Maintaining fresh and unique content to keep online customers engaged is one of the biggest marketing challenges for the travel industry, but it doesn’t have to be. Most hotels redecorate or redesign their physical spaces each year to keep up with the seasons, but what about their online spaces? Properties should use photography to keep their online spaces updated with changes made to their physical spaces throughout the different seasons.
Up-to-date seasonal photos will improve website performance, SEO page rank, and are perfect to use in social media and email campaigns. Best of all, seasonal photos can be reused each year and don’t lose their value, which makes them a particularly great investment!
Show off rooms and spaces in the spirit of the season!
“In season” photos appeal to travelers by catering to what they are looking for in the moment. Travelers’ needs are going to be different when booking in the winter vs. booking in the summer, and the goal of seasonal photography is to showcase features that show how a property can provide a unique experience tailored to that specific time of year.
For example, seasonal photography should showcase a warm and cozy fireplace in the winter, while focusing on the pool or outdoor grilling area during summer. Hotels should highlight seasonal differences not just in common spaces but also in individual room photos, such as how the views and scenery changes throughout the year.
Viewing up to date and relevant photos is essential, and better photography helps generate more leads and more bookings. A study done by TripAdvisor shows that showing more photos improves online engagement and booking rates dramatically. Compared with properties that don’t use much photography, properties with over 100 photos had a 151% higher engagement rate and had 238% more booking inquiries!
Show off your location’s advantage
Seasonal photos can also be especially effective at marketing a property’s location and guest services. Vacationers arriving from out of town will be looking for local activities; and travelers will be needing help planning what to do during their stay. Guests love it when the leg-work is done for them, and properties can use seasonal photos to showcase nearby or on-site attractions and entertainment.
For example, in the winter months properties can feature nearby ice skating rinks, ski resorts, or snowfields. And during summer the same properties can focus on photography that emphasizes nearby water sports, beaches, or hiking trails. Seasonal photography can help properties best capitalize on their unique locations, creating opportunities to sell to guests based on the best the area has to offer. This will help attract more guests and drive higher quality leads throughout all 4 seasons!
Leverage seasonal photos for social media and email
Seasonal photography is perfect for marketing through social media and email. Having a large selection of seasonal photos ensures that properties have enough content to use throughout the year and across different marketing campaigns. Beautiful seasonal photos are ideal for drip campaigns and are also great to use for remarketing. Showing beautiful high-quality images that feature specific seasons is a great way to re-engage with previous guests or to keep potential guests interested in a room.
Photography is essential to succeeding online. According to Buzzsomo, the use of images on Facebook posts leads to 2.3x more engagement. And according to a study by getvero, email campaigns with images get 42% more clicks compared to emails without images.
Today’s travelers expect content that is fresh, unique, and relevant. No one wants to see a photo of a hotel’s outdoor swimming pool in the middle of January when they’re planning their ski vacation. Seasonal photography is a great strategy for properties to stay relevant and better engage with their customers online. Take a look at these great social media examples from some of the most successful hotel companies advertising their properties in summer.
Get the best seasonal photos with pro photographers
To get the best seasonal photos, companies should invest in the services of professional photographers. Professional photography always creates a positive return on investment, and has been critical to the ongoing success of even major companies like Airbnb.
The easiest and most convenient way to book professional photographers is by using Snappr, and you can get photos that look as stunning as these.
Snappr has the world’s largest network of trusted photographers providing professional photos on-demand. Photoshoots can be done anywhere and anytime - with as little as 2 hours advance notice. And with the best-in-category tools and API, Snappr is the fastest and most effective way for companies to manage shoots at scale. Best of all, every Snappr shoot is professionally edited by a single in-house team, resulting in high-quality images that are always consistent with your brand.
Ready to take your photography to the next level and make a real impact on your bottom line? Contact Snappr’s Enterprise Team today to learn how we can provide your brand with professional photography that is second to none.
