In an increasingly digital world, a professional Instagram profile is now essential for hotels that want to create a strong online presence and seize all the opportunities of the online world. Suffice it to say that there are over a billion monthly active users and that the average time spent on the platform is 2.23 hours per day.
A well-curated Instagram profile not only enables hotels to increase their brand awareness and showcase their hotel's strengths, but it is also an excellent tool to attract new customers: 27% of users say they use social media to find inspiration for things to do or buy.
Here are some practical tips to get the most out of your hotel's Instagram profile.
Before even starting to think about posts, it is essential to have a precise idea of the positioning and audience your hotel is targeting: these will be the fundamental starting points for creating content in line with the target audience. For example, photos of play areas, large families and dishes suitable for children are perfect for a family hotel, but not for a hotel that makes relaxation proposals its strong point.
This applies not only to the subjects of the photos, but also to the visual treatment in general: in the first case, warm and bright colours, playful fonts and rhythmic music would perfectly reflect the hotel's essence, while in the second case there should be a preference for photos with soft colours, minimal fonts and delicate or natural sounds as a basis for reels or stories. It is essential, once you have found the most suitable visual identity for your hotel, to always maintain visual consistency: even any posts that do not show the hotel but, for example, the surroundings, guests or additional services should always have the same style to create an orderly and pleasant profile that is able to communicate the essence of the hotel at a glance.
Instagram offers a variety of formats that can be used to create new and engaging content. Reels, short and engaging videos, are one of the formats that currently obtain the best performances and are perfect for "room tours", a very popular format where the interiors of the rooms are shown, but also to show the surroundings of the hotel or experiences that are organised by the hotel, such as boat tours, food and wine tastings or excursions.
Another option to show different angles of the room or parts of the hotel is to create a carousel, which collects up to 20 photos in a single post. Single images, on the other hand, are the best format for communicating offers, events or other information, using text and photos together, but also for capturing special moments or introducing hotel staff. Finally, stories are the perfect channel for more informal and everyday content. They can be used to communicate initiatives and offers, but also to show a taste of the hotel in real time, such as a particularly beautiful sunset, a new dish on the menu or other new item previews.
Hashtags and geotags are an effective way to increase the visibility of your posts. To make the most of this tool, you should include a combination of popular and specific hashtags for your industry and location in each post.
For example, you could match the hashtag with your hotel name to others like #boutiquehotel or #costaamalfitana. No need to overdo it: just five or six carefully selected ones. Another tip is to always add your hotel's position to posts and stories. This will help your profile to be found by those looking for specific locations, and also show the setting in which your hotel is located.
Instagram is a platform that rewards interactions, so don't just post content. Respond to comments, interact with followers in stories. Not only will this improve your page's engagement rate, helping you gain more and more visibility, but it's also a great way to build a stronger relationship with your customers.
Managing an Instagram profile for a hotel requires a good deal of creativity, strategy and, above all, consistency: one of the most serious mistakes for those who manage an Instagram profile is, in fact, posting only occasionally. If creating a content-filled calendar on a regular basis seems like a daunting challenge, relying on professional management of your hotel's social media profiles is the choice that suits you best.
