By Anne Sweeney
Of course you’re on LinkedIn. Any hotelier not working the desk at the Bates Motel is part of the world’s largest professional network with 300 million members and still growing strong. You may even be a Premium Member with enhanced access and 500 contacts plus. But are you using LinkedIn to maximum effect? Quite possibly, you’re not.
LinkedIn is about promoting not just your own professional brand, but your property. Even if your hotel is part of a major company, LinkedIn can be an important tool in positioning your hotel and driving business to your specific property. In this era of multiple brands within a brand, this becomes increasingly important. For independent hotels, a strong LinkedIn presence can raise your profile and position your property as a leader in the area.
Creating a LinkedIn Business Page just for your hotel is simple and cost-effective. Setting it up is free and LinkedIn offers a number of optional marketing programs and upgrades that are free or reasonably priced.
A LinkedIn profile of your property should serve as a helpful source of factual information – it’s not the place for a hard sell. Rather, it is a reference point for conference planners, tour operators and travel consultants. Meetings professionals use social media to research sites and staff members. They want to know who they will be dealing with and identify any mutual connections. Their informational needs are expanding and go beyond the facilities of the hotel to encompass facts about the destination, including restaurants, recreational facilities, transportation options, entertainment, shopping and tour operators. These prospective guests use Smart Phones and I-Pads to access information and communicate, so your website and LinkedIn profiles should be mobile responsive, that is, viewable on a variety of devices.
Mentoring to Make the Most of LinkedIn
There is another aspect of LinkedIn that is often overlooked and one that can be an important asset or a significant deal breaker. And that is the profiles of your staff that bear your company name. If a prospective client researches your staff and finds a sloppy, out-of-date profile and an inappropriate photo or one of those generic might-be-a-serial-killer pictures, this does not inspire confidence.
Are your employees playing by LinkedIn rules and using best practices? They may not be aware of some of the rules such as not spamming contacts or misusing the introductions features. Policies change, new products and apps are introduced, more opportunities, such as blogging are added. It’s important that managers and staff be aware of these changes and be sure they are utilized.
Technical changes in social media also demand that each team member be up on new features, apps and using LinkedIn and other social media in conjunction with Smart Phones and I Pads for maximum impact. At minimum, each employee’s LinkedIn Profile should contain a live link to the company LinkedIn Page.
“It’s a manager’s job to provide support and direction to a sales team,” says Brian Fedorowicz, Regional Director of Sales and Marketing at Destination Hotels. “In the Internet Age, that means much more than teaching sales skills.” Younger team members who might be take a more informal approach to social media, need guidance in what is appropriate in terms of content, photos, and brand positioning, Fedorowicz asserts.
“Effective use of Social Media is a key part of mentoring” says Fedorowicz. And, it’s an area where the mentors can learn much from the mentored. “The most successful managers realize that mentoring works both ways,” he says. “There are younger people coming into our industry who are technically skilled and see no limits to what technology can accomplish. It’s our job to direct that knowledge and energy in a positive fashion.”
That means keeping up with the latest technology, remaining open to new information and ideas and recognizing that each member of your team can teach you something. Brian Fedorowicz’s mantra is “If you think you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re not.”
