We hear the 80/20 rule banded around in sales a lot such as listen 80% of the time talk 20% and 80% of sales come from 20% of customers, but in social media marketing this tends to mean 80% of posts should be none promotional and 20% promotional.
I can hear a deep intake of breath when I say this and hear you cry nooooooooo!
To be fair in the hospitality business I think you can get away with slightly more promotions as that’s why some people follow you but I also know from experience that being overly promotional can have a negative impact on results. Facebook specifically tends to penalise over promotion.
SO WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Well on top of the obvious none promotional post ideas such as ‘Meet the Team’, ‘Polls’, ‘Video’s’ etc you can also think about the language you use.
“The key is to not be obviously promotional in your wording”
CHUCK OUT, what I call, ‘Brochure Speak’! i.e. “Our Thomas suite is perfect for weddings” and don’t be so obvious. How about “Wow look at the Thomas suite set up for today’s wedding”. Speak like a person not like a corporate entity.
Also drop the obvious, so instead of “Come and try our new tropical cocktail”, how about “Behold the cocktail of your dreams….”?
Instead of “Book in for our Sunday dinner with all the trimmings”, how about “Hands up if you could eat this right now!?”
You’re still promoting yourselves but in a more subliminal fashion!
Also, ditch the sole use of features with no benefits. Instead of just “Our function packages include room hire, buffet and fizz reception”. Throw in a benefit. Such as “We’ll give you a dedicated function manager, so you don’t have to worry about a thing!”
This doesn’t mean you can’t promote some of your products and services more obviously once in a while, just not all the time. If you’re none promotional or none obviously promotional customers (and Facebook algorithms) are more receptive to an offer/promotion when it comes along, as long as it’s the right fit for them.
How could you make some of your posts less obviously promotional whilst still benefiting?
