Why your guesthouse needs to be on Facebook

Have you ever wondered why your guesthouse might need to be on Facebook? Are you afraid of opening a Facebook page or do you just not have enough time to manage it?

Facebook

I have found that guesthouses seem to have a very low presence on Facebook even after many seminars, blog posts and discussions on the matter. Reasons for this might be due to ignorance, social media incompetence, the lack of time (or effort), the lack of consistency, a lack of understanding with regards to the benefits of social media or just no interest in the matter.

Unfortunately, in our ever changing industry (and fast changing world) social media has become a necessity, as this is the main platform being used by customers to engage and interact with brands.

Your guesthouse (the brand) needs to think like your customer (the guests) and interact with them on a level they will understand through a medium / platform that is most convenient and user friendly for them. In order to do so, we need profiles and pages on at least Facebook and Twitter, as these are the main social media platforms from which guests plan their trips, do research on certain accommodation establishments, ask for quotations and more information and even book accommodation.

I believe these five reasons should encourage each and every guesthouse owner out there to immediately open (or re-open) a Facebook account:

1. It gives you a competitive advantage against other guesthouses who are not on social media.
2. It creates more awareness online for your brand as more people will be able to see your presense on Facebook.
3. It gives you the opportunity to share your story (which forms part of your brand identity) with your fans.
4. It gives your regular guests and other guests the opportunity to engage with you in a more convenient way than usual.
5. It shows that you are willing to adapt to your customer’s needs, which will encourage them to stay at your establishment rather than the not-on-facebook-guesthouse around the corner.

For assistance on starting your guesthouse’s Facebook page and for the basics of managing a Facebook page, book your Travelling Mystery workshop by contacting Renate on 082 336 1562 / enquire@travellingmystery.co.za.