Crises may feel like the last time to mix up your brands’ messaging and creative. Yet a pandemic like COVID-19 may actually be a great time to come up with fresh new ideas–as long as you do it safely. Though hotels and resorts would do well to avoid coming across as tone-deaf, publishing imagery and creative that’s fresh, fun, and uplifting can actually cut through the COVID-19 clutter.After all, you can only read so many CNN articles about new developments with COVID-19 before a photo of a colorful landscape paired with well thought out copy is a welcome break in your feed. Hotels and resorts are uniquely positioned to develop this type of content because travel is near the top of everyone’s wish list–especially when they’re compelled to stay at home. Bring a little lightness to your COVID-19 content with our tips for generating new creative and sharing it with your audience.
ASK YOUR AUDIENCE
Utilize interactive posts like polls, questions, and trivia via social media to ask guests past, present, and future what they’d like to see from your brand.Check out this example from Hotel 50 Bowery.
- After, you will have a better sense and understanding of what will resonate with users, and what creative content ideas to pursue moving forward.
- Ask check-in questions, such as “How are you staying motivated?” We love this example from Adobe
- Ask for a favorite entree/cocktail from your F&B outlets. This is your signal to provide at-home recipes + drinks. (see more ideas below)
SHARE WITH YOUR AUDIENCE
Offer value to your hotel’s community in real life - while providing value to your brand's social community online. It’s easy to forget that hotels and resorts are often cornerstones of their local communities. That’s why sharing supportive stories can be an effective content pillar for properties. Consider sharing news about or promoting local community partners and posting about ways you are giving back to your community. Don't forget inspirational imagery that induces nostalgia or a desire to travel when this is all over.
- You can showcase local/small businesses in your neighborhood and community.
- We like the angle of highlighting 1-5 businesses each time.
- The Source - Denver, CO
- Hotel 50 Bowery
- Planoly
- Showcase sources/people of inspiration to and within your community: We're loving this spot from Adobe - highlighting women of inspiration
- Highlight philanthropic initiatives Hotel Revival - Baltimore
- Craft aspirational posts utilizing verbiage such as "Dreaming of..." "Looking forward to..." or inciting nostalgia.
- Promote virtual visits: movies to watch for a mini-vacation, podcasts/book recommendations about your destination, online tours for local museums are a few great ideas to start!
- Share tips, tricks, and how-tos:
- Tips :
- On Working-From-Home
- How to practice self-care at home (get your spa involved!) How to make a simple scrub or facial using ingredients you can find at home
- Employee Playlists You can share these via Instagram stories! There is a massive library of music to share socially. Share pictures of your property with a song that accompanies the mood or pictures of team members with a snippet of their picks.
- Zoom backgrounds/other helpful work inspiration, using travel photography that inspires
- Check out Gray Malin's how-to
- Phone backgrounds to inspire
- Focus on your team:
- Great read from Ad-Age
- Create content for an employee of the week/month -- another way to humanize your hotel during sensitive times like these. You could also combine this with “podcast, movie, etc.” recommendations from your team as well as supporting small businesses and using shareable templates. Another great shout out to Hotel 50 Bowery
ASK YOUR AUDIENCE TO SHARE
You’d be surprised by how many locals are in your audience. During a crisis like COVID-19, these are your people. Ask them what they’re loving about your destination, whether that’s a restaurant, a musician, or even a street mural. Great things to ask locals to share:
- Their favorite community partners/local businesses: Prompt them to screenshot and re-share templates like these on their own social channels
- Their “#WFHview”
- Their favorite memory from a past trip This will incite nostalgia and get them excited for their next trip
- Their favorite thing to do at local hotels or dishes to eat at local restaurants
Crises may feel like the last time to mix up your brands’ messaging and creative. Yet a pandemic like COVID-19 may actually be a great time to come up with fresh new ideas–as long as you do it safely. Though hotels and resorts would do well to avoid coming across as tone-deaf, publishing imagery and creative that’s fresh, fun, and uplifting can actually cut through the COVID-19 clutter.After all, you can only read so many CNN articles about new developments with COVID-19 before a photo of a colorful landscape paired with well thought out copy is a welcome break in your feed. Hotels and resorts are uniquely positioned to develop this type of content because travel is near the top of everyone’s wish list–especially when they’re compelled to stay at home. Bring a little lightness to your COVID-19 content with our tips for generating new creative and sharing it with your audience.
ASK YOUR AUDIENCE
Utilize interactive posts like polls, questions, and trivia via social media to ask guests past, present, and future what they’d like to see from your brand.Check out this example from Hotel 50 Bowery.
- After, you will have a better sense and understanding of what will resonate with users, and what creative content ideas to pursue moving forward.
- Ask check-in questions, such as “How are you staying motivated?” We love this example from Adobe
- Ask for a favorite entree/cocktail from your F&B outlets. This is your signal to provide at-home recipes + drinks. (see more ideas below)
SHARE WITH YOUR AUDIENCE
Offer value to your hotel’s community in real life - while providing value to your brand's social community online. It’s easy to forget that hotels and resorts are often cornerstones of their local communities. That’s why sharing supportive stories can be an effective content pillar for properties. Consider sharing news about or promoting local community partners and posting about ways you are giving back to your community. Don't forget inspirational imagery that induces nostalgia or a desire to travel when this is all over.
- You can showcase local/small businesses in your neighborhood and community.
- We like the angle of highlighting 1-5 businesses each time.
- The Source - Denver, CO
- Hotel 50 Bowery
- Planoly
- Showcase sources/people of inspiration to and within your community: We're loving this spot from Adobe - highlighting women of inspiration
- Highlight philanthropic initiatives Hotel Revival - Baltimore
- Craft aspirational posts utilizing verbiage such as "Dreaming of..." "Looking forward to..." or inciting nostalgia.
- Promote virtual visits: movies to watch for a mini-vacation, podcasts/book recommendations about your destination, online tours for local museums are a few great ideas to start!
- Share tips, tricks, and how-tos:
- Tips :
- On Working-From-Home
- How to practice self-care at home (get your spa involved!) How to make a simple scrub or facial using ingredients you can find at home
- Employee Playlists You can share these via Instagram stories! There is a massive library of music to share socially. Share pictures of your property with a song that accompanies the mood or pictures of team members with a snippet of their picks.
- Zoom backgrounds/other helpful work inspiration, using travel photography that inspires
- Check out Gray Malin's how-to
- Phone backgrounds to inspire
- Focus on your team:
- Great read from Ad-Age
- Create content for an employee of the week/month -- another way to humanize your hotel during sensitive times like these. You could also combine this with “podcast, movie, etc.” recommendations from your team as well as supporting small businesses and using shareable templates. Another great shout out to Hotel 50 Bowery
ASK YOUR AUDIENCE TO SHARE
You’d be surprised by how many locals are in your audience. During a crisis like COVID-19, these are your people. Ask them what they’re loving about your destination, whether that’s a restaurant, a musician, or even a street mural. Great things to ask locals to share:
- Their favorite community partners/local businesses: Prompt them to screenshot and re-share templates like these on their own social channels
- Their “#WFHview”
- Their favorite memory from a past trip This will incite nostalgia and get them excited for their next trip
- Their favorite thing to do at local hotels or dishes to eat at local restaurants
