In two short weeks, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have all either announced updates or made updates to their platforms that will impact social media accounts for businesses in the hospitality industry.

Keep reading to see all the changes and what they mean for hotels and resorts.

Facebook Ads Organic “Top Fans” Targeting Option

According to Social Media Today, Facebook is rolling out a new feature that allows Pages to target their “top fans” with organic posts, showing the content only to them. This could be used to thank them, share exclusive content, or even try to increase the likelihood that big Page supporters see specific updates.

Image source: Social Media Today

In order to use this feature, you need to have the “Top Fans” badge enabled for your Page. This can be done under your Settings under the “Facebook Badges” section.

What This Means for Hotels & Resorts: This new feature is a good opportunity to foster a community that you may already have on Facebook while leveraging an exclusivity that can bring people closer together. Consider offering exclusive discounts or first-access to amenities around your hotel, or run specials specifically for your top fans. This will keep people engaging consistently.

Facebook Released Information on Comment Ranking

Facebook recently released information regarding what signals they use to rank the quality of comments on public posts, determining what shows up when someone is scrolling past a post in their feed. They look for the following:

• Integrity signals, like whether or not the Community Standards are violated
• What users want according to surveys, which is a signal Facebook has left vague and described as “the types of comments people want to see”
• How users are interacting with the comment, including whether they’re commenting or what type of reaction they use
• Poster actions, like hiding, deleting, or engaging comments

What This Means for Hotels & Resorts: The recent update was designed to reduce clickbait tactics that some users and Pages utilize to try to get more attention on the platform. Hotels and resorts can use this update to their favor in attempt to get strong comments that benefit you more visibility.

If someone comments about how their stay with you was the best part of their whole vacation, give it as much engagement as possible, using a “love” reaction and leaving a comment designed to generate more conversation. More visible positive social proof is always good.

Facebook Is Removing Fields in Page Descriptions

Starting on August 1st of this year, Facebook will be removing certain fields in the Page description area. We know that the fields that will be removed definitely include (but may not be limited to) the following:

• Company Overview
• Affiliation
• Mission
• Biography
• Personal Interests

What This Means for Hotels & Resorts: Head over to your Facebook Page now and take a look to see what– if any– information you currently have in these sections. If there is anything of value there that could impact how potential guests perceive your brand or interact with it, try to add it into other sections of the Page description. This information would most likely be in the “Company Overview” and “Mission” sections of your Page.

Instagram Brings Ads to Explore Section

Instagram has announced that they’ll be bringing ads to their Explore Feed. When users click on an image or video in their Explore feed, they’re then able to scroll through similar content that Instagram has compiled for them. This is where the ads will show up, looking just like Instagram’s current newsfeed ads.

What This Means for Hotels & Resorts: According to Instagram, more than 50% of all accounts visit the Explore section of the app at least once per month, so this is a good opportunity for more ad placements on the platform. More ad placements can help stabilize the existing demand in the marketplace, which could be good for ad costs.

We don’t know yet exactly how these ads will perform in terms of reach, engagement, brand lift, and conversions, but Instagram Ads typically yield high results across the board.

Twitter Tests Direct Message Prompts

Twitter is currently testing direct message prompts, which allow you to instantly share links through direct messages to those who you talk to regularly. It’s designed to help users share tweets and connect a little easier. This is similar to Facebook’s “Share” option, which allows users to share a post in a direct message instead of sharing it on the user’s or Page’s wall.

What This Means for Hotels & Resorts: It’s possible that this could be used to engage with top influencers and brand ambassadors in the hospitality industry, engaging them with content that’s genuinely relevant to them. If your resort Tweeted about a new expansion publicly, you could send a DM to a key few industry influencers that you have some sort of relationship and even ask if they want a first glimpse.

About Lodging Interactive

Headquartered in Parsippany, NJ, Lodging Interactive is a full-service digital marketing and social media engagement and reputation management agency exclusively servicing the hospitality industry. Through its web design and search optimization division as well as its CoMMingle Social Media Division, Lodging Interactive provides effective Internet marketing services to hundreds of branded and independent properties as well as management companies, restaurants and spas.

CoMMingle has established itself as the largest provider of reputation management services for the hospitality industry, handling over 200,000 guest review responses. The company also offers fully managed Live Chat agents for hotel websites through its LiveChatForHotels.com division.

Lodging Interactive is an HSMAI Adrian Award winner and has won awards from the International Academy of Visual Arts, Interactive Media Awards, Horizon Interactive Awards, Web Marketing Association, Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts, and Travel Weekly’s Magellan Awards have recognized Lodging Interactive as an industry leader.

Lodging Interactive is a proud supporter of the Hotel Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) and the company’s president, DJ Vallauri, currently serves on the Board of Directors of HSMAI’s New York Chapter and is a Forbes.com Agency Council contributor. For more information, please contact sales@lodginginteractive.com, 877-291-4411 or visit the company’s website.