Words: 889
Instating a Major Marketing Tool For Hotels Instating is a social networking app, lunched in October 2010, where you can share photos and videos online. This app was created by Kevin Storm and Mike Krieger and was then acquired by Faceable for $1 million. It is easy to use and can make any one a professional photographer. The app is free to download and use, simply take a photo, add a digital filter and a caption with washrags, upload and reach out to over a 100 million users.
Instating in connected to other social media sites such as Faceable, Twitter, Tumbler and Flicker making it a huge platform for marketing all over the world. Hotels can use Instating to market their hotel by photos or short videos. When putting a washrag to your photo or video with your hotel’s name it will show up when some one else is searching for the hotel name. Many hotels invite their guests to help with marketing by creating photo contests, where you first have to follow the hotel’s account and then upload your own photo with your unique experience from the hotel ND post it with the hotel’s washrag.
This is an easy and affordable way of spreading your brand, make it exciting for your guest by offering a prize such as a free meal in your restaurant or a free night stay at the hotel. The Four Seasons is one of the hotels that are using Instating for marketing purpose, they have a total of 70 Instating accounts for different locations all over the world, and that gives them 62,272 followers. Felicia Which the worldwide Social Media Manager for the Four Seasons says “Travel is so experiential, and the beauty of social media for a luxury travel company is you have the ability to virtually transport people to where you are.
Then they want to really be there. ” Last year the Four Seasons partnered up with the city of Toronto to create awareness about the reopening of their Toronto property. They created an Instating contest where people were asked to visually show what Toronto means to them with an Instating photo. They were required to follow the Four Seasons account on Instating and then submit their photograph with the washrag #Unconverted and a creative caption.
The photos were “a perfect Toronto moment” with pictures of architecture, parks, landscape or other things associated with the city of Toronto. The prize was a $1,000 Four Seasons gift card. This contest became a huge marketing success both for the city of Toronto and the Four Seasons, and many properties has followed by creating their own Instating contest. Another example would be the Four Seasons in Hong Kong who created the washrag #rush, in this contest the prize is a luxury weekend at the Four Seasons hotel. These contest have become very popular among hotels, Ms.
Cooper, marketing manager at Shoplifter explains why, “The contest serves as a brand-building tactic that, combined with other marketing efforts, can build brand affinity and loyalty, eventually resulting in a lift of sales. ” The W Hotel in Times Square created an Instating Photography Exhibit together with famous photographers. In prior to the exhibition the W Hotel held a social spot in the exhibition by using the washrag #WIDENING. Not only hotels can use Instating as a marketing tool. Today people are naturally photographing their food at restaurants and posting it to Instating, and many stature have pick up on this trend.
By asking their guest to upload their pictures under the restaurant’s washrag they can easily promote their delicious looking food and cocktails without putting much effort into it themselves. Offering a gift card as a prize is an easy way of getting people more excited about the photo sharing. This summer Instating also started to feature videos, up to 15 seconds long. These videos are great advertising opportunities for hotels. Felicia Which the worldwide Social Media Manager for the Four Seasons says that videos on Instating as a dream come true for them.
It gives the opportunity to feature their hotel rooms, the hotel’s amenities, the entertainment and the surroundings. Not only the Four Seasons have pick up on this free advertising instrument, the Hyatt Regency, Shanghai-La Hotel and the Dragoon Manor Hotel are also frequent users of the Instating videos. Flogger Kate Present who travels the world with her family wrote a book called Instating as your Guide to the World – How, What and Who to Search and Follow on Instating to Help You Travel the World. This book talks about another way of using Instating, as a travel guide.
By searching different washrags you can find tips about hotels, restaurants, and entertainment from other travelers. Another amazing thing about Instating is that you can connect with the local people at your destination to learn about the hidden spots and all the “must dos. ” There are so many great advantages of using Instating as a marketing tool. It’s being used by millions of people all over the world daily, it is super easy to use, and it is free. Any hotel that are not using this social media app are missing out on great marketing opportunities.