What do Instagram, Flickr, Pinterest, Tumblr and even Facebook have in common? They’re all predominately visual sites, which use photos and video as their key source of content. Crucially, this content isn’t supplied by the brands, but by the users’ themselves who want to share their lives with others around the world.
Visual media isn’t only extremely popular; it’s pretty easy to create, too.
Here are some tips and tricks to help you make great visual based content that connects with your guests, widens your reach and drives bookings.
1. Show Off Your Best Facilities
Share images of your most inviting rooms, interesting places in the local area and new facilities you’re excited about. Don’t forget to include a brief paragraph with the photo, describing the image and why you’re so excited about it. This enthusiasm will rub off on your guests too.
2. Show Off Your People
This one is intimidating to some, but very good for increasing guest engagement. It’s likely that the idea of forging ongoing relationships with repeat guests is an integral part of your business plan, so share photos of your staff and introduce the world to the friendly faces behind your property.
3. Close-Ups Win Clicks
On most of these sites, members will see your images as a small, thumbnail-sized box first, so it’s important to make sure that whatever you’re photographing fills the frame and is clearly visible, even at a much smaller size. In the case of your staff photos, for example, a close-up shot of your receptionist will generate far more clicks than a wider shot of someone sitting at a desk.
4. Lighting Matters
Lighting can make or break the success of a photo, but you don’t have to spend a fortune on expensive studio equipment to get it right.
Here are 3 simple tips for making the most of your available light:
- If you’re photographing a room, switch on the overhead lights, even if it seems adequately lit without them.
- When taking a picture outside, try to position yourself so the sun is behind you, but your subject is facing the sun.
- For inside shots of people, position yourself so you have your back to a well lit window and place a floor lamp close to the subject.
5. Add a Call To Action
Each time you share a new piece of visual content, be sure to include a call to action to drive your guests to ‘like’ it, share it, or click-through to your website. These CTAs don’t take long to put together, and are vital if you don’t want your guests to simply admire the great image then move on. Every time someone hits the ‘Like’ button, that activity gets shared with their friends, family and followers too, giving you the opportunity to be discovered by their wider network.
Do you share visual content with your guests on social media? Let us know in the comments below.