In this blog post, we explore why using Instastories for hostels is vital to promote your experience and attract potential guests.
The hostel industry has transformed over the last five years with the millennial ‘travel bug’ revolutionising the way businesses need to communicate with their target audiences. The combination of growing guest expectations, huge technological advancements and a rise in competition means hostels need to do more to inspire travellers and attract them to stay.
It’s no longer enough to post a pretty picture on a social media platform a couple of times a week in order to attract potential guests. Millennials are seeking experiences and they expect to be able to see what a hostel can offer them that nowhere else can prior to booking. If you are not doing this, you are at huge risk of losing bookings, income and people coming through your doors.
This is where Instagram and InstaStories come in.
Instagram is the world’s most popular visual content sharing app, providing the perfect opportunity for you to showcase the beauty of your hostel and destination to potential guests. The social media platform is one of the most effective ways of reaching a wider audience of young travellers with the app experiencing a 375% rise in millennial use since 2013.
InstaStories are photos and videos that play as a slideshow and disappear after 24 hours. They allow you to show a more ‘human’ side of your brand and your hostel. Your target audience are looking for personal and authentic content and using InstaStories is a great way to achieve this.
InstaStories should be at the top of your social media priority list because:
1. THEY ALLOW YOU TO SHOWCASE YOUR HOSTEL EXPERIENCE
One of the best things about InstaStories is the spontaneity of the posts you publish. Whether it be an open mic night, a walking tour around the local area or simply a buzzing atmosphere at the daily happy hour, InstaStories allows you to post raw and authentic posts which show off the experience travellers could have if they choose to stay with you.
2. YOU CAN BUILD A RELATIONSHIP WITH POTENTIAL GUESTS
As we mentioned above, InstaStories gives you the opportunity to show a much less polished side than the photos you post on your Instagram profile which allows you to inject more personality into your Stories. This means your followers and potential guests will feel like they can get to know you and are therefore more likely to firstly interact online with you and secondly, book their stay!
3. FOLLOWERS CAN SEE EXCLUSIVE ‘BEHIND THE SCENES’ SHOTS
One of the biggest draws for travellers to stay at a hostel is the sociable side – so show the people behind the screen who are running your place on a day to day basis. InstaStories offers the opportunity to share those ‘in the moment’ shots that might otherwise not be featured on your social media platforms. Maybe your receptionist has a quirky way of checking people in or your housekeeping staff just love to sing while keeping the place sparkling clean – share behind the scenes shots and show the ‘human side’ to your hostel.
4. YOU CAN GET CREATIVE
InstaStories allows you to make the most of your creative side (and if you don’t have one, don’t worry, that’s what emojis are for!). There are a number of different camera features including ‘slow motion’ and ‘boomerang’ as well as tools to add text, shapes and graphics to your post so get experimenting and see what looks good.
5. YOU’LL RECEIVE VALUABLE FEEDBACK
Instagram has released two features; one that allows users to vote on a poll and choose between two options and another that lets users express how they feel using a sliding scale. This is a great opportunity to get your followers engaged with you while receiving valuable feedback which you will be able to analyse and use to improve in the future. If your followers feel like they are being listened too and that you care, they will be more likely to remember this and choose your hostel to stay at.
6. MORE PEOPLE WILL SEE YOUR CONTENT
InstaStories are fast becoming the most popular features on Instagram, with over 300 million daily users viewing them. Placed at the top of the screen, a lot of users now go to Stories first therefore if you are not using them, you are losing out on followers heading from here to your profile. This means you are missing the opportunity to guide potential guests to your website.
7. YOU CAN PROMOTE YOUR DESTINATION
InstaStories are basically an extension of who you are and are a great way of showing how to experience your destination when travellers come to visit. Promoting the place you are in is a vital factor when marketing your hostel therefore use Stories to share local events, markets or tours to inspire guests to plan a visit. An important factor for travellers aged 18-30 is the ability to live like a local so show off your best local secrets. Provide valuable content which will peak users interest before they tap away somewhere else.
So, these are a few of the reasons why InstaStories are a valuable tool to market your hostel online. Producing authentic, interesting and informative content on your Stories allows you to boost your brand, build relationships with potential guests and inspire travellers to book a stay at your hostel.
Using Stories but struggling to get results? Drop us a message and let’s chat about how to improve and get the results you want.
