How to run a successful Facebook competition for your hotel

In a global marketplace, social media platforms like Facebook are a very powerful marketing tool. They provide hotel brands of all sizes with an opportunity to increase customer engagement and appeal to a wider market.

A Facebook competition is tried and tested way to boost engagement on your page. It’s also an easy way to ramp up engagement, making a Facebook-hosted contest or giveaway a very valuable addition to your social media campaigns.

There is a lot to think about when it comes to hotel social media marketing but here are the important steps to consider when setting up your own Facebook competition.

Establish a purpose

Before setting up a Facebook competition it’s important to create a plan and establish a set of goals. Whether you’re hoping to raise awareness of a new hotel location or room type, or increase your online presence, knowing what the overall goal is will help you stay on track.

Establishing a purpose early on will also help you in the next step, which is to decide what you want to offer as a prize.

Decide on a prize

For your Facebook fans, the prize is the most important part of the competition. It’s the most important factor in determining whether or not they will take part. For this reason, it’s important to put a lot of thought into what the prize will be. Think about your consumer demographic and what their needs are.

The prize should relate to your location and type of hotel. You could offer a gift card or weekend pass for your spa, a free meal in your dining room or, a weekend or midweek stay. If you don’t want to give away a free night’s accommodation, you could consider partnering with a local business to gift a travel accessory or pass to a nearby attraction.

Create a captivating contest

With your objectives clear and a prize decided upon, you’ll need to think about the mechanics of the competition itself. The entry requirement could be as simple as asking users to like your Facebook post and you simply pick a winner at random. If your aim is to increase your hotel’s Facebook likes, you may want fans to like and share the post to expand your reach. Or, if you wanted to make it more challenging and interesting, there are a number of apps and websites that allow you to create all kinds of engaging contests and sweepstakes that are customised to your brand.

Promotion is key

However much time you spend thinking about the parameters of the competition and deciding on an amazing prize, it will be for nothing if no one takes part. In order to really get the most out of social media campaigns, it’s vital that you utilise the power of Facebook and your other owned media channels to raise awareness about your competition. Devote as much time as you can to sharing the competition link and spreading the word. You could include the competition in your email newsletter for example, on your website or via your other social media profiles.

The promotion doesn’t stop when the contest is finished. Be sure to share information about the winner and their prize. For example, if the prize is a free stay at your hotel, be sure to post pictures of the winner’s trip and allow them to share their experience with other potential customers.