If you’re anything like me, you’ve jumped on to the Pinterest bandwagon and have never looked back. Actually, I have a true-to-life re-enactment of the first day I discovered Pinterest:
If you’re not yet pinning all the things, here is a quick overview of Pinterest.
Users can create virtual bulletin boards to “pin” images from around the web. It’s basically a bookmarking site for everything from the delicious bacon recipes you want to save, secluded beaches you want to visit, IKEA furniture you want to buy, etc. When a user pins a photo to one of their boards, the image links back to the original website where it lives. Pinterest is a more visually appealing way to save all of those links you would like to refer back to in the future.
At its core, Pinterest is incredibly social. You can follow other users, re-pin their pinned images, comment on pins and “like” pins. When you pin an image, it is not only shared with everyone who follows you, but is pushed out to the general Pinterest community. Once you pin an image, the re-pins, comments and likes come rolling in!
What Does This Mean For Hotels?
Pinterest offers a unique opportunity for hotels, especially destination hotels and hotels with a strong gallery of beautiful photography. Not only does Pinterest get your hotel images (and website link!) in front of potential guests, but pinning is a great way to engage others. Although links from pinned content are designated as no-follow links (meaning your website doesn’t get any SEO boost from millions of users pinning your content), the benefit comes from the organic social spread of your photos across the Pinterest community.
According to Google, the 5 stages of travel start with a dream. Most of the users on Pinterest are sharing images of future plans, or where they hope to visit. This is the perfect time for hotels to interact with Pinterest users and make it onto their travel boards!
The most successful hotels on Pinterest have a wide range of pins – everything from local attractions to cute animal photos. An example of a hotel using Pinterest is the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin. This is a great example of how to get successfully involved in Pinterest – post a variety of images that users are likely to re-pin, not necessarily focusing all of your pins on hotel-specific images. Users don’t spend time on Pinterest sharing photos of ADA approved bathrooms.
5 Pinterest Board Ideas for Hotels
- Room and Hotel Photos. Although this shouldn’t be the focus of your Pinterest, it is important to showcase your hotel. Pinning images from your hotel website provides users with a direct link to your site, potentially providing a small boost to your web traffic!
- Local Area Sites & Attractions. Along with creating a Pinterest board for your room photos and amenities, a board with local attractions will really give users a feel for your hotel area.
- Wedding Trends & Locations. Wedding planning ideas and tips are extremely popular on Pinterest. I know a handful of soon-to-be brides (and maybe a few single ladies) that are virtually planning their weddings. If your hotel has a beautiful wedding location, pin it! Or, if you’ve seen some creative wedding crafts, share them!
- Favorite Travel Items. Having a travel-themed board is important in your hotel’s Pinterest strategy. This could include some great travel gadgets or travel games for children–things your guests (or those looking specifically for travel images on Pinterest) would be interested in.
- Vintage Hotel Photos/Local Historic Photos/Vintage Travel Photos. Basically, any vintage photographs and images of times of yore are pretty popular on Pinterest. This would be a great board if your hotel is housed in an historic building, or has a rich history. Vintage images from your local area would also be great for engagement, as you would capture the attention of those familiar with your city and capture the imagination of others in the Pinterest community.
Pinterest users are looking to be inspired! With a bit of planning and some time spent browsing, your hotel can create quite the presence on this popular social media site. Before you go pinning all the things, however, just be sure you are clear on your Pinterest goal. Although your hotel images on Pinterest could lead to a boost in traffic to your website, the ultimate benefit of Pinterest is engagement. Happy pinning!
