Opinion #culture
Read time: 03'37''
6 April 2021
How hotel brands can show gratitude in a period of social distancing
Fl © Nathan Cowley

How hotel brands can show gratitude in a period of social distancing

A pandemic could bring the world to its knees and affect the hospitality, tourism, and restaurant/food service industries, as we have seen with COVID-19. Before such situations, we could travel to any place of our choice anytime without any restrictions. But things changed as guidelines were in place to ensure that the virus did not spread. Social distancing measures were in place, and people had to either follow the rules or stay at home.

How is the tourism and hospitality industry coping? How are they keeping up with their clients, knowing that without them, their businesses would crash? If you are in any of these sectors, the best way to keep your customers coming back is to show appreciation or gratitude as much as you can. The creativity that you put into customer relations will determine whether they keep coming back.

Below are some of the ways your hotel brands can show gratitude in a period of social distancing.

#1 Send out gratitude and support emails

Social distancing has made it difficult for friends, families, and colleagues to meet up at their favorite spot for a delightful time like the good old days. Hence, people are depressed and wish they could go back to previous years.

To help lift their mood, you can send emails expressing your support and concern. First off, thank them for their patronage in the previous years. Express your concern about the current state of things and how you hope they are safe and in good health. Also, encourage them to stay strong during these difficult times. Sometimes, that is all your customers need to get through a difficult day.

#2 Entertain your clients through blogs and social media

First off, blogs are a great way to drive traffic to your business website. It enhances communication with clients or customers, especially during this COVId-19 pandemic. Since people are bored out of their wits, they are constantly surfing the net. You can have your content team come up with interesting and entertaining articles.

#3 Try videos

People consume more visual content these days because they are more fun and engaging. It’s the reason why we have lots of YouTube content creators. And since most people are currently at home, they have more time to watch videos online. Why not use this to your advantage?

Your content team can come up with video scripts about your product, services, and feedback you have gotten so far. You can as well include messages telling your clients how much you value them.

Once the scripts are ready, you can shoot, edit the videos, upload online and send out the links to your clients, either via email or social media.

#4 Host virtual events

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been using fantastic applications like Zoom, Skype, and Houseparty. With large gatherings being discouraged this period, why not do it virtually? You can organise themed parties that will include some live music performances, contests, and tutorials. Your creative team should handle this and plan these activities. You can even team up with an essay writing service which will help free up time for your students’ demographic to enjoy your parties.

Once everything is set, you can design graphics, post them on your social media platforms to notify your clients and customers of the upcoming party. To build anticipation and make it more entertaining, you can do a countdown until the event date.

#5 Use hashtags

A hashtag is one of the strategies businesses use to attract new clients and build their online presence. With hashtags, people can easily filter and discover related content in your industry. That way, they can stumble on your account, follow you and become potential clients.

Perhaps after hosting your virtual event, you can create a hashtag for it and encourage your followers to use it. You can as well bring up any activity like contests or giveaways to boost engagement. In addition to that, you can ask your followers and clients to post pictures they took at your hotel using a particular hashtag.

#6 Do giveaways

A giveaway is an ideal way to show appreciation to your clients. You can do it via social media. Tell your followers and potential clients to accomplish a particular task and choose random winners.

You can as well organise contests with prizes for different categories. Such contests can include stuff like, “write my research paper” which can be about the hotel, giving testimonials about an experience with the hotel and so on.  You can also create a customised hashtag for the giveaway with clear rules and thrilling rewards.

One strategy is to ask your customers to share their special moments on social media. The person with the highest likes or comments wins a prize.

To sum up

It will take a while before the tourism and hospitality industry recover from the losses occasioned by any pandemic. But the good thing is, there is always a way to measure up. With effective content marketing strategies, you can reach a wider audience and build relationships that can be used to your advantage. These tips discussed above will help you engage and communicate with your clients, ensuring that they stay with you even after the pandemic.

Frank Hamilton has been working as an editor at write my dissertation review service. He is a professional writing expert in such topics as blogging, digital marketing and self-education. He also loves traveling and speaks Spanish, French, German and English.

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