Bars and pubs miss out on social media potential
A new study has revealed that an Australian hotel, bar or restaurant is tagged on Instagram every 28 seconds.
According to the study, 71 per cent of consumers make their purchasing decisions based on what they discover on social media.
But the report published by social media management platform Hootsuite found that only 20 per cent of venues are publishing daily content on Instagram and 45 per cent of those accounts are not engaging with their audience. Only four per cent of hotels, bars and restaurants actually engage with customers who tag their location on Instagram.
And these companies are losing business big time.
According to Hootsuite, brands engaging their audience on Instagram every 24 to 48 hours are perceived 20 per cent more positively by the market, driving customer retention.
And publishing social content every 24 to 48 hours also drives a 5 per cent uplift in TripAdvisor rankings and reviews.
Hootsuite maintains that 56 per cent of consumers prefer to engage with businesses online. And a lot of that is happening in the social media space with 35 per cent preferring to use that as the platform for asking questions.
Social influencers also play a role in building audiences.
Minor influencers, users with 1,000 to 10,000 followers, can drive as much as 87 per cent of post volumes for hospitality brands. Major influencers boost the volume of users talking about brands by 61 per cent.
Add to that a study by Edelman showing that 72 per cent of the general public trusts social media shared by friends and family.
“With more access to real-time information than ever before, the customer journey has evolved, and organisations need to think ‘digital first’ to meet and capitalise upon the expectations of the connected consumer,” Ben Mulligan, regional marketing leader, Australia and New Zealand, Hootsuite said.
by Leon Gettler, March 9th 2017
