Ready to take your Instagram game to the next level? Our BCV Hashtag Playbook is here to help! Packed with insider tips and best practices, this guide will show you how to use hashtags to boost your visibility and engagement. Whether you’re looking to align your hashtags with your brand goals, tap into trending keywords, or measure their impact, we’ve got you covered. Download BCV’s Hashtag Playbook now and start seeing real results on your Instagram!
Forget “follow for follow” and “like for like.” The Instagram game has changed, and luxury hotels need a new playbook to stay ahead of the curve. But fear not, hoteliers, for this post, is your cheat sheet to navigating the new algorithm and showcasing your dazzling destinations to a captive audience.
So, the burning question: Does your meticulously curated feed still hold weight?
According to Statista, 36.5% of travelers said they used social media to find travel inspiration or ideas. The trend is more prevalent among young travelers. About 60% of Generation Zers and 40% of Millennials report they use social media for travel purposes.
Many of these travelers might plan entire trips around specific destinations or activities they found on social media — especially if they saw it on their favorite influencer’s profile. Instagram and Facebook are especially influential platforms — 46% of Gen Z travelers say Instagram influences their travel decisions, while 50% say Facebook.
Gone are the days of a single, monolithic Instagram algorithm. Today, it’s a complex, ever-evolving beast with different ranking signals for each surface: Feed, Stories, Reels, and Explore. Think of it as a multifaceted jewel, each facet reflecting a different aspect of your brand.
Feed: Still your digital storefront, but its purpose has shifted. It’s about reinforcing existing connections with your audience, showcasing the best of the best from your content library. Think of it as a curated highlight reel, not just a chronological timeline. The feed includes content from accounts you follow and new-to-you accounts the platform thinks you’ll like. The feed aims to get you caught up on the “best content published” since you last opened the app. Ranking signals include your past feed activity (including content formats and topics you tend to like), information about the post (like popularity and how other accounts have engaged with it), information about a given account (including how often they’ve posted recently and how others have engaged), past interactions with the author on all types of content.
Stories: The ephemeral playground where authentic, engaging content reigns supreme. Prioritize interactions and behind-the-scenes glimpses to build deeper bonds with your followers. IG prioritizes content that’s most likely to make users engage (i.e., making informed guesses and serving you content from people that you consistently view stories from, your history of engaging with the account’s stories, the pattern of interactions of their other types of content, etc.). Stories include content from people you already follow, so it’s there to reinforce those connections with people and brands you already have a relationship with.
Reels & Explore: This is the entertainment arena where freshness and virality are king (and queen). Experiment with video formats, collabs, and trending topics to reach new audiences and spark wanderlust. This part of the algorithm focuses on new-to-you accounts that Instagram thinks you’ll enjoy– primarily from an entertainment perspective. The algorithm considers how you’ll probably interact with the content based on past activity. When ranking Explore posts and reels, the algorithm considers how likely you are to like, save, or share a post based on your past activity.
Pros for Luxury Hotels:
Focus on Beautiful Content: Your stunning locations, opulent amenities, and unparalleled service are natural Instagram magnets. This algorithm plays to your strengths, rewarding high-quality visuals and engaging experiences.
Tap into Entertainment: Don’t just showcase perfection; create immersive experiences through Reels featuring sunset cocktails, chef masterclasses, or spa treatments.
Reach New Audiences: Partner with influencers and experiment with trending topics to broaden your reach beyond existing followers.
Deeper Connections: Stories offer a platform for authenticity and interaction, fostering stronger bonds with your audience.
Types of content to favor:
Video content still trumps all other content formats on IG! Also, consider that Carousels receive the highest engagement rate (a key ranking signal in the algorithm). User-generated content remains one of the top-performing content formats and has become a must for the hospitality industry. UGC is a great way to find new, original content, serve as a testimonial of sorts, and provide a layer of authenticity to followers (i.e., usually unstaged, not professional or branded imagery).
Cons to Consider:
Beyond the Feed: Success now requires mastery of multiple formats, not just a perfect feed.
Algorithm Nuances: Understanding the different ranking signals for each surface is crucial for targeted content creation.
Constant Adaptation: The algorithm is constantly evolving, so staying informed and flexible is key.
Authenticity Matters: Overly promotional content or inauthentic trends can backfire, so focus on genuine storytelling.
Types of content that are disadvantageous
Overly promotional content – users primarily want to be inspired and entertained. While content can occasionally be informational and promotional, we recommend saving these posts to stories or ads, which hold a clear CTA and link to book. Irrelevant trendy or viral posts that are inconsistent with the brand are viewed as “trying too hard”. For format, Landscape imagery is much easier to scroll past. Consider that 92.1% of internet usage happens on mobile phones. That means you want your content to take up as much vertical real estate as possible to engage users.
Good news! Your unique selling points are inherently Instagrammable. This algorithm rewards the very things that make your hotel special, providing fertile ground for creative and engaging content.
Think beyond the picture-perfect poolside pose. Create immersive experiences through Reels showcasing sunset cocktails on the rooftop, Michelin-starred chef masterclasses, or breathtaking spa treatments. Partner with influencers to offer unique perspectives and tap into their reach.
Remember:
Consistency still counts: Post regularly, but mix it up with formats and topics.
Analyze your insights: See what stories and Reels resonate most, then replicate their magic. Pinpoint what made them perform so well. For Reels, check to see which ones reached the most non-followers, which means it was likely served on the Explore or Reels feed. Through IG insights, you can see which posts of yours reached users from the Explore feed as well.
Entertain, don’t just sell: Focus on creating captivating content, not just pushing promotions. Keep content creation top of mind to make your brand stand out– this includes creating original content and creating content that resonates with your audience.
Encourage “Favorites”: Get your most loyal fans to add you to their “Close Friends” list for prime feed placement.
Grand Hyatt Baha Mar: Masters of Reels, vertical photos, and user-generated content. (https://www.instagram.com/grandhyattbahamar/)
The Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay: Diversifies content with videos, carousels, and collaborations, alongside stunning original visuals. (https://www.instagram.com/ritzcarltonhmb/)
So, is your Instagram feed still relevant? Absolutely. It’s just evolved into a multi-faceted platform demanding more strategic content and a deeper understanding of your audience’s desires. Embrace the change, unleash your creativity, and watch your luxury haven shine on Instagram’s ever-shifting sands.
The one thing that is constant in the social media marketing world is that it is always changing–and at a rapid pace. In recent months we’ve seen the launch of new platform Threads, a shift in TikTok’s product update allowing for text-only content, and a rebrand of Twitter to X. These three emerging trends are intertwined and can be seen as new threats to X. Analysts believe the rebrand to X (and doing away with all words associated with the brand, such as “Tweet”) wiped out billions in global brand awareness value. Did it also leave X vulnerable?
Threads and TikTok text might be a reflection of a consumer shift that is bigger than a single platform. Yes, they mimic the simplest of X posts. But another reason we’re seeing more of these simple posts is that people are consuming content at an accelerated pace. And brands can’t keep up. Businesses need to create more fresh content rapidly. Text-based posts are an answer. And the new Threads and TikTok shift are moving to fill that void too.
Even with the rise of text-based messages, video formats continue to rule. We’re well beyond YouTube, with Reels on IG, the incredible number of TikTok views, and the adoption of video across all platforms. Today, we live in a world where video consumption dominates the attention of consumers. The result has been the ongoing evolution of the types of videos and their formats.
The biggest change in the last few years has been the advent of short videos. Due to brief attention spans, the ideal video duration now falls within the range of 21 to 35 seconds–and getting shorter. By tailoring your videos to fit within this timeframe, you can boost completion rates, ensuring better absorption of your message and increased engagement.
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AI is becoming integral to the functionality and growth of social media platforms. AI integrations are enabling platforms to deliver more personalized, engaging, and secure experiences to users, while also supporting their business models through more effective advertising and data-driven insights. Below are some ways that social platforms are leveraging AI to shift their products and user experience.
Meta | Content Recommendation and Personalization: Meta uses AI algorithms to analyze user behavior, preferences, and interactions with content.
Snapchat | Ad Targeting: Snapchat’s advertising platform uses AI algorithms to deliver ads to users who are most likely to engage with them based on their behavior and interests.
LinkedIn | Job Recommendations: AI algorithms on LinkedIn recommend job listings to users based on their skills, experience, and job preferences.
Universally, platforms are leveraging AI to enhance the business, creator, and consumer experiences. Smart Feed and Content Recommendations personalize feeds, helping users researching luxury properties find the next layer of content on their journey. Also important for hotels, messaging, and chatbots suggest responses to messages and connection requests, which save users time and make communication more efficient. With much of the luxury travel global, Language Translation helps users communicate with people who speak different languages. And that’s just the beginning. Expect to see more features introduced at a quick pace. But also expect the expertise of humans to step into all of the AI-generated products to keep the content and conversations authentic.
Move over, Google. In 2024, we anticipate a persistent trend where social media platforms solidify their position as the primary and preferred search engines. Instead of keywords, Hashtags drive discovery by categorizing and organizing content, making it easier for users to find posts related to specific topics or interests. Or trends. Because the #hashtag is also an indicator of velocity that is important to those who want to see what’s hot.
When users click on or search for a hashtag, they’re presented with a feed of posts that include the trending content associated with that hashtag. This allows them to explore and engage with content that aligns with their interests, even if they don’t follow the account that posted it. Additionally, popular hashtags can increase the visibility of a post, as they may appear in trending or explore sections, reaching a wider audience and driving more discovery.
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The constant evolution of social media trends and products, and improved intelligence, has elevated the luxury social media experience. Consumers are served ever-more accurate information. They are guided through the journey, picking up details at every stop. Creating content in the current formats and connecting it to the consumption habits of your audience will let their discovery process lead to your property. Try a text-based post. Then tell the story in a video. And don’t be afraid to ‘hashtag hi-jack’ a trend that is relevant to your property or location!
BCV keeps a constant pulse on emerging consumer behaviors across the digital landscape to understand the impact on travel. Read more about the latest social media updates and trends in our August report.
When you have a video to share you have two options. First, you can post the same video on every channel. But that’s not very strategic. Instead, use the tools provided by each platform to customize your video and tailor it to what type(s) of video content performs best on those platforms.
Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter all have intelligent targeting. Additionally, let’s not overlook YouTube – since it’s a Google platform product, you can use target words to catch people during searches.
Expert Tip: Consider your target demographics when you are on the platform. That way you can prioritize for Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, etc., and the platform will do the segmentation.
Once you have some initial target numbers for your audiences, you can refine them by adding target words. For example, are you a beach resort targeting families? A boutique hotel in the countryside? The unique qualities of your property are rich keyword targets and allow you to put together versions of your video that match your target audience and the platform’s style. Want to take advantage of even more features to customize your video? Add some trending audio from TikTok or IG. Here’s an article on how to do that.
Sounds like a little extra work, and it is. But it is worth it. And here are some stats to encourage you to put some time into your video strategy.
66% of consumers report short-form video to be the most engaging type of social media content in 2022, up from 50% in 2020.
62% of users report increased interest in a product after viewing a related Facebook video.
91% of users watch videos on Instagram weekly.
43% of social media users watch Instagram Stories more than other types of video content on the network.
73% of businesses report acquiring new customers from an Instagram Story.
Instagram videos that are around 26 seconds long receive the most comments.
Media experts have predicted increased video content consumption for over a decade. And they have been right, with actual viewership numbers beating even the most aggressive projections.
In the luxury hotel industry, our data team has also seen a dramatic uptick. With Meta prioritizing video, BCV clients see a 31% lift in engagement from video & 12% increase in click-thru rate when a video is used in ads. When you customize a video for placement on multiple video platforms you get more mileage from the video and learn about all of your audiences.
Once again, there are two choices, and both involve choosing a target. If you’re like most properties, you have your core audience and your emerging audiences. Which of these audiences do you most want to be watching the video? If your priority for video is a Gen Z demographic, then you will focus on TikTok. Gen X watches videos on Instagram. And Boomers are mostly focused on Facebook. That said, if you want to straddle a couple of demographics, say, Boomers and Millennials, Facebook and Instagram are both owned by Meta and will be your best bet to easily reach those audiences with slightly customized video content.
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It is no surprise that each social network has unique video formats. Tik-Tok and Instagram videos should be in a vertical size. The ideal length is 15-30 seconds. Because these are short, you must catch users’ attention within the first 3 seconds, or you’ve lost them. Facebook is more flexible in its format, and videos can be a combination of horizontal, square, and vertical. For Facebook, the recommended length is 15-60 seconds. Just be sure you have enough story to cover 60 seconds.
As marketers, we put a lot of consideration into preserving and protecting our brands. But with video, those rules become more flexible. Big luxury brands like Waldorf Astoria and Four Seasons have shifted content to be more playful to attract Millennials. There are two reasons for that. First, Millennials spend more on travel than Boomers and GenX! Second, while these younger travelers love luxury, they don’t like things to feel stuffy. And Gen Z wants things even more relaxed in a luxury setting. Video is the perfect way to capture the mix of elegance and escape for these audiences. This slight shift in brand tone is especially important as these videos will appear on TikTok or IG, and they need to feel like they belong.
The power of video to connect with people has never been more accessible. Mastering a few simple tools provided by social media platforms makes customizing a video for different audiences totally doable. And if you need some tips on creating great video content, check out our instagram or give us a call!
Instagram reels are the hottest feature on the platform and allow users to create short, engaging videos set to music. There are a few key advantages of using Instagram reels for hotel social media marketing. They’re short and sweet. Reels are only 15 seconds long, so they’re perfect for busy social media users who need more time to watch a long video. And they’re easy to make. With Instagram’s simple editing tools, anyone can create a reel without any prior video editing experience, including adding filters, stickers, and text.
A considerable part of social media involves connecting through storytelling. We all understand it’s much easier to allow glimpses into a brand’s story with a video than a static image. You can take followers through a unique aspect of a property so that users feel like they see the property firsthand. They are not only reading the story but feel like they’re part of it. Video creates space for guests to see through a more personal lens. Static images trying to convey a story have to rely on lengthy captions that most followers won’t read, whereas a video can get that same message across and hold the user’s attention. It also allows brands to try a more creative approach that they may not be used to – it’s easier to test the waters for different strategies with video.
Instagram Reels are a bit different than TikTok because the trends don’t change as quickly. Typically a trend that has been on TikTok will show up on Reels two weeks later, giving us more time to go without posting. This time lets us approach video concepts by looking at the target demographic a property is trying to reach at that time, looking at what types of content are trending for that age group, and building concepts out from there.
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Knowing your audience and what they like to see makes coming up with creative concepts much easier. I like to use BCV’s trend decks to see how I can implement them into video concepts. I will also spend a lot of hours looking at TikToks, commercials, reels, and YouTube videos to try and understand how I can turn those into short clips that may fit a hotel. Trends are incredibly ever-changing, but you can usually pick out something similar between all of them, whether that be an emotion they’re trying to convey, the way they tell a story, the transitions between video clips, etc. After you watch enough trending videos, you start to see a template and how you can mirror that for your own properties and goals.
You have the concepts. You have your talent, crew, and locations. Now it’s time to get as much great footage as possible. When on a shoot, we tend to try and build out at least 6 reel concepts before we go. The key is to capture content that can overlap with concepts and isn’t tied to just one. We try and capture vertical videos from each area of a property. With photos, you can capture 50 images of one scene in a matter of seconds. With video, the important thing to remember is to shoot the same scene from various angles so the content can be repurposed for different concepts throughout the year. We try to think of social media holidays and quarterly campaigns ahead of a shoot to ensure we’re getting videos that can be used for those as well.
Here are a few examples of how luxury hotels are using Instagram reels. I hope they inspire you to swipe through these and other reels in search of great ideas that can be used to promote your property and attract new guests.
This reel celebrates the property being nominated for Conde Nast Traveler–with a strategy of encouraging votes. To showcase the location, we used footage from multiple shoots to differentiate the angles and models. To amp up the prestige, we included shots of previous awards. Having amazing amenities like the private infinity pool inspired a creative drone shot that literally put this production over the top!
We created this First-Anniversary reel by jumping on a TikTok trend to showcase the property. Just because a brand is luxury doesn’t mean it is “above” trends happening in the now. The concept here pulls together drone and close-up footage from shoots and edits them to a trending soundscape. We wanted more engagement and we knew that the sound, paired with the quality image, would get that.
While Mugen has its own page, we highlighted the restaurant on ESPACIO’s Instagram. The strategy was to highlight each unique aspect of the restaurant in a chronological format. We wanted users to feel like they were seeing an up close and personal, first-hand look at what goes into a dining experience at Mugen before they click book on their reservation.
The media landscape is evolving faster than ever. Every few months (or weeks), a new wave of products, tools, and strategies rolls in, and the tide is always high. Hotels now have the opportunity to deploy a multi-tiered approach to their social strategy, allowing frequent communications across multiple channels.
You may have read that the amount of time spent on Instagram has decreased since 2020. However, large numbers of users continue to join the platform. Because time spent has decreased, it’s critical to be strategic when planning your content. Your content mix should include a healthy combination of video and static images. Defining your content pillars will help Meta find your business’s correct place within the algorithm. Since users are closing out of Instagram faster than they have in the past, boosting your posts to push them to the top of the feed is imperative.
Facebook continues to be a great place to market your hotel. The cost of advertising is the lowest among social platforms, and the targeting capabilities are the most extensive. While your target market may no longer be posting to their Facebook feed, that doesn’t mean they’re no longer using the platform. Facebook communities continue to grow YoY. Whether it’s a group for a popular podcast or a neighborhood community, users are visiting Facebook for these pages and increasing opportunities for advertising.
While time being spent on Instagram has decreased, time being spent on TikTok is increasing. TikTok now leads all platforms in terms of time spent on it per day. Now is the time to define how your hotel fits into the TikTok world. Brands such as Hyatt and Auberge Resorts have recently joined TikTok, opening the door for properties to follow suit. TikTok prioritizes content that feels more authentic vs staged and polished. Successful hotel campaigns include short-form videos taken by associates giving tours of rooms. Partnering with influencers and/or creators is a great way to test the waters of TikTok.
The 3 must-haves to include in a social media scope of work:
Constant Content. All successful social media campaigns begin with strong content. A healthy mix of video and static images will help find your hotel’s placement within the social algorithms. Well-produced assets can lead to successful advertising campaigns, increased engagement, and discovery. This content is effective when captured by your social team but more effective when it is produced by professionals who are immersed in social content. Partnering with influencers and creators provides interesting creative and the added bonus of tapping into their following for increased awareness.
Cross-Channel Customer Service. As you prioritize customer service while guests are within the walls of your hotel, you also need to prioritize across social platforms. Every platform your hotel is present on should feel like an extension of the quality of service received on property. As you have associates available to guests 24×7, you also need monitoring of your social platforms 24×7. With that monitoring comes a game plan for how to address the results of monitoring with guests. That thread ending with a ‘Thank You’ goes a long way to increasing trust for your brand.
Actionable Advertising. All of the most beautiful content in the world won’t achieve your marketing goals if it’s not being seen by anyone. It’s vital to dedicate advertising funds to your social strategy. As the purchase funnel tells us, awareness is the first step to conversion. It is also important to remember to keep paid campaigns changing–not stagnant. Paid media for hotel social media and social commerce is not a ‘set it and forget it’ situation. There are always opportunities to revise and increase returns and a good plan incorporates evolution.
With budget season upon us, what should hotels be considering for the coming year? As much as we’d love to see all partners try every aspect of social media, the biggest thing to consider going into 2023 planning is your larger marketing objectives. Everything being done on social should be an extension of the efforts being made internally. We recommend keeping Facebook and Instagram as your core platforms, with supplementary platforms added in as they fit. Setting aside funds for additional video production is key going into next year. Strong content is always the first step to achieving all your social media goals. Because the reason your customers go to social media daily is because they crave fresh content. Always Be Communicating, and your brand will always be compelling!
If you’re into optimizing your hotel’s social media strategy, you know there are always one or two things you wish the social media networks would do. We found a couple of handy new features you might not be aware of that help build engagement.
Check out the overview here, and if you want to dive into the pro section, follow this link to our insights section.
As always, if you want to discuss these features or other items on your luxury travel marketing wishlist, experts are just a click away.
Add Yours stickers are a new form of engagement for Instagram Stories. While previously interactive opportunities on Stories circled back to the original user, this addition starts a chain reaction in which anyone can participate and share their unique content. Rather than simply answering a poll or asking questions, users are prompted to whip out their own cameras or sort through their photos to find and post.
Add Yours are easily integrated, especially when tested on temporary Stories posts to understand how it fits best with your brand. Read more about Add Yours here.
Collab posts are a new feature that allows users to co-post both regular feed posts and Reels. The advantage to this – rather than having the Content Creator post it alone – is that the engagement will count towards the brand’s profile page as well. For example, if a brand with a small Instagram following co-posts with a Micro-Influencer with 100k followers, the brand will see unseen engagement on that particular post.
These posts will show up identically on both profiles and will share engagement, likes, and shares. This way of posting expands the users’ reach and visibility, as the two accounts “share” a following in this moment. In addition, Collab posts can add a level of validity to brands that partner with Content Creators, as it displays a higher level of investment by the Creator than if they had simply tagged the brand in a post. Learn how to post a Collab in our Insights section.
Travel brands have the opportunity to maximize these two features to build community on their social platforms and engage new audiences. So what are you waiting for? Learn more in Insights.
When it comes to deciding which social media channels to really master, the learning curve of new features has to be part of the decision. The right match of your content to the channels where your audience lives is critical. Fortunately, Instagram has some content creators’ features that work nicely for hotel social media posting. The Add Yours sticker and Collab posts offer ways to boost engagement and build community within the platform and are relatively simple to integrate within a content strategy. Here’s a closer look into each:
Add Yours is a way for users to jump onto trends and share their own photos and experiences; the best Add Yours are relatable, curiosity-peaking, and spark inspiration. The feature allows users to start a content thread surrounding a common prompt (the sticker). The original user can add the sticker and type a caption that requests their viewers to share their own photo response with the sticker attached, which then starts the cycle over again on the new user’s Story.
Add Yours is a way for users to jump onto trends and share their own photos and experiences; the best Add Yours are relatable, curiosity-peaking, and spark inspiration. The feature allows users to start a content thread surrounding a common prompt (the sticker). The original user can add the sticker and type a caption that requests their viewers to share their own photo response with the sticker attached, which then starts the cycle over again on the new user’s Story.
All users, even those who did not participate, can simply see who participated in the Add Yours chain by clicking on the sticker. Brands who initiate an Add Yours chain can therefore see each user who participated. Likewise, other users may tap through who participated and notice which brands shared a photo in the trend. Users can also view all photos added to the chain, creating seamless brand awareness opportunities through user-generated content.
For example, a travel brand may add an Add Yours sticker to a photo and ask, “share your favorite vacation memory.” Once posted, users can click the sticker on the post and add a photo of their choice before posting it on their own story with the sticker attached, automatically prompting their followers to do the same. The brand may then go in, click on the sticker, and view the submissions of each user who participated in the Add Yours.
Add Yours stickers are a new form of engagement for Instagram Stories. While previously interactive opportunities on Stories circled back to the original user, this addition starts a chain-reaction in which anyone can participate and share their unique content. Rather than simply answering a poll or asking questions, users are prompted to whip out their own cameras or sort through their photos to find and post.
Add Yours are easily integrated, especially when tested on temporary Stories posts to understand how it fits best with your brand. Here are a few options to get started:
Participating in Existing Add Yours – Posting under Add Yours that are already circulating can be a simple way for brands to integrate this feature, as well as jumping on a trend that has already caught significant momentum.
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Creating Original Add Yours – Brands can also start their own Add Yours chains by crafting their own prompts and posting it to their Stories. This can be taken in many different creative directions, and brands may choose to add these posts to their highlights for ephemeral use.
Ask users to share their favorite memory with your brand – This prompt creates many opportunities to find UGC and content to re-share on the owned brand account.
Prompt users to share their “favorite resort attire” – This is a specific example, but choose a prompt that makes sense for your property and individual assets. The goal here is to have users digging through their photos for the perfect picture.
Creating an Add Yours sticker thread from the beginning is simple. Follow the steps below to get started:
Select an image to share via Stories, then click the sticker options
Select the Add Yours sticker, and type in your desired prompt
Post your final version in the same manner as your other Stories
Instagram designed Collab posts to boost community with the goal to streamline collaborations between two users. Collab posts are a new feature that allows users to co-post both regular feed posts and Reels. These posts will show up identically on both profiles and will share engagement, likes, and shares. This way of posting expands the users’ reach and visibility, as the two accounts “share” a following in this moment. In addition, Collab posts can add a level of validity to brands that partner with Content Creators, as it displays a higher level of investment by the Creator, then if they had simply tagged the brand in a post.
Here is an example of how the Collab would appear as a post vs a Reel:
The advantage to this – rather than having the Content Creator post it alone – is that the engagement will count towards the brand’s profile page as well. For example, if a brand with a small Instagram following co-posts with a Micro Influencer with 100k followers, the brand will see unseen engagement on that particular post.
Your brand can expand audience reach by Collabing with…
Influencers – Creating a Collab post with a Content Creator has the potential to introduce your brand too large, new audiences who look to the Creator for purchase inspiration. Anywhere from nano influencers to celebrities can work with this feature, depending on your goal.
Industry Leaders – Partnering with leaders in your brand’s niche travel industry can place your brand in front of the correct audience for your goals.
Posting a Collab is as simple as tagging someone in a post, and the process is nearly identical. To collaborate with another account, simply draft the post as normal and then tap “Tag People” under the post description. Then select “Invite Collaborator,” where you will be prompted to search for the account you wish to co-post with. After this, proceed to post the post as usual, and the other account will be asked if they would like to accept the Collab post. They can accept/decline at their leisure, although the post will proceed to be live on your account even before they choose.
These new additions by Instagram are an effort by the platform to be a source of inspiration and trend-building, and to deflect from the current trend leader – TikTok. Add Yours stickers and Collab posts are already providing brands with new opportunities to be exposed to new audiences. BCV sees both of these features as great sources of visibility for brands on the app with engagement opportunities alike. To integrate Add Yours stickers, begin by participating in an existing thread to test your audience sentiment and engagement rates. For Collab posts, consider testing with a Content Creator to spark engagement from their existing audience. Travel brands have the opportunity to maximize these two features to build community on their social platforms and engage new audiences.
Pinned posts are incredibly valuable to marketers looking to prioritize a message on their Instagram channel. Specifically, you get to pin 3 in-feed posts so they live at the top of your Instagram grid. The only catch is that these pinned images can only be previously shared images or Reels. So how do you determine which posts are pin-worthy?
With the rise of the impulse travel trend, users want all of the information to make an informed travel decision readily available. These 3 posts will be the first your audience sees when visiting your page, which means these posts should also be: 1, eye-catching, 2, irresistible and 3, informative. That is a lot to get into one Instagram post. Maybe that’s why they let you pin 3 of them up top.
Another great thing about pinned posts is that you’re not “pinned down” on one strategy. In fact, because you can switch them out at any time, you can always feature the posts that are the most reflective of your current content and messaging.
IF YOU’D LIKE TIPS ON THE BEST PINS FOR YOUR INSTAGRAM, ASK AWAY!
Pinning posts about the amazing events you have planned once at the top is more effective than hammering a bunch of repetitive posts. This is a simple way to avoid overwhelming your followers’ feeds.
And since you can change pinned posts at any time, simply unpin the post after the event has passed and it will fall back into its original spot on your grid. Here are a couple of creative posts that worked nicely to promote via pin without any tacky feed overload:
If your hotel is in a seasonal destination, utilize pinned posts to generate excitement around visiting during a specific time of year. This could include destination photos or on-property holiday imagery around seasonal activations. You get to feature any post from any time, so make sure to look at your past posts for the seasonal winners. Chances are those posts will work again, especially when put next to a couple of more recent posts or messages in your tryptic of pinned posts.
For a hotel with beautiful landscape or 360 views, one photo just isn’t enough sometimes. Utilize the pinned post feature to expand your single-image amongst 3 tiles so that users get more of a full view.
Property overview videos provide a well-rounded view of a hotel or resort. Pin the video to the top so that users can gain a strong understanding of your property right off the bat without having to scroll. As you know, video performs well for the travel industry. Pinned video is an excellent use of two hotel social media super powers.
The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain
We trust by now you get the point. Pinned posts are a quick and easy way to put together a 3-part story and share it from your most prominent position. The three can be a combination of any previous posts, which also has the advantage of not having to create new posts, get them approved and so on. Last but not least, there is zero technical proficiency required. Happy pinning!
