a special offer you're currently running? Do you want more fans on your pages or more subscribers to your email newsletter? Once you have defined your goals, pick the social media platform you want to run the competition on. Don't automatically pick Facebook, even though it might well make a good choice. You could also select one of the other platforms and enjoy the added bonus of seeing your followers grow outside Facebook. Most hotels and restaurants in this region are overly reliant on Facebook in their social media marketing efforts anyway. Do your research and find out where your fans are and what platform they are active on.

It's also worth bearing in mind that competitions are a great way to get more user generated content, so consider campaigns that get your fans snapping and sharing pictures, sending in stories, or sharing videos. You want competitions to stick out from all the others, so offer a good prize. It's often better to run fewer competitions, but offer bigger prizes.

Ensure that you're following the terms and conditions of the platform you're running your competitions on and, if necessary, use a third-party application for the competition. Third-party applications also usually offer easy exporting functionality of the contact details of all participants.

Are you ready to flick the switch? Great, but don't forget to promote your competition across your social universe, on your website (if possible) and on property (e.g. on your hotel's in-house TV channel).

Don't stop once the competition has ended and you have selected a winner! There's money in a well planned and executed competition follow-up. Make sure to publicise the lucky winner widely and also consider giving all other participants a little "thank you" for taking part, e.g. a money-off voucher for one of your restaurants.

Make the most of the increased engagement and visibility that successful competitions bring and consider posting post-competition special offers or other valuable content, which will automatically be seen by more people.

Whatever you decide to do: Keep it social! Martin Kubler is owner, director and chief cook and bottle washer of Iconsulthotels FZE, an ultra-boutique hospitality consultancy in Dubai.

Email: [email protected] or visit facebook.com/iconsulthotels (c) 2014 ITP Business Publishing Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info, an Albawaba.com company

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