Social Marketing evolves
2010 will see social media become firmly entrenched as a powerhouse marketing platform. As social media becomes more and more commonplace, expect companies and consumers alike to continue exploring interactivity in greater depth. Social media gives hoteliers an incredibly inexpensive way to build brand awareness, while doing it in a way that makes the brands seem fun.
A great example is Caesars Palace Las Vegas' Trick or Tweet promotion in October. Using its @CaesarsPalace Twitter account, Caesars Palace tweeted locations on site for followers to visit within a certain time frame. For guests who played along with the real-time, real-life social media scavenger hunt, the hotel gave away prizes.
Savvy hoteliers are increasingly using social media to let guests sell the hotel to other guests, which is authentic marketing at its best. For instance, Dolce Hotels and Resorts held a Facebook contest in November that invited fans to propose dream vacations at its Dolce Hayes Mansion, California. The best of the submissions were then posted on Dolce's Facebook page for fans to vote on a winner. The prize: the very dream vacation proposed by the winner.
Anotehr example is the MGM Grand Las Vegas in November asked followers of its @mgmgrand Twitter account to tweet their "sins," using the #mgmsin hashtag, with one participant selected at random each day of the month to win a free room night.