Video: the most powerful hotel marketing tool?

There have been big developments across social media this year, with the major platforms all moving fast to serve changing user behaviours. TikTok, with its emphasis on highly watchable, short-form video content, has been a significant disruptor, becoming the most downloaded app worldwide. There’s no denying that 2022 has shaped up to be the year of the video for content marketers, so if you’re still exploring the trend for your hotel brand, here are some things to note.

The stats say it all

Consumption of video content is at an all time high. According to Mackenzie Bromley, Director of Social Media at MMGY Global, “Consumers, on average, spend about 323 minutes per week watching video content, and that is on mobile phones alone”. They also generate more engagement than static posts: 58% of consumers trust brands that have video over those that do not. 

The potential for hotel and travel brands is limitless. Booking travel is by and large an emotional impulse, not a necessity, so the ability to ignite wanderlust depends largely on how well brands can tell a story. Video draws on more of our senses, and is a powerful memory aid – crucial for carving out mindshare in a highly competitive market. Per one study, destination marketers have found that video has performed beyond expectations, with 75% of social media users taking action after viewing video content. Static media can’t compete with the immediacy and immersive nature of a feeling captured in motion.

Use UGC

The rise of video has forced brands across the spectrum to think more creatively. It takes more planning than simple text and images, and possibly more resource, though the latter doesn’t always have to be the case. In fact, a clear turn-off for today’s consumers is overly polished and edited brand content. The use of UGC (user-generated content) to supply your calendar is not only cost- and time-efficient, it’s better for engagement: 80% of travellers agree that it increases confidence in making travel decisions. Such is the power of social proof and authenticity.

Get on TikTok

If you haven’t already, consider making TikTok a part of your social media strategy for 2023. As a home for entertainment, rather than a social app, it is rapidly maturing as a space for brands to connect with audiences at a scale not really seen on other platforms. Small Luxury Hotels has recently leaned in to TikTok’s polish-free, candid content style, adopting a “behind the scenes” approach to “showing our beautiful hotels from a guest’s perspective”. TikTok reports that 92% of users globally take action after watching a TikTok video, with the greatest success resulting from those that feel most native to the platform. More on that over here.

Understand Gen-Z

While they might not be your primary target audience, they are the fastest-growing travel market and are set to wield huge influence in the coming years. The way that Gen-Z consumers interact with brands is quite different to that of their Millennial and Boomer predecessors; they want to be moved, inspired, seen and involved in a brand’s story. Google revealed that 85% of Gen-Z have posted video content online, and 90% have watched a video that helped them feel like they were in a different place. Consider how to make this perpetually plugged-in (and thus easily jaded) cohort feel an emotional connection through your content.

What might seem like a challenging medium is actually an opportunity to have some fun. Video eases some of the pressure on brands to achieve perfection with every post – and that's how we see some of the most creative and engaging work come through.