SLO County Hospitality Social Media Report 2012

Report by WhizbangSan Luis Obispo, CAwhizbangideas.com

San Luis Obispo CountyHospitality Social Media Report

Summary 2012 - Lodging

Introducing the 2012 SLO County Hospitality Social Media Report Summary, specifically focusing on lodging and based on data gathered thru March 2012. The purpose of this Powerpoint is to summarize the white paper report* and the state of social media as it pertains to lodging properties throughout SLO County. In doing so, obvious pitfalls and opportunities come to light.

• Like us on Facebook, get social marketing tips and look for our Social Media Hospitality Workshop coming this November.

• Call Jessica Wynne at (805) 594-1880 for a consultation and to see how your property can benefit from a better social media plan.

* For a white paper presentation or review, please call Jessica Wynne at (805) 594-1880.

From the author…

“…56% of (adult) Facebook users say they are more likely to recommend a Facebook hotel they follow. 71% of guests make purchase decisions (like booking a room) after listening to their friends’ recommendations on Facebook.” - Buuteeq News, Brandon/Feb 14, 2012

What industry pros are saying/doing…

• 232 lodging properties were identified in SLO county. Our definition of lodging properties includes resorts, hotels,

inns, hostels, motels, and bed and breakfasts. Rental properties are not included.

• Only 28% (65 properties) of the 232 are taking advantage of Facebook’s potential. This is an alarmingly low number knowing that 93% of adult US Internet users have a Facebook page (164 million US adult internet users, 154 million use Facebook).

Summary

Breakdown of the number of lodging propertiesin SLO County by city

Arroyo Grande

Atascadero

Avila Beach

Cambria

Cayucos

Grover Beach

Los Osos

Morro Bay

Nipomo

Oceano

Paso Robles

Pismo Beach

San Simeon

Santa Margarita

SLO

Templeton

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45

Amount of lodging properties accounted for within SLO County by city

Facebook StatusNumber of SLO County lodging properties that have an account on Facebook

Yes

No

Yes, but personal account

Yes, but limited amount of information availble

Yes, but inactive

Multiple pages

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

141 of 232 (61%) lodging properties Facebook pages are not optimized. Optimization would include Facebook Timeline, use of apps, pictures, postings, link to website, CTA, etc…

Facebook “likes”

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Average amount of likes per lodging property in SLO County by city

• The highest average number of likes per property is 667, in Avila Beach (8 properties). The lowest is 9.5 in Grover Beach (2 properties).

• Los Osos has only two properties yet has the 4th highest likes by city, slightly behind Pismo Beach with 35 properties.

• Cambria has the most properties (42), but one of the lowest likes by city. Cambria properties have the potential to connect with 10 million more adult Facebook users.

• Call Jessica Wynne at (805) 594-1880 for a consultation.

• Like us on Facebook, get social marketing tips and look for our Social Media Hospitality Workshop coming this November.

Facebook “likes”

Facebook “likes”

The number of likes can be driven by the size and depth of the lodging property. For example, a property with a spa, restaurant(s), pool, or in a really cool location like Cambria should have more likes.

The top 10 lodging properties with the most likes in SLO County.

Facebook “likes”

What can Facebook likes do for me?

• Expression of affinity• Builds credibility• Send broadcast-style emails to all your fans• More traffic to website• Likes lead to insights and impressions

Facebook “check-ins”

A check-in on Facebook is a great tool for businesses to use and is very beneficial. When customers check-in at a property location, that property’s name and link to the property’s Facebook page will be spread virally to all the customer’s friends on their personal Facebook page.

The customer’s check-in also shows up on the property’s Facebook page. It is a confirmation of popularity which allows followers to become more enticed towards your business’ Facebook page, thus leading to more likes and even greater reach.

Facebook “check-ins” UPDATED 07-26-12

TOTAL amount of lodging property check-ins to date by city.

Facebook “check-ins”

AVERAGE amount of check-ins to date in each city by property.

Facebook “check-ins”

• With 11,000 rooms in SLO County and 68,733 total check ins for the county, the average number of check-ins per room for all SLO County properties is 6.25. A healthy number is 85. Total check-ins for SLO County should be closer to 1,000,000, vs. the current 68,733.

• The City of Nipomo, with one property (6 rooms), has 690 check-ins, reaching as many as 247,710 adult Facebook users. That’s approx. 115 check-ins per room.

Facebook icon

Of the 167 properties that have a Facebook page, only 86 properties, or 52% have an integrated link to Facebook from their website.

- Brian Solis, Engage

The Four Seasons Hotels use Twitter in the following ways.

- to listen in on the chatter, and know when people are talking about their brand, whether it is good or bad. When someone is happy, they tell 3 people. When someone is unhappy, they tell 10 people.– to respond and take action when a customer complains about something.- to announce promotions in the restaurant, bar and spa– to welcome customers who tweet to their account.

What industry pros are saying/doing…

A perfect twitter interaction.

Twitter Status

72% of SLO County lodging properties do not take advantage of having a Twitter account.

• Call Jessica Wynne at (805) 594-1880 for a consultation.

• Like us on Facebook, get social marketing tips and look for our Social Media Hospitality Workshop coming this November

Twitter “tweets”

Top 10 list of the number of tweets by lodging property that use Twitter.

Twitter “tweets”

#CambriaVictoria (Victoria’s Last Resort) has 703 tweets and 677 followers, good numbers, and good engagement.

Twitter “followers”

Top 10 lodging properties with the highest number of Twitter followers

Twitter “followers”

Of Interest: La Bellasera Hotel & Suites has the most Twitter followers, but are not tweeting back to these consumers.

First tweet was May 12, 2010. Their most recent tweet wasFeb 15, 2012, Before that, it was Oct. 25, 2011. That’s 0.18 tweets/day on average.

Twitter “followers”

Two positive tweets, one from a hospitality partner, the other from a guest are completely ignored.

Twitter “followers”A large base of followers on Twitter is highly beneficial to a business. Followers are able to see and read tweets, creating more value and awareness to the business. This is especially true for SLO County lodging properties, considering our location, demographics and target markets.

If you are a lodging property between Los Angeles and San Jose, you need to be engaging on twitter.

What can Twitter do for me?

- Listen in on the chatter, and know when people are talking about your brand, whether it is good or bad. When someone is happy, they tell 3 people. When someone is unhappy, they tell 10 people. When an unhappy person is made happy, they tell 400 people.

– Respond and take action when a customer complains about something.

- Announce promotions

– Welcome customers who tweet to your account.

Conclusion   71% of adult Facebook users make purchase decisions (like booking a

room) after reading (and seeing) their friends’ recommendations on Facebook.

Remember, a valuable social media campaign never ends. A company or brand is constantly reiterating its presence. So should your social media commitment.

Social media use is crucial to the future growth and continued success of SLO County lodging properties. So much of this category is based on peer recommendations and consumers talking about and sharing their experience with your brand.

Keep these guidelines in mind when devising your social media strategy;

1. Have a focused strategy and define success metrics at the start.

2. Develop and follow a schedule of postings, responses and monitoring.

3. Create cross channel synergies and recycle content across social networks

4. Let people know you exist, invite them to join your network(s)

5. Follow the Whizbang R.E.M.A. model:

Be Relevant, Engaging, Memorable and Actionable.

6. Get in it to win it and commit to your success.

Work Cited:

• Businesses to Fully Embrace Social Media in 2012. PC Quest, (2012)

  • Facebook.com

• Facebook’s “People Talk About This” Metric PO. Engauge, 5. Oct. 2011. Web. 26 Apr. 2012.

• Hampton, Keith; Sessions, Lauren; Merlow, Cameron. Why Most Facebook Users Get More Than They Give. Pew Research Center, Internet and American Life Project, Feb 3, 2012.

• Inbound Marketing: A Cut Above Outbound for Social Media Marketers. Business 2 Community. 17 Apr. 2012. Web. 27 Apr. 2012. http://www.business2community.com/marketing/inbound-marketing-a-cut-above-outbound-for-social-media-marketers-0165092

  • Male, Bianca. The 6 Real Benefits Of Using Social Media For Business. Business Insider, 14 Apr. 2010. Web. 01 May 2012. http://articles.businessinsider.com/2010-04-14/strategy/30067056_1_social-media-open-forum-building-links>.

 • Mashable.com

• More than 13 Percent of Americans Use Twitter. Deluxe Small Business Blog, 3 July 2011. Web. 04 May 2012.

  • 2012 Economic Profile. San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce • San Luis Obispo County Tourism Industry Analysis. SMG Strategic Marketing Group and Dean Runyan Associates, released September 24, 2008. Study commissioned by the Economic Vitality Corporation

  • Stelzner, Michael A. 2012 Social Media Marketing Industry Report. Rep. Social Media Examiner, Apr. 2012. Web. 1 May 2012.

  • Sutton, J., Palen, Leysia, and Shlovski, Irina. (2008). Back-Channels on the Front Lines: Emerging Use of Social Media in the 2007 Southern California Wildfires. Proceedings of 2008 ISCRAM Conference. Washington, D.C..

  • Tsukayama, Haley. Your Facebook Friends Have More Friends Than You. The average Facebook user has 245 friends. The average Facebook friend has 359 friends. Washington Post, Feb. 3, 2012. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/your-facebook-friends-have-more-friends-than-you/2012/02/03/gIQAuNUlmQ_story.html

  • Technorati.com

• Twitter.com

Work Cited:

• http://www.seomoz.org/blog/a-peek-under-the-hood-how-we-manage-the-seomoz-communityhttp://www.seomoz.org/blog/why- every-marketer-now-needs-a-google-strategyhttp://www.stonetemple.com/real-time-quality-score-with-frederick-vallaeys/

• http://support.google.com/places/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=7091

• http://www.youtube.com/t/press_statistics

• http://juliasegal.tumblr.com/post/16019804182http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2124899/SEO-for-Google-Profiles-and-Pages•

• http://www.copyblogger.com/google-plus-content-marketers/•

• http://adage.com/article/the-media-guy/facebook-makes-52-sharing-web/231528/•

• http://www.wihphotel.com/mag/2011/when-social-media-for-hotels-works/•

• http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/30306/Facebook-Launches-Customized-Calls-to-Action-for-Apps.aspx•

• http://searchengineland.com/googles-results-get-more-personal-with-search-plus-your-world-107285•

• http://www.travelclick.com/press/releases/index.cfm•

• http://blog.milestoneinternet.com/education/webinar-top-10-marketing-trends-2012/•

• http://mashable.com/2012/01/19/google-plus-search-upgrade/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign

About WhizbangWhizbang is a full-service marketing firm located in San Luis Obispo, CA. We deliver innovative and idea driven solutions for our clients’ brands through all B2B, B2C, B2G, B2P, P2P and all the other "2" acronym touch-points.

We would be happy to work with your property to help maximize your social media presence.

We invite you to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @whizbangideas.

805.594.1880 [email protected]