How to make your Facebook posts attractive

Purpose – This study aims to identify what type of post is most effective in drawing fans to like, comment on or share it, building on the premise that hotels can only benefit when “fans” – customers who “like” them – engage in discussion and interaction on Facebook. Design/methodology/approach – In...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of contemporary hospitality management 2015-11, Vol.27 (8), p.1772-1790
Main Authors: Su, Na, Reynolds, Dennis, Sun, Bixuan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Brand image in tourism
Budgets
Communication
Consumer behavior
Consumers
Content analysis
Hotels & motels
Marketing
Media richness
Participation
Quality
Social networks
Social research
Tourism
Tourism & hospitality
Tourism & hospitality management/marketing
Virtual communities
Websites
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Summary:Purpose – This study aims to identify what type of post is most effective in drawing fans to like, comment on or share it, building on the premise that hotels can only benefit when “fans” – customers who “like” them – engage in discussion and interaction on Facebook. Design/methodology/approach – In the case of the Super 8 Hotels Facebook fan page, 14 underlying factors related to themes, media, characteristics and time are identified in a content analysis of its posts. Multilevel regression is employed in the study to test the effects of these 14 factors on the number of fans who like, comment on or share a post. Findings – Posts about hotel products and attributes diminish the attractiveness to the hotel brand’s Facebook page. The posts that include award and discount information, expressed in a humorous way or end with requests to like tend to be liked more often by fans. Furthermore, posts ending with a question are likely to get more comments, but these questions have a negative influence on the number of likes the post receives. In addition, posts with pictures or involving environment concerns are more likely to be shared by fans. Practical implications – The paper provides hotel practitioners with implementable communication tactics to increase their appeal to consumers on Facebook. Originality/value – The study represents a new academic area of how to communicate using social media and concludes with practical strategies for hoteliers seeking to utilize Facebook as an effective marketing tool.
ISSN:0959-6119
1757-1049
DOI:10.1108/IJCHM-06-2014-0302