Pinterest for Hoteliers

12 September 2017, 04:29 SAST

With the advent of social media has come an unprecedented and overwhelming choice of online platforms with which to advertise. And while it is necessary and even vital to have a presence on Social Media it is prudent to research the options carefully before deciding in which ones to invest. It’s not news that social media for business requires commitment and resources; both time and money. Many business owners overlook Pinterest in favour of Facebook but it’s interesting that new research indicates the visual nature of Pinterest means it’s especially favoured by travellers.

How does it work?
People use Pinterest to discover and save ideas such as recipes, renovation projects, objects they would like to buy, or places they would like to visit. Every idea is represented by a “Pin” that includes an image, a description and a link back to the image’s source online. When pinners like what they see, they have the choice to either save the Pin to their own boards or click on the Pin’s URL to learn more, shop or buy.

How to get started:
To create a Pinterest page for your hotel or tourism business, visit Pinterest for Business – business.pinterest.com/en.

How to make it relevant to your business
Consider the types of tourists you would like to attract, and what might interest them about your area. Post content on your site, share it on Pinterest, and try to get traffic from there to your website. If you post great pictures Pinterest has the potential to ignite the persons enthusiasm, some of whom may turn into one-time or long-term customers.

Pinboard ideas for hotels:

  • Local attractions and events
  • Nearby Restaurants and your own
  • Hotel photos
  • Your staff
  • Amenities
  • Spa
  • Travel tips
  • Local architecture and history
  • Travel quotes
  • Travel products
  • Travel luggage and packing
  • Customer experiences
  • Infographics about travel, tourism and hospitality industry

Some advantages of Pinterests

  • Pins have the advantage to go viral.
  • Over 80% of pins are re-pins, compared to 1.4% of tweets re-tweeted.
  • Available in 28 different languages to reach a large audience

Did you know?
Pinterest is a social media site used by over 200 million people globally.
It is the fastest growing website by overall member growth.

Here’s what the stats tell us:
79% of users are female
58% use Pinterest on a tablet
88% purchase a product they pinned
49% purchased 5 or more products they pinned