6 MINUTE READ
With so many hotels and resorts scrambling to produce videos these days, it can be difficult to know what strategic direction to take. Over the years, we’ve seen hundreds of hotel videos – everything from the good, the bad, and the downright ugly. Here are eight video marketing mistakes we’ve seen hotels make over and over again, and how you can avoid them to get the most out of your videos.
1) MAKING ONLY ONE VIDEO
Every guest has their own reasons for booking your hotel, so why would it make sense to produce a “one size fits all” video? Leisure travelers, business travelers, and meeting planners all see your property from different points of view.
Rather than one long video, focus on producing a series of short, “snackable” videos that highlight specific amenities. This will not only make your website more visually engaging, but will also help you target each market segment more effectively.
2) MAKING VIDEOS DIFFICULT TO FIND ON THE HOTEL WEBSITE
Video marketing has grown in popularity among hotels in recent years, but you wouldn’t know it from looking at hotel websites. More often than not, hotel videos are buried at the bottom of gallery pages or not published on the hotel website at all. Why produce hotel videos if your online visitors can’t find them?
Videos should be available across multiple pages of your website – room tours under each room description, a chef interview on the restaurant page, etc.. Most importantly, your hotel’s Overview video should be easy to find on your landing page. All it takes is a simple “Video Tour” button to get your visitors’ attention. This small change alone can make video viewership skyrocket, resulting in a richer experience and stickier website. For a great example of this website concept, click here.
3) NOT PUBLISHING ON YOUTUBE
What’s the world’s most popular search engine after Google? Yup, it’s YouTube – the world’s largest online video library. YouTube is where we all go to find videos about virtually anything. According to a recent study Google conducted with Ipsos MediaCT, two-thirds of U.S. consumers watch online travel videos when thinking about taking a trip.*
YouTube can deliver paid ads to highly targeted demographics across the web, but even their free services make your hotel videos available to billions of people. You are missing out on a tremendous opportunity if your hotel videos are not on YouTube.
*Source: Google/Ipsos MediaCT, “The 2014 Traveler’s Road to Decision,” June 2014.
4) NOT PUBLISHING ON SOCIAL MEDIA
A recent study by comScore showed that travelers tend to engage with social media at the beginning of their booking journey, using it primarily for travel inspiration in the early stages.* During and after the trip itself, social media users share photos/videos with their followers, inspiring them to visit your destination as well.
Adobe reports that video posts have a viral reach of 77% on Facebook. Other apps like Snapchat and Instagram enable online video sharing like never before. Posting your hotel videos across all social media platforms will ensure that your content gets viewed and shared by as many travelers as possible.
*Source: comScore/Expedia, “Traveler’s Path to Purchase”, March 2016
5) UNDER-PRODUCED VIDEOS
Not all videos are created equal. When it comes to maintaining your hotel’s image, shaky camerawork and amateur editing can do much more harm than good. Avoid the temptation to post photo “slideshows” or iMovie videos. If your video looks cheap, your hotel will look cheap.
As with photos, it pays to hire creative professionals who can skillfully craft your story through the camera lens. Don’t just tap your nearest wedding videographer on the shoulder, though. Look for a production team that understands your unique selling proposition and marketing goals to make the most of your video budget.
6) OVER-PRODUCED VIDEOS
A big budget is a wonderful thing, but there is no guarantee it will buy you effective marketing videos. On the higher end of the cost scale, productions can easily lose sight of the end consumer. All too often, these polished videos miss the mark by failing to provide viewers with the information they need to book with confidence.
Avoid producing videos that emphasize style over substance, focusing on actors rather than amenities. Lifestyle shots and models are certainly important, but they should never outshine the property itself.
7) MAKING VIDEOS TOO LONG
Like it or not, your online visitors have an incredibly short attention span. Years of internet viewership statistics clearly show a correlation between video length and viewer engagement. The verdict: Keep them short and sweet.
Your videos should run no longer than about 2 minutes, as engagement drops below 50% beyond that. If you have too much to cover, make multiple videos that are shorter in length.
8) NOT PRODUCING VIDEOS AT ALL
The biggest mistake of all: ignoring video altogether. Research has consistently demonstrated that people prefer engaging with video over text. A hotel website without video will soon be as obsolete as a VCR. If you don’t have marketing videos, now is the time to start producing them.
Contact us at info@accommovision.com to learn how we can help optimize your video marketing.
About Accommovision
Accommovision helps hotels engage with online bookers through rich media content and marketing strategy. To see samples of our work, visit click here.