The 2012 Market Metrix Hospitality Index found that location was the most important factor for travelers when deciding on a hotel to stay in. It’s easy for ad executives to write on a brochure or webpage that their property is located in sunny Phoenix to attract travelers from the Midwest and Northeast during the winter months. But showing time-lapse video of a desert sunrise or kids playing in an outdoor pool on Christmas Day would close the deal instantly.
A 2013 survey by video advertising firm BrightRoll found that 75 percent of marketing executives believe online video marketing is more or equally effective than television advertising. 91 percent said the same of video compared to display ads. Despite these results, only $4.14 billion was spent on producing and disseminating online video ads in 2013, while television marketing generated $66 billion, according to an analysis by eMarketer.
Hotels can use YouTube to both increase sales and market their brand to nearly one billion unique users who visit the video-sharing platform every month. Here are three tips for marketing executives starting their YouTube campaigns from scratch.
Video Tours
Hospitality marketing firm Lodging Interactive found in a survey earlier this year that prospective customers are 67 percent more likely to book a room after viewing a virtual tour. However, DJ Vallauri, president of the company, stated in a press release that video saturation necessitates that marketing executives create compelling, entertaining, and informative content to differentiate their productions and convert prospects into paying customers.
One way to capture the full attention of viewers is by using 360-degree panoramic shots. These types of videos used to require expensive equipment and hours of editing. But today they can be filmed from smartphone cameras with simple attachments or an app. These wide-angle views are shot from the center of the room and pan around, showing everything from the bed to the bathroom entrance.
The basic concept for creating panoramic videos is taking several overlapping shots and splicing them together. You could also hire a freelance videographer if you’re not comfortable shooting the footage yourself.
Keywords & Titles
A great video production will be useless if prospective customers cannot find it. Of course, all finished productions will be embedded on your website. But customers visiting your city in the coming weeks may take to YouTube and search for tours of rooms by location. That is why keywords are so important.
Use the Google Keyword Planner to determine how to title your videos effectively. This tool compiles historical data to determine the effectiveness of certain words when queried in search engines. Additional tags should include the city and state, along with your brand name, street, and zip code.
Make your video descriptions as detailed as possible. If the video shows a suite rather than a single room, ensure that this is clearly articulated. Discuss room service, media options, and shuttle service as needed. The description should also include links to your website and social media channels, as well as a phone number for direct contact. Reply to customer comments as necessary, particularly those with negative feedback. This shows that your hotel cares about what customers think and will only increase the chances that leads will actually book a room.
Just In Case
YouTube is reliable and powered by the Internet’s most influential search engine, Google. However, all of your work should still be backed up and ready for re-publishing if your channel is interrupted for any reason. Use a cloud backup service to make your files accessible to the entire team at a moment’s notice. Upload your finished videos to other platforms as well like Flickr and Veoh to maximize search engine optimization.
Cisco estimates that nearly 80 percent of all Internet traffic will be in the form of video by 2018. It behooves business-savvy hoteliers to incorporate video into their overall marketing campaigns sooner rather than later.
