Best Practice
It's the Prestigious Venues Social Media Week 2019 (#PVSMW) and some of the world's best venues have the opportunity to share the top 3 things about their venue. If you are one of these venues, wondering how you can stand out, we are here to impart some advice and give some examples of the best performing posts over the last year.
3 Key Principles
1. Content
Content is king! Use rich content, such as videos - they show off your venue in the best light possible and help add character to the location. If, however, this is not an option, choose a photograph that is visually pleasing as social media really rewards such content.
E.g.in second place last year, with 538 likes on Instagram, Petroff Palace in Moscow (@HotelPetroffPalace) chose this stunning image of a wedding they hosted earlier that year. As you can see, it really shows off how elegant the hotel is. They also included 3 photos to show different angles and more of the hotel’s backdrop.
2018’s third-place winner, Round Hill Hotel, Jamaica (@roundhillresort) also fantastically displayed what they had to offer through photos - from a beach layout to a patio set-up, it shows the different types of event spaces available with their compelling seating options.
2. Hashtags
Use hashtags relevant to your post to boost exposure. On Instagram, for example, search your desired hashtag to check it is a used and searched for hashtag. Avoid using hashtags that are too popular as your challenge will be to rank high for a hashtag such as ‘#trendy’ as you have over 27.2 million posts to compete with. Use country or venue specific hashtags throughout. Of course, don’t forget to tag @PrestigiousVenues and use the feed hashtag #PVSMW so we can find you too! If you've been nominated in the Prestigious Star Awards, then also include #PrestigiousStarAwards
Last year, for example, Hotel Bristol Vienna (@bristolvienna) included hashtags such as ‘#ViennaGoForIt’, ‘#DiscoverAustria’, ‘#ViennaOpera’, and ‘#BestHotelVienna’.
3. Call To Action
Ask! As the saying goes, you never know unless you ask. Why beat around the bush? Instead, ask your followers to like the post! Not only will it help boost engagement for you, but they also stand to benefit as we are giving away a hotel stay to one lucky voter engaging with their favourite location. A win-win!
You can always add style and subtlety to your prompt. Take a look at how Palazzo Versace Dubai kicked off their #PVSMW this year! They also included several shots to show various areas of the hotel.
That's it. Use these key principles and get started now.
Identify the 3 best things about your venue, post it using #PVSMW and engage your network by commenting and interacting with their feedback.