Each week, we give you a run down of the latest news in the hostel industry and offering our insight (we can also provide a variety of GIFs for your entertainment, too!).
1. CAN FOMO HELP CAPTURE HOSTEL BOOKINGS?
“Around 69% of millennials experience FOMO, and 60% make reactive purchases because of it. In other words, they’ll but just because they feel they might miss out” – Source: Phocus Wire
“I’ve got major FOMO” is a phrase you might have heard before – especially as the speaker scrolls through their social media feeds! Recent stats show that more than half of people using social networks suffer from FOMO (aka Fear of Missing Out) and millenials – a key target audience for hostels – are particularly susceptible.
But how does this help hostels? FOMO can actually be used to boost bookings when promoting the experiences you offer online. As outlined in the quote above, millennials will make reactive purchases and decisions based on what their friends are doing – basically, if their friends are having a good time, they want in on the action.
So how can you create a sense of FOMO when promoting your hostel experience? Think about the different stages of the buying journey and how you can entice potential guests.
For example, before guests have booked their stay, the main focus is getting people there and creating anticipation for upcoming events and activities – you can do this by sharing offers and social media countdowns to drum up as much interest as possible. While guests are staying with you, try to show off what is happening to those who ‘missed out’ – you could do this by rewarding guests when they check-in on Facebook or share their snaps on social media. After your guests’ stay, encourage post-stay reviews & share guest photos of the event on your own online platforms.
2. ONLINE REPUTATION & INDUSTRY TRENDS TOP OF MIND FOR TRAVEL BUSINESS OWNERS
“Travel businesses are overwhelmingly concerned about their online reputations, as well as how well they’re equipped to meet a mobile audience, a new study from Trip Advisor shows. – Source: Phocus Wire
In the 2018 Hospitality Sector Report, 98% of respondents say online reviews are important and 92% cite their social media presence as vital in engaging with current or potential customers. This is great to hear because the modern traveller expects high quality social media content, quick and responsive replies to their online queries and the ability to get to know a hostel online before they book.
The report also found that 89% of hospitality business owners say they need to keep up with online marketing trends. Keeping up with the latest industry news is vital in order for you to stay up to date with what your potential guests want and expect. We know you’re busy and scouring the web for news is time consuming – that’s why we talk about industry trends and share hostel marketing tips in our fortnightly email newsletter (and you get a free downloadable hostel digital marketing guide when you sign up!).
Finally, 80% of respondents expressed the need to work with an online marketing service that fits their objectives – need we say more…
2. FACEBOOK PAGE ENGAGEMENT HAS DROPPED 50%
“Buffer found that, over the past 18 months, Page engagement has dropped by more than 50%. Despite Facebook’s encouragement to invest in more video – particularly live video – when it first announced its January algorithm change, the study found that images are the highest-engaged content type from Pages.” – Source: Hubspot
Since the algorithm change, businesses have struggled to reach their current or new audiences and achieve any kind of significant growth. Engagement has dropped by 50% in the last 18 months and is expected to drop further -however, this does not mean giving up on Facebook is the way to go. It’s time to get creative, develop your organic reach strategy and utilise the power of paid ads.
If you are struggling to get any joy from Facebook, don’t be disheartened – it’s not necessarily your content! Start out with a small budget and experiment with your paid ads. To start, head to our blog post that will give you 5 questions to answer before using paid advertising.
