There is nothing like video in the hospitality sector when it comes to engaging your audience, capturing their interest, and persuading them to stay to see how your brand’s story develops.
Despite these apparent advantages, the 2022 Content Marketing and Visual Storytelling Survey, released by the CMI, finds that while 73 per cent of marketers believe video has become more crucial in the past year, 88 per cent of respondents said they weren’t utilizing video to its full potential, and 86 per cent claimed their video marketing efforts provide ordinary or below average outcomes.
Of course, there could be many reasons for this subpar performance. For example, without a video strategy to direct the team’s efforts, they’ll struggle to produce the appropriate content for your audience and effectively gauge performance.
However, a plan can only go so far in improving your brand’s video performance.
Before we look into ways to improve your video performance, let’s look at how to use video in hospitality marketing in 2023.
- Promotional videos: Create short, visually appealing videos that showcase your hotel, resort, or vacation rental property. These can be used on your website, social media channels, and online travel agencies to attract potential guests.
- Virtual tours: Use video to give potential guests a virtual tour of your property, including the guest rooms, common areas, and amenities. This can be particularly helpful for travelers unable to visit in person.
- Customer Testimonials: Use video to showcase real customer experiences and testimonials. This can help to build trust and credibility with potential guests.
- Behind-the-scenes content: Create short, engaging videos that give viewers a behind-the-scenes look at your property. This can include everything from the hotel’s daily operations to the local attractions and activities available in the surrounding area.
So how to make video a successful element in your content marketing strategy?
In a recent article for the CMI, Jodi Harris considers four ways to improve the performance of your video content. She suggests that in this crowded space, creativity wins.
The video sector is becoming more competitive by the minute. According to the B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Insights for 2023 survey from CMI, 75 per cent of marketers developed or utilized video (of all durations and forms) in the previous year. However, short articles/posts (89 per cent) came out on top as the most preferred format.
Video is expected to be the most invested area in 2023, with the majority of marketers (78 per cent) wanting to invest resources and budget. This is followed, according to research, by events (60 per cent), paid media (59 per cent), owned media assets (69 per cent), and social media (57 per cent).
Given the competition, marketing teams must be innovative to make their films stand out. Otherwise, your audience might never find them, let alone decide to interact with them.
Harris has identified four top tips for producing successful videos:
1 Create a personally resonant hook
There are countless videos online (an estimated 800 million on YouTube in 2022 alone). Therefore, you must divert viewers’ attention away from competing content to persuade them to watch yours. One option is to concentrate on subjects that are more directly related to the interests and passions of your audience. Other examples include:
- Identify Your Target Audience: Start by understanding your target audience, their needs and interests, and what resonates with them emotionally.
- Focus on Emotion: The key to creating a personally resonant video is to tap into your audience’s emotions. Focus on telling a story that will evoke emotions such as happiness, excitement, or relaxation.
- Highlight Unique Features: Highlight the unique features and services your hotel or resort offers that set it apart from others and make it memorable. This could include a focus on sustainability, local culture, or a special package or offer.
- Showcase the Experience: Show, not just tell, what it’s like to stay at your hotel. Use engaging visuals and captivating narration to transport viewers to the experience of staying at your hotel.
- Leverage User-Generated Content: Encourage guests to share their experiences at your hotel through user-generated content, such as reviews or video testimonials. This helps to create a sense of authenticity and personal connection.
- Make it Personal: Make the video personal and relatable by using real guests, employees, or local community members as the focus of the story. This creates a sense of connection and adds a personal touch to the video.
- Use Music: Music can be influential in creating an emotional connection with the audience. Choose music that complements the video’s mood and reinforces the message you want to convey.
2 Go above and beyond what’s expected
Give your audience something they wouldn’t expect to see from your company at all. For example:
- Utilizing 360-degree technology to give viewers an immersive virtual tour of the property and its surroundings.
- Incorporating time-lapse photography to showcase the transformation of a hotel room or the construction of a new property.
- Partnering with local artists, photographers, or videographers to showcase the culture and lifestyle of the area.
- Incorporating animation, motion graphics, and special effects bring a property’s story to life and capture its unique character.
- Creating a video series that showcases the staff, their personal stories and the behind-the-scenes workings of the hotel.
- Use drone footage to showcase the hotel’s location, surroundings, and attractions.
- Adding interactive elements such as quizzes, polls, or games engages the audience and encourages them to share the video.
- Creating 360-degree virtual reality experiences to give potential guests an interactive experience of the property and its facilities.
3 Repackage and rethink your video engagement
When the COVID pandemic was at its worst, many firms moved their in-person interactions with customers online. However, you don’t have to stop using Zoom meetings and online conferences just because live events are once again available.
Integrate the real-world and virtual worlds so that your audience can use the finest of both worlds at their convenience. Other examples include:
- Turning a property tour video into a series of short clips that can be shared on social media, with each clip highlighting a different aspect of the hotel or its facilities.
- Re-editing an existing promotional video to create a series of 15-30 second ads that can be published on social media and other platforms.
- Taking existing customer testimonials and creating new, shorter testimonial videos with a different focus or theme.
- Repurposing older promotional videos by updating them with new footage, music, and updated branding.
- Creating a video highlighting seasonal promotions, packages, or events at a hotel.
- Recutting existing footage to create a video showcasing the resort or hotel’s history and evolution over time.
- Creating a video that showcases the hotel’s sustainability initiatives, such as eco-friendly practices or local conservation efforts.
- Turning a video tour of a hotel room into a 360-degree virtual reality experience that can be accessed via a VR headset or online.
4 Alter perceptions to advance a vital purpose
Harris concedes that while your video content won’t make the world a better place, it may dispel myths impeding the objectives of your audience or your company. For example:
- Storytelling: Use the power of storytelling to show how your hotel is making a positive impact in the community or how it is working to support sustainability and environmental initiatives.
- Highlighting Employees: Showcase the employees at your hotel and their dedication to providing outstanding service while emphasizing the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusiveness.
- Showcasing Community Involvement: Share how your hotel is giving back to the community through charitable initiatives, volunteer work, or partnerships with local organizations.
- Emphasizing Unique Features: Highlight the unique features and services that your hotel offers, such as locally-sourced food and drinks, environmentally-friendly practices, or cultural activities.
- Creating a Series: Consider creating a video series that focuses on a specific aspect of your hotel or the industry, such as sustainable tourism, responsible travel, or the importance of supporting local communities.
- User-Generated Content: Encourage guests to share their experiences at your hotel through user-generated content, such as reviews or video testimonials, to show the positive impact your hotel is having on people’s lives.
- Virtual Tours: Offer virtual tours of your hotel, highlighting the environmentally-friendly practices, sustainability initiatives, and unique features that set your hotel apart from others.
Only when it stands out for viewers to notice can video content educate, amuse, inspire, and engage audiences. If you are looking to produce top-notch videos for your brand without a high-ticket price tag, then check out the video production services of Inside Hospitality Solutions. Call the team today.
Source: Jodi Harris – Content Marketing Institute
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