Hotel Marketers: 3 Ways to Implement User Generated Content for Ultimate Success

In today’s social media driven world, Hotel Marketers are keenly aware that utilizing the right content can make or break their marketing efforts. Simply posting company generated ads is not enough for hotels to get by. Created or curated content needs to be authentic, enticing and have the ability to enhance the guest experience. Here is where user generated content (UGC) enters. As a Digital Marketing Consultant with an interest in Hotel & Tourism Marketing, I have found two articles that speak to the importance of utlizing user generated content within the industry.

 

The first article, titled “Social Media & Hotels | Part 1: Creating a Social Media Highway” by Quinn Cox, focuses on one of the biggest trends in the digital sphere relating to the hotel industry. Cox emphasises that in the past hotels would steer potential customers to their social media assets in order to get likes and followers, however, this tactic didn’t present well for impacting reservations and as a result new strategies involving hosting UGC were born. The article also explains the impact and importance of user generated content (UGC) citing that current research firms estimate that 77% of hotel guests read reviews before booking while social media content from friends or family members are shown to impact 59% of global purchasing decisions.