It's Hospitality: An Industry-Related Social Network

It’s Hospitality is a business network for the hospitality industry. Its target audience is anyone involved in hospitality including those who work in the travel, lodging, restaurant, and gaming industry. This platform specializes in connecting businesses, organizations, service providers, vendors, and companies in the hospitality industry. It works by allowing members to connect to other people in the industry by joining the network. Members can interact with other users, send messages, and participate in chat sessions. In addition, members can use the site to update information about their own future events, plans, and needs so other groups in the industry are aware and available to offer assistance. This network also allows members to follow updates of other members that they do business with. In other words, this industry related social network helps members connect with other people in the industry in an efficient way so they know what is going on in the industry. Members can communicate through forums. They also have access to people and product searchers, job searches, and news about the hospitality industry. This network is important to help people in the hospitality industry stay connected with the other companies, businesses, and individuals they work with. It’s a great resource since members have the ability to connect, interact, and communicate with others.

I think this platform is very useful for people who work in the hospitality industry. Hospitality is such a large industry, and this network helps companies and professionals in this industry stay connected so they can be efficient and productive. According to Ruszczyk (2012), industry-related social networks “may be less distracting than regular social networking sites." I think this platform can stand out from the major channels because it offers its members direct access to other people and businesses in the industry. Members can maintain their relationships with companies they work with and find new contacts that might provide them with valuable information, products, or services. For example, if you need to fill a position in your company you can post it on this network and have direct access to people who might be interested and qualified for the job.  According to Ruszczyk (2012), you can network with other professionals in the hospitality industry on LinkedIn, but that social network is not devoted entirely to hospitality so you would spend more time trying to search for information related to your field. This channels stands out because it makes it easy to communicate with others in the hospitality industry.

The hospitality industry could incorporate proximity marketing into its communications plan in a variety of ways. Proximity marketing allows users to increase engagement with customers, send ads at a time when customers are most likely to purchase, and customize ads depending upon availability of products and services.  The hospitality industry could use proximity marketing to offer customers digital coupons for discounts at restaurants, hotels, spas, or gift shops. They could post promotional content as well. According to Reaves (2012), hotels could use proximity marketing to provide information about happy hour, restaurants, or the benefits of signing up for loyalty programs, while restaurants could advertise menu specials and provide media entertainment while customers wait for their table. Proximity marketing provides businesses the unique opportunity to reach consumers at the time when they could most benefit from the advertising message so its relevant and advantageous to the customer.

Since proximity marketing only targets the customer when he or she is near the actual location of the business, other social platforms need to work alongside this program to ensure its effectiveness. Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter can be used to interact with customers and prospects and help maintain relationships that build brand loyalty. Content communities like Pinterest, and Instagram can offer customers visual content in the form of photos to increase engagement with specific businesses and brands in the hospitality industry. YouTube is another content community that brands can use to engage customers visually and tell a brand’s story. Email marketing is another great channel to reach a target audience. According to an infographic by Constant Contact, businesses that combined social media marketing and email marketing had better results . By combining social media marketing, email marketing, and proximity marketing, businesses can effectively reach customers and increase sales. All three are an important part of an IMC plan to bring a consistent message to the audience.