HOTEL  SOCIAL  MEDIA  MONITOR  2012    

INCREASING    Hotel  Profitability  

From  Revenue  by  Design  and  in  Associa@on  with  RateGain  

Why the survey ?

To understand how hotels are resourcing, managing and tracking programmes

To assess engagement in social media programmes

To assess the level of investment and ROI in social media

To understand governance guidance and support for programmes

How seriously do we take social media?

EXPERIENCE  Length  of  experience  working  with  social  media  

Fully  involved  32%  

About  an  average  amount  34%  

Experimented,  but  not  much  

30%  

None  at  all  4%  

Which  of  these  phrases  would  best  describe  the  extent  of  your  company’s  acQvity  in  social  media?    

The  range  of  experience  with  social  media  indicates  that  hotels  are  evenly  split  however  34%  sQll  have  liSle  or  no  experience  in  the  use  of  social  media  

More  hotels  have  been  chaTng,  for  longer……  

Half  of  respondents  have    less  than  1year’s  experience  working  with  social  media.  This  is  similar  to  last  year  and  the  propor@on  with    more  than  2  years  experience  is  growing;  once  hotels  are  in  –  they  remain  in.  

Just  started  within  the  last  3  months  

About  6  months  

Between  6  months  and  1  year  

Between  1  and  2  years  

More  than  2  years  

0%   5%   10%   15%   20%   25%   30%   35%   40%   45%  

How  long  have  you  parQcipated  in    social  media  programmes?  

2011  

2012  

HOW  IS  SOCIAL  MEDIA  MANAGED?  Who’s  responsible?  Do  we  out-­‐source?  Which  departments  are  involved?    

68%  

8%  

24%  

Who  manages  your  social  media?  

Someone  in  my  Company   We  give  it  to  a  third  party   We  use  both  

Social  Media  is  predominantly  managed  in  -­‐house  Most  social  media  is  managed  in  house,  with  only  6%  giving  responsibility  in  its  en@rety  to  a  third  party.  However  a  quarter  seek  services  from  outside,  and  this  propor@on  is  growing  as  skills  become  more  specific  to  each  channel  

Over  half  of  hotels  have  no  senior  level  sponsorship  

This    reflects  the  lack  of  maturity  of  Social  in  the  industry  and  its  level  of  importance  in  the  eyes  of  senior  management    Lack  of  senior  management  involvement  results  in  unregulated  programmes  and  a  significant  risk  for  the  property  and  the  programme  manager  

Yes  48%  No  

52%  

Do  you  have  a  Social  Media  Sponsor  at  Board  or  Director  Level?  

Hotels  are  shiYing  more  people  on  to    social  media.    2012  sees  investment  in  more  people  (more  than  1  person)  to  support  programmes.    This  reflects  cross-­‐departmental  involvement  plus  an  increased  emphasis  on  the  importance  of  social  media.    This  year  also  sees  the  introduc@on  of  more  specific  Social  @tles  such  as:  •  Digital  Marke@ng  Manager  •  Content  and  Community  

Manager  •   Social  Media  Manager      

29.6%  

51.9%  

9.3%  9.3%  

43%  

34%  

17%  

6%  

How  many  people  are  involved  in  social  media  management?    

1  person  

Between  1  and  3  people  

Between  4  and  6  people  

More  than  6  people  

2012  

2011  

MarkeQng  takes  ownership,  but  many  more  are  involved  Social  Teams  have  mushroomed  over  the  past  12  months.  In  2011  overall  ownership  was  difficult  to  establish.    2012  sees  social  media  demanding  effec@ve  partnerships    across  departments  and  outsource  partners  contribu@ng  specific  skills  to  support  new  Social  channels  

Digital  Mkg  Agency  

PR  Agency  

Ad  Agency  

Marke@ng  Consultancy  

SEO  Company  

Social  media  Consultancy  

None  of  the  above  

0.0%   5.0%   10.0%   15.0%   20.0%   25.0%   30.0%   35.0%   40.0%   45.0%  

Third  Party  Outsource  Partners  

Sales  Marke@ng  

PR  RM  

Res  FO  

Exec  Team  Management  

Head  Office  Other  

0.0%   20.0%   40.0%   60.0%   80.0%   100.0%  

AddiQonal  Departments  involved  

GOVERNANCE  &  GUIDANCE  What  support  is  given  to  those  responsible?  

In  the  wrong  hands,  and  without  safeguards  social  media  is  high  risk    Many  hotels  have  not  shored  up  their  risk.  Almost  half  of  those  surveyed  had  no  formal  governance  place  offering  guidelines  for  those  responsible  for  placing  social  media  posts.  This  propor@on  rises  to  almost  60%  having  nothing  in  place  to  guide  employees  in  their  use  of  social  media  whilst  an  employee  of  the  company.  

Yes  41%  

No  57%  

Don't  know  2%  

Governance  for  staff  on  personal  use  of  social  media  whilst  an  employee?  

Yes  46%  

No  47%  

Don't  know  7%  

Governance  for  staff  on  Social  Media  usage  whilst  responsible  for  posts?  

Yes  

No  

Don't  know  

   Social  media  exposes  the  whole  organisaQon  –  staff  are  not  being  fully  prepared    

62%  of  respondents  have  no  formal  training  in  place  for  social  media  management;  lack  of  training  has  got  some  companies  into  very  hot  water.  Training  skills  focus  on  brand  reputa@on  management  answering  ques@ons  correctly  and  applying  the  right  tone  of  voice  to  post  management  

Yes  38%  

No  62%  

Don't  know  0%  

Do  you  train  staff  on  how  to  use  social  Media  networks  

Yes  

No  

Don't  know  

27%  

27%  

26%  

20%  

What  type  of  training  is  offered?  Tone  of  voice  

How  to  answer  ques@ons  

Escala@on  of  customer  service  issues  

Tool  to  manage  media  streams  

STRATEGIES  &  THEIR  MANAGEMENT    Strategies  used  by  brands  and  independents  to  manage  social  media  

Technology  is  a  key  enabler  of  communicaQons  between  brand  and  hotel    

Just  over  half  of  brands  surveyed  allow  their  hotels  to  follow  a  local  strategy  and  the  remainder  took  a  more  central  brand  driven  approach.  Brands  use  technology  to  support  management  of  communica@on  between  proper@es  and  cascading  brand  specific  messages    

Overall  strategy  

Tools  to  manage  strategy  and  cascade  messages  between  brand  and  property  

Training  

Governance  over  brand  reputa@on  

control  

No  formal  strategy  -­‐  we  communicate  as  

necessary  

0.0%   10.0%   20.0%   30.0%   40.0%   50.0%   60.0%  

What  measures  are  used  to  control  social  media  at  brand  level?  

How  do  we  strategically  plan  for  Social  Media?    2012  sees  a  greater  focus  on  budge@ng  for  social  media  but  ac@vi@es  remain  tac@cally  oriented  with  less  focus  on  formalised  strategies  than  in  2011.  Social  Media  agencies  gained  significant  influence  in  2012  over  2011  

We  have  a  formal  strategy  that  is  agreed  by  our  management  

We  have  a  propor@on  of  our  annual  budget  set  aside  for  social  media  management  

We  plan  and  invest  in  our  ac@vity  on  a  

project  by  project  basis  

We  take  advantage  of  tac@cal  opportuni@es  

as  they  arise  

We  are  guided  by  our  social  media  agency  

None  of  the  above  

0%   10%   20%   30%   40%   50%   60%   70%  

2011  

2012  

What  are  we  trying  to  achieve  with  Social  Media?    Word  of  mouth  marke@ng,  guest  engagement  and  brand  awareness  feature  high  on  the  list  of  objec@ves  for  using  social  media.  Surprisingly  Hotels  are  not  yet  finding  a  way  to  transcend  the  dominance  of  Customer  review  sites  such  as  TripAdvisor    through  gathering  and  monitoring  customer  feedback.  There  is  more  realism  in  the  market  regarding  revenue  genera@on  in  2012  over  2011  

To  publicise  new  products  or  services  

To  generate  more  sales  leads  

To  monitor  customer  feedback  

To  gather  customer  feedback  

To  maintain  a  presence  within  this  space  

For  HR  and  Recruitment  

To  increase  awareness  of  our  brand  or  hotel  

To  generate  more  bookings  

To  engage  with  guests  

To  develop  our  word  of  mouth  marke@ng  

To  generate  referrals  

0%   10%   20%   30%   40%   50%   60%   70%   80%   90%   100%  

2011  

2012  

COMMUNITIES  &    MANAGEMENT  Where  are  we  focusing  efforts  in  Community  Management?    

Content  Development  is  maturing;  expanding  across  channels  Developing  user  generated  content,  company  blogs  and  running  promo@ons  are  primary  plajorms  for  user  engagement.  Video  is  increasing  in  importance  as  video  channels  grow  in  popularity.  Flash  sales  and  social  buying  sites  lack  the  same  level  of  alrac@on.  QR  codes  are  yet  to  breakthrough    

Wri@ng  of  a  Company  Blog  

Crea@on  or  management  of  user  generated  content  

Running  Compe@@ons  

Development  of  Mobile  Apps  

Development  of  Video  

Crea@on  of  QR  Codes  

Par@cipa@on  in  Social  Buying  sites  

Par@cipa@on  in  Flash  Sales  

Par@cipa@on  in  Auc@on  Sites  

0.0%   10.0%   20.0%   30.0%   40.0%   50.0%   60.0%  

What  acQviQes  are  we  engaging  in?  

MySpace  

Linkedin  Individual  Profile  

Linkedin  company  profile  

Twiler  

Foursquare  

Flickr  

Delicious  

Google  +  Business  Pages  

Google  Places  

Google  Hotel  Finder  

Facebook  

YouTube  

Digg  

StumbleUpon  

TripAdvisor  

0.0%   10.0%   20.0%   30.0%   40.0%   50.0%   60.0%   70.0%   80.0%   90.0%   100.0%  

Which  plaborms  are  we  using?  

2011  

2012  

Google  finding  its  feet  in  Social,  TripAdvisor  and  Facebook  remain  key  channels  TripAdvisor  and  Facebook  as  important  in  2012  over  2011,  Twiler  growth  significant  YoY.  Google  makes  its  debut  with  Google+  and  Hotel  Finder  

More  tools  are  used  –  but  hotels  sQll  struggle  with    Qmely  management  There  is  greater  use  of  technology  and  tools  to  support  automated  monitoring  of  interac@ons.  Use  of  brand  reputa@on  reports  has  increased  significantly  over  2011  to  support  customer  review  management.    Despite  this  it  would  appear  the  firehose  of  Social  remains  a  challenge  to  manage  with  hotels  struggling  with  @mely  responses    

Online  dashboard  

Pre-­‐set  messages  

Respond  within  a  specific  @mescale  

Manage  interac@ons  as  and  when  

Monitor  using  brand  reputa@on  reports  

Other  

0%   10%   20%   30%   40%   50%   60%   70%   80%   90%  

Administering  Campaigns  

2011  

2012  

Investment  Levels  for  2012  Social  is  growing  in  importance  from  a  budget  and  commitment  level.  Investment  levels  have  increased  in  2012  with  a  greater  propor@on  of  hotels  moving  into  significant  investment  level  compared  to  the  very  small  budgets  of  £1000  allocated  last  year.    

2011  Investment  Levels  

2012  Investment  Levels  

26.1%  

26.1%  15.2%  

13.0%  

4.3%   6.5%  

4.3%   4.3%  

Between  0-­‐1K  

Between  1k-­‐5k  

Between  5k  -­‐10k  

Btween  10k  and  25k  

Between  25k  and  50k  Between  50k  and  100k  Between  100k  and  500k  

40%  

24%  

15%  

12%  

3%   3%  

3%  

0%  

Engagement  with  CommuniQes  on  the  increase,  TripAdvisor  remains  focus  of  management  effort  Measurement  of  site  posts  and  comments  has  increased  over  2011,  reflec@ng  the  growth  in  use  and  and  engagement  in  community  sites.  Although  measurement  of  customer  reviews  has  decreased,    its  relaitve  importance  remains    

Customer  Reviews  about  our  hotel/s  

Customer  referrals  

Site  posts  and  comments    

SEO  Placement  and  keywords  

Travel  meta  search  engine  placement  

OTA  results  placement  

0%   10%   20%   30%   40%   50%   60%   70%   80%   90%   100%  

What  are  we  measuring?  

2011  

2012  

Authority  entering  slowly  into  mindset,  some  sQll  not  tracking    Brand  authority  and  integrity  is  a  key  factor  in  customer  engagement.  Measurement  of  authority  remains  small  across  respondents.    Emphasis  on  measurement  of  referrals  to  websites  has  decreased,  possibly  due  to  interac@vity  remaining  within  the  channel  of  engagement.  However  the  brand  web  site,  or  mobile  site  remain  the  key  transac@onal  site.    

All  comments  and  posts  

Posi@ve  comments  and  posts    

No.of  followers/friends  

No.  of  referrals  to  web  site  

Sales  

Authority  e.g.  Klout  

Online  brand  men@ons  

We  don't  measure  or  track  ac@vity  

0%   10%   20%   30%   40%   50%   60%   70%   80%  

How  do  we  track  success?    

2011  

2012  

CHALLENGES  What  are  the  immediate  challenges?    

NegaQve  Comment  management  and  Qmely  responses  key  issues  for  reputaQon  Hotels  are  now  clear  on  who  responds  to  posts,  although  response  management  in  terms  of  skills,  resource,  tone  of  voice  correct,  and  responding  in  a  @mely  manner  are  challenging.  Managing  nega@ve  comments  features  as  the  top  concern  

Responding  in  a  @mely  manner    

Managing  nega@ve  comments  

Right  response,  and  tone  of  voice    

Minimising  future  search  on  nega@ve  

comments  

Bona  fide  comments  vs  false  

Customer  Review  Best  Prac@ce  

Lack  of  resource  Iden@fying  review  sites    

Skills  to  manage  brand  reputa@on  

Ownership  of  response  

0%   10%   20%   30%   40%   50%   60%   70%  

Brand  ReputaQon  Issues  

Meaningful  business  objecQves  and  ROI  key  challenges;  once  defined  OK  with  achieving  

Pressure  from  management  to  do  something  is  understandably  not  an  issue,  considering  the  overall  lack  of  interest  from  senior  levels,  however    defining  meaningful  business  objec@ves    and  gesng  an  ROI  show  that  Social  management  is  growing  up  

Defining  meaningful  business  objec@ves  

Mee@ng  business  objec@ves  we  set  

Gesng  buy  in  from  management  

Pressure  from  management    

Re-­‐purposing  hotel  content    

Ensuring  a  seamless  response    

Iden@fying  return  on  investment  

0%   10%   20%   30%   40%   50%   60%   70%   80%  

Key  Challenges  in  Social  Media  Management  

2011  

2012  

RESPONDENT  PROFILE  Number  geography  and  hotel  type  

InternaQonal  Brand  Hotel  

NaQonal  Brand  Hotel  

Independent  Hotel  

RepresentaQon  Company  

City  Hotel  

Resort  Hotel  

Spa  Hotel  

Social  media  agency  

0.0%   5.0%   10.0%   15.0%   20.0%   25.0%   30.0%   35.0%   40.0%  

Who  took  part?  

"I  work  for,  or  represent  one  hotel  

30%  

 2-­‐10  hotels  

34%  

 11-­‐50  hotels  

21%  

 51-­‐100  hotels  

4%  

101  -­‐500  hotels  4%  

1000  and  above  7%  

How  many  hotels  are  you  responding  on  behalf  of?    

Europe  

Middle  East  

Africa  

North  America  

La@n  America    Caribbean  

Asia  

Oceania  

0%   10%   20%   30%   40%   50%   60%   70%   80%  

Property  LocaQon  

Summary Brand reputation a key driver

Overall social is in its formative years

Training and processes need to cover the entire organisation

Lack of board level support restricts investment and programme development

Robust processes and investment levels are increasing but have a way to go

Technology increasingly important to keep up

So, how seriously do we take social media? Thank you!

Contact – Ally Dombey

Revenue by Design www.facebook.com/revenuebydesign

http://Revenuebydesign.wordpress.com @revenuebydesign

ally@revenuebydesign.co.uk 07769 904076