Social Media Analysis

Social Media Analysis

Rock Water Secret Cove Resort
Caroline
February 20th 2013
IHMN 410
Ted Wykes

Table of Contents Page 1. Executive summary 1.1 Overview of Rock Water Secret Cove Resort 1 1.2 Current marketing tools 1 2. Social media analysis 2.1 Current trends and themes 2.2 Evaluate trends 2.3 Trends in social media 2.4 Observation 3. Recommendation 4. Personal Reflection |
Executive Summary * Rock Water Secret Cove Resort, renovated in 2011, is located in Halfmoon Bay on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia ("Rockwater secret cove," 2013). Its beautiful natural surroundings and unique hotel design create a special stay experience. The theme of this resort is to create a peaceful and fascinate environment for couple’s to have wedding ceremony or take a romantic trip. * Indeed, couples are Rock Water Secret Cove Resort’s target market audience. Through tracking their webpage and other social media, Rock Water Secret Cove Resort has a comprehensive understanding of their target customers. They are not only providing a variety of romantic packages, but also sharing guests’ fantastic wedding experiences ("Rockwater secret cove," 2013). This will assist Rock Water Secret Cove Resort to reach their target customers. * Rock Water Secret Cove Resort has a neutral performance in social media. It is using a variety of social media, including Facebook, Trip-adviser, Youtube, and it has been mentioned on Flickr, Picasa and Photobucket which are photography websites. Furthermore, it also is mentioned on guests’ blog; but Rock Water Secret Cove Resort does not have blog account. However, Rock Water Secret Cove Resort only has few followers on Twitter. The resort primarily uses Facebook and Trip-adviser; General Manger of Rock Water Secret Cove Resort communicates to guests and examines management issue through them effectively. This significantly helps them to connect with customers. * In order to enhance Rock Water Secret Cove Resort’s marketing reach, Rock Water Secret Cove Resort has to continue follow its current marketing strategies. It also needs to focus on building brand connections with their target customers, market its responsible business, and enhance brand meaning. This will successfully assist Rock Water Secret Cove Resort market to their target customers, and build a long term customer loyalty. * Social Media Analysis * Rock Water Secret Cove Resort is recognized as the winner of the BC’s best wedding ceremony place in 2012, chosen as one of the top 10 most Romantic Valentine's destinations, and Chosen for one of the 12 top Dream Destinations in the World Calendar for 2013 on their website. It is marketed through other social media as a popular place to take a romantic gateway. This report is aim to analyse Rock Water Secret Cove Resort’s current performance in social media, in order to enhance their current marketing strategies. * Current Trends * Rock Water Secrete Cove Resort uses social media to introduce their new packages. They often post new romantic package or spa package on Twitter and Facebook to widespread the message, and market to their guests. Compare Facebook to Twitter, the information be widespread on Facebook. Customers acquire the latest hotel packages information through their Facebook package. Valentines Package has competitive advantage to other packages. Many customers are willing to have a romantic escape at Rock Water Secret Cove Resort as Figure1 describes. However, the new pacage information be hardly shared through Twitter. * Rock Water Secret Cove Resort utilizes social media to increase their popularity through engaging new guests to their contests. In order to increase its popularity on the Facebook, Rock Water Secret Cove Resort had “Win one of 4 prizes for a free 2 night stay in a Deluxe Tenthouse Suite!” contest. If you like them on Facebook, you would have chance to win this contest. This wins 85 likes on their Facebook. Recently, they post the “Elopement Contest” to promote their wedding booking for this summer. They supposed to post the information on Facebook on January 31st 2013. However, they have not posted anything relate to this contest on Facebook till now. * Rock Water Secret Cove Resort is recognized by most of social media as the best place to take a romantic trip or hold wedding ceremony. As Scottdum.com, which is a tour operator website, and travelers’ blogs mentioned it is a great for couples to have a romantic trip or take honeymoon trip. * Rock Water Secret Cove Resort communicates to their customers effectively and examines its management issues through social media. The General Manager uses Trip-adviser to communicate with their consumers. He also recognizes management issues by looking at guest reviews. Trends are positive or negative mentions Most of customers leave positive reviews on social media after their stay experience. Rock Water Secret Cove Resort is recommended on most of social media like: Yelp.ca, Urbanspoon, Booking.com, and Trip-adviser as Figure.1 shows. It unique Tenthhouse, beautiful natural surroundings, and great wedding service be well-recognized by social media. Most of guests explained that they had a great stay experience or fantastic wedding ceremony at Rock Water Secret Cove Resort. However, Rock Water Secret Cove Resort receives many complaints about their cabins room facilities; for instance, smelled sheet, inadequate room facilities, and inattentive front desk service. Figure [ 2 ] Rock Water Secret Cove Resort's customer online reviews. Trends of social media usage Currently, Rock Water Secret Cove Resort uses a variety of social media to enhance their marketing reaches. It has a neutral performance on social media. 50 percent of individuals have mentioned Rock Water Secret Cove Resort on social media. However, Rock Water Secret Cove Resort only limited unique authors mentioned their brand online. This significantly limited its market reaches. Facebook and Trip-adviser is the main social media that Rock Water Secret Cove Resort has launched. * Rock Water Secret Cove Resort updates at least two postings per month on their Facebook page, and they update their post more frequent during the summer season. Figure 5. Shows the amount of posting that Rock Water Secret Cove Resort did in 2012 * Trip-adviser helps Rock Water Secret Cove Resort effectively communicate with their customers and examine their management issues. 73 percent of guests left positive mentions on Trip-adviser. As the General Manager of Rock Water Secret Resort, Dikran Zabunyan cares every guest’s review. Most of time when guest left positive mentions, he would thank guests’ participate in the online review and wish they could come again in the future. The positive reviews successfully market Rock Water Secret Cove Resort’s beautiful natural environment, high standard service delivery, these positive reviews also recognized that Rock Water Secret Cove Resort as the best place to take a romantic trip or have your wedding ceremony. General Manager’s reply not only helps to build a long term relationship with their guests, but also illustrates they concern about their guests. However, after the beginning of the 2012, he commented less than before ("Rockwater secret cove," 2013). * New social media tools New social media tools like: TravelIpod and Scottdunn.com could be used to enhance Rock Water Secret Cove Resort’s marketing strategy. TravelIpod, as a free travel blog, has 80,840 travelers shared there their travel experience on this website. It has connected with Trip-adviser, CNN, The New York Times, and National Geographic. Rock Water Secret Cove Resort is highly recommended on this website, which significantly help Rock Water Secret Hotel delivers their brand to their customers as Figure points out. Scottdum.com is a tour operator website; they help to plan luxury tour and honeymoon. Rock Water Secret Cove Resort is recognized as one of the best honeymoon place or romantic gateway. This website is open to the international and domestic tourists, and it has well-developed its social media marketing strategy. Therefore, it is easy for Rock Water Secret Cove Resort to reach the international and domestic couples, and also market themselves through their social media approaches. Furthermore, it also provides the guests when is the best time to visit as Figure describes, which could help guests to arrange their trip * Demographic group Rock Water Secret Cove Resort uses social media market to the rich new couples or middle age couples to encourage them take a romantic trip or arrange their wedding at the most beautiful wedding place at the Sunshine Coast. * Management observation The General Manager deals with negative reviews carefully because the negative reviews will damage their reputation and brand image. For instance, many guests who lived in cabins thought Rock Water Secret Cove Resort overcharged for their cabin room; they complained how the sheets smelled, there were inadequate room facilities, the presence bugs and the front desk’s inattentive service ("Rockwater secret cove," 2013). The General Manager thanks guests for sharing their experience and he point out guests’ positive mentions, which was beautiful natural surroundings and amazing wedding experience ("Rockwater secret cove," 2013). Later, he explained that their cabins are all 3 star levels, which made sure they were not overcharged ("Rockwater secret cove," 2013). Finally, he said he would discuss this issue with their head officer in case it happens happened in the future ("Rockwater secret cove," 2013). This shows that he is a responsible General Manager, and he cares about his guests. It significantly saves Rock Water Secret Resort’s brand image. For the positive reviews, the General Manager always express thanks for guests’ generous responses, he also feels happy that the guests had enjoyed their stay. He also mentioned that he hopes they would come again in the future ("Rockwater secret cove," 2013). This appropriate reply not only helps him collaborate with his guests, but also shows he would love to communicate and keep in touch with his guests. This will be easier for Rock Water Secret Cove Resort to build a long term relationship with their customers. * Evidence of management is attempting to direct or manipulate social media. Rock Water Secret Cove Resort is not going to manipulate social media through providing fake reviews and cutting down the negative reviews. It is easy to see that every negative reviews of Rock Water Secret Cove Resort with the General Manager’s reply. They do not hide their mistakes, and the General Manager uses these negative reviews to improve his property and management team. It contributes to Rock Water Secret Cove Resort’s success. As I tracked three weeks ago that Rock Water Secret Resort received a negative review, from a guest, who stayed at Rock Water Secret Cove Resort’s cabin with his wife in August 2012. He complained about their management and staff, and he said that the manager was bothering people to provide comments on Trip-adviser ("Rockwater secret cove," 2013). He posted this review on November 11th 2012 ("Rockwater secret cove," 2013). The General Manager replied to this review with honesty, he apologized for one of his manager’s inappropriate behaviour and also took the guest’s suggestion repaint the cabin room. Recommendation * Summary of identified trends and current strategies Currently, Rock Water Secret Cove Resort uses social media to enhance its marketing appraoch by introducing its new stay packages on Facebook and Twitter; increase its public popularity by opening new contests on Facebook; market their beautiful natural environment and professional wedding service on Trp-adviser; effective market with customers through communicating with cutomers on Trip-adviser. Rock Water Secret Cove Resort has participated in main social media like Face book, Trip-adviser, Twitter actively.Firstly, the staff of Rock Water Secret Cove Resort has participated in their Facebook posts. They upgrade their latest activities frequently, and whenever guest have concerns they would efficiently reply to their concerns. Secondly, Rock Water Secret Cove Resort Tweet frenquestly. During the busy season, they would Tweet more than four times a day. Thirdly, the General Manager checks and replys guests reviews on Trip-adviser frequently, which means he is corncern about his guests, and he belifes in the benefit of “word of mouth”. All these lists are why Rock Water Secret Resort has an outstanding performance in social media. Rock Water Secret Cove Resort also participates in other social media like TravelIpod, Booking.com, Urbanspoon, WordPress, ActiveMaMa, Scottdunn.com. A variety of social media mentions help them sucessfully reach their target market. This is another reason why Rock Water Secret Cove Resort be well-recognized by publics. * Recommendation for improving social media initialtives. Rock Water Secret Cove Resort could stop to use the guests reviews social media like Booking.com and UrbanSpoon;only focuses on Trip-adviser. This would signifcantly help them limit their negative reviews. Firstly, Booking.com is hardly used by Rock Water Secret Resort. However, there are 57 percent of reviews on Book.com are negative reviews. Secondly,only fifteen people liked them on the UrbanSpoon, and only one positve reviews. This would not as convinciable as Trip-adviser. If Rock Water Secret Cove Resort could stop these two evaluational website, mainly focuses on Trip-adviser; they would save more time to manage the main social media concerns. This will ensure their sucessful marketing position. * Recommendation for dealing with negative and positive reviews. The General Manager of Rock Water Secret Cove Resort is concerned about every guest’s review. He is able to provide proper reply to the negtive and positve guest reviews. This contributes to their marketing success. * Recommendation to how to encourage stakeholders engage in social media. Everyone be well-engaged in the main social media,especially the General Manager of Rock Water Secret Cove Resort. The General Manager could be more active in social media through participating in Travel blog and continuously seeking new social media tools in the future.Firstly, Travel blog allows tourists share their travel expereince with other, it is easy to create emotional motivation to encourge other tourists come to stay. Secondly, the General Manager has to continue examine the new social media tools, and use it enhance the marketing strategies. In addtion, as an indivisual owned private four star resort, Rock Water Secret Cove Resort has addressed social media in their marketing strategies. They concern about the power of “ word of mouth”, and they understand how to use this power to benefit their business. Rock Water Secret Cove Resort has benefited from the social media.

Personal Reflection and Observations As O'Connor (2010) showed, the increase transaction in tranction of social media, and managing word of mouth is important for today’s hospitality industry. An rsponsible hospitality business need to concern, communicate, engage their guests through social media whereever they go. The main social media as Facebook, Twitter, and Trip-adviser is quite improtant to today’s Tourism and Hospitality Industry. However, social media is still market to the mass market instead of marketing to the segmented market. As Armelini, G. & Villanueva, J. (2011) described, compare to traditional marketing, social media has limited reach. This will be difficult for today’s hospitality businesses to segmented their markets and generate their values. I would suggest today’s Tourism and Hospitality Industry continue operate their main social media accounts, and be aware of the new opportunities. Within the next five years, Facebook, Twitter and Tripadvicer will be utilized by the whole industry.Therefore, the Tourism and Hospitality Industry still have to devote time to manage their public image. Furthermore, there will be some new social media as well. Therefore, as a future leader of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, we have to be openmind and leading edge to ensure that our properties are well-recognized by publics. * Discovered new social media tool. TravelIpod, could be an effective social media for today’s hospitality industry, is a free travel blog. It is recognized by National Geographic as an online trvel journal. It has attractted 80840 tourists around the world to share their unique travel expereince and photo of the beautiful tourism destinations.TravelIpod is connected with hotels or resorts’ Trip-advicer account. Therefore, when gusets search the hotels in their destinations, most of hotels will be listed based on recommendation, price or rating. It is more convinient for guests to make a decision about where they want to stay. TravelIpod will have a significantly enhance the hotels or resorts’ marketing approach. Firstly, TravelIpod has a variety of demongraphic groups. Most of them are younger generation and middle aged people. This will help hotel and resorts to successfully reach their different markets. Secondly, TravelIpod allows tourists to post their real travel expereince online. Through looking through tourists’ stay experiences , other tourists will have a better idea about your hotel, and they will belive your brand promise. Therefore,TravelIpod can enhance hotel and resorts’ crediabilities. Thirdly, the hospitality business could use TravelIpod successfully market their property. The rating diagram from hotel or resort’s start date to the recent date provide a clear information that whether your property is a good place for tourists to stay. In addition, TravelIpod is effective tool that today’s Tourism and Hospitality Industry needs to address in order to be successful in today’s marketing environment. It will signifcantly enhance your hotels or resorts’ marketing apporach, increase its credibility, and market your properties. * Creative social media web. As an increasing popularity of smart phone contributes to numbers of smart phone systems link to social media. Therefore, the managers could have a high exposure to their cutomers wherever they go; they could not only share their daily stories and communicate with their guests, but also could market their products and market their responsible business. This would signifcantly build the trust between business operations and their guests. However, Rock Water Secret Resort has not done any mobile marketing strategies. The new Instagram, as one of creative mobile marketing tools, has linked to Facebook and Twitter. Therefore, it allows everyone to share their photo with their friends, collegues, and families. Today’s Tourism and Hospitality businesses could use this tool to market their new packages through shwing off the collection of package they offer, engage their customers by posting a activity picture to ask customers guess where this activity be hold, and market their responsible businesses by sharing emplyees’ party pictures. It provides chance for hotel managers to engage and communicate with their customers whereever they go. * New tools that I would adapt in my personal and professional use. First, I would love to adapt TravelIpod in my personal and professional use. I would love to use TravelIpod as my travel journal to share my travel expereince,give others travel suggestions and listen to others travel expereince. Furthermore, I will also address TravelIpod to my business, it help me to approach the different markets due to it is used by a variety of demongraphic groups. It also help me to gain international attentions due to it is linked to the international News, Magazines, and Travel websites. Through lauching TravelIpod in my personal and professional life will not only broaden my horizon, but also will effective improve my marketing strategies. As an increasing popularity of smart phone, I would love adapt Instagram system in my personal and professional life, because it will help me to engage with my customers and showing my products. In addition, social media has become a key component of the Tourism and Hospitality Industry. Today’s businesses not only have to concern about today’s main social media tools, but also have to be openmind to the new social media. Through addressing social media to increase the exposure of the products, engage with customers, and market your responsible business, will significantly benefit your properties.