Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 25 – How To Make Amazing Video Content
Video is an essential component of any hotel’s marketing strategy. In this episode we dig into some ideas for good content, practical tips, how to integrate the video into your site, how to distribute video on social media and even discuss the future of video.
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In The News
Awesome New Hawaii Promotional Campaign
https://www.tnooz.com/article/smile-please-personalised-travel-itineraries-based-on-facial-expressionsa/
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Show Notes:
First Off, Why Video?
- 75% growth in users posting facebook video in past 12 months
- 100 million videos viewed every day
- Youtube is the 2nd largest search engine in the world
- Video in the travel space (according to a Google 2014 study)
- 66% watched videos when thinking about taking a trip
- 65% watched videos when choosing a destination
- 54% watched videos when deciding which accommodation to stay at, and
- 63% watched videos when looking for ideas for activities at a destination
- In a recent study by Fuel, over 80% of people said that video influences their hotel decision
- YouTube reaches more 18-49 year-olds than any cable network in the U.S.
Must Have Videos for Hotels:
- Rooms and more rooms (Do I have people in the room shots?)
- Amenities (include people enjoying amenities)
- Facility (guided video tours work well)
- Lobby and street are not that important
- Drone shots are great if you’ve got the setting (Pete shares his love of the new GoPro Karma)
- Popular Area Activities/Venues
- Employee Interviews
- Guest testimonials
- Most importantly, consider that video must ADD to your visitors journey to becoming a guest. Self-serving fluff doesn’t help anyone.
When shooting video, consider:
- Lighting is critical
- Stage the scene and ensure the background is well-kept
- Stabilization/gimbal
- Sound Quality (especially outside)
- Maneuvering during the video (keep a clear path)
- Waivers/Permission if necessary
- Shoot in 4k
Social Tactics:
- 100 million videos watched on Facebook daily
- Get to the point – you have to grab follower attention quickly as they scroll
- Include subtitles – most videos are viewed with no sound
- Frequency is important – post videos on an ongoing basis, not one and done
- Get your guests involved – user photos and videos have a place on your site
- Go beyond Facebook – Twitter, Vine, Snapchat, Instagram, Periscope and more. Find out what hits your audience (BUT DO FACEBOOK WELL FIRST)
Live Video:
- This ties directly into your social campaign
- Facebook live has made massive gains in the market and our experience has shown it to be welcomed by fans
Practical Advice on Integrating Video into Your Marketing:
- Make video a feature on the site and specifically the home page
- Don’t overthink your video serving platform, Youtube works great and allows for an expanded reach of your content.
- Do you link to Youtube? – Pete says NO, send users to your video gallery instead.
- Always, always have an intuitive title and transcript
- Of our clients who have live web cams, these pages are consistently in the top page views on the site (make sure you’re converting them)
- Consider merging your photo and video galleries into one larger platform
- Find opportunity to generate user generated content and post on site
The future of Video
General Best Practices and Key Takeaways:
- Develop a video strategy and calendar
- It’s the little things that make a big difference
- Don’t go it alone, can you partner with area attractions, CVBs, etc?
- When creating video content for your hotel, your mantra should be: “Show, don’t tell.”
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Question of the week:
Amit Arora @Amit_0717 Sep 27
@FuelTravel with less than 20% open rates on emails, is email marketing still a better platform than direct mail for hotel marketing?
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Download the Fuel Leisure Travel Study at www.fueltravel.com/study
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@stuartbutler
@pdimaio
@pforiska
@marketingmeisha
Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to @_travelboom. Download our leisure travel study at www.fueltravel.com/study/.
