While all the large hotel management companies are now active on social media, the goals, methodologies and amount of staff dedicated to their social media outreach differ considerably.
Jumeirah Group, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is using social media to help turn its fans into lifetime advocates for Jumeriah Hotels & Resorts, something the company says brings a solid return on investment as well as provides an operational performance feedback and consumer research tool.
To find out more about how it is using social, HOTELS spoke recently with Terry Kane, director of digital strategy at Jumeirah Group. To see what other hotel companies doing on social, check out the special report on social media that will appear in the April print edition of HOTELS Magazine.
HOTELS Magazine: What is the primary goal of Jumeirah’s social media efforts?
Terry Kane: The primary goal of any effort that Jumeirah engages in, regardless of the marketing channel, is to provide additional value to the guest, brand advocate and brand/company. For our guests and brand advocates we do this by being thoughtful and generous with our messages, by providing them backstage passes to all the latest exciting news and developments. We are also culturally connecting our global fans and followers to the brand by communicating in their own languages and offering offers such as pearl diving in Dubai, or curated tours of our art collection in Jumeirah Essex House in New York. By speaking to our fans/followers in their own languages, we reach their hearts.
HOTELS: How long has Jumeirah been active in the social media space?
Kane: For luxury, we were one of the first movers by taking a proactive and engaged internal strategy that encourages and protects our colleagues to engage online.
HOTELS: Which social media websites is Jumeirah active on and how frequently does it post content on those sites?
Kane: We are active on multiple channels simultaneously and post multiple times daily in eight languages on Facebook, Twitter, Kaixin001, Youku, YouTube and others. This is of course only feasible if we have guidelines, structure, process and monitoring in place. While we want to make communications as close to our guest as possible (geographically, culturally or by language), it is important to also protect the brand by investing in the right strategy and technology. We also assess the value and reach of the channel prior to engaging.
HOTELS: What kind of content is posted?
Kane: There are two key types. One at a hotel level that is relevant to the guest, e.g. location specific, and more brand orientated information that provides the inspiration on the fantastic “Stay Different” growth story. All communications are reflective of the experiences you will have in a Jumeirah property, whether it’s in @WildWadidubai waterpark or @jumeirahET.
HOTELS: What are your interaction policies on these sites?
Kane: The policies support our colleagues’ engagement of the channels, first and foremost. There are defined groups that can engage on behalf of the official brand and all policies are there to protect our colleagues, guest and company. This was the first step for us and we have been served very well by the effort in educating and trusting.
HOTELS: How many Jumeirah staff members at the corporate level are dedicated to your social media efforts?
Kane: At a corporate level there is no one dedicated, however it plays a core roll in five colleagues’ functions. Along with this the other key aspect of their roles are content and SEO, these three go hand-in-hand and should not be segmented. At a strategic level, it reaches the senior figures to draw a clear strategy for engagement and investment.
HOTELS: Is Jumeirah working with a third party for its campaigns? Who physically does the posting?
Kane: We do not work with a third party and all postings and messaging are managed internally, direct from colleagues on the ground. Additionally, all responses from peer-review sites are managed by senior executives and general management. We never outsource.
HOTELS: Does Jumeirah offer direct booking via its Facebook page?
Kane: Yes, we offer both for restaurants and stays. At this moment the experience redirects to the booking page on the site and the next stage of development is to have the experience wholly on the social channel.
HOTELS: How much money has Jumeirah invested in its social media campaigns?
Kane: We cannot give exact numbers, however social represents 12% of the operational expenses for the digital strategy department. Capitalized projects are separate from this.
HOTELS: What is the expected return on investment of Jumeirah’s social media campaigns?
Kane: Social communication is about long tail. We measure financial value on our e-commerce efforts on a value-per-visitor basis and it is important to put a strategy in place that does not degrade this by overflowing with non-intent-to-purchase visitors. However, there is considerable brand equity in growing strategically our base of quality advocates. This lifetime value is not easy to calculate, however the ROI on basic tracking efforts already demonstrates a significant return. Additionally, social should be considered an operational excellence, research and development tool. These are often forgotten when calculating the ROI, but are nonetheless essential.