Introducing the 2012 SLO County Hospitality Social Media Report, specifically focusing on lodging and based on data gathered thru March 2012. The purpose of this Slideshare is to summarize the state of social media as it pertains to lodging properties throughout SLO County. In doing so, obvious pitfalls and opportunities come to light.

1. © 2009 Whizbang

2. San Luis Obispo County
Hospitality Social Media Report Summary
2012 - Lodging
Report by Whizbang
San Luis Obispo, CA
whizbangideas.com

3. From the author…
Introducing the 2012 SLO County Hospitality Social Media Report
Summary, specifically focusing on lodging and based on data gathered
thru March 2012. The purpose of this Powerpoint is to summarize the
white paper report*and the state of social media as it pertains to lodging
properties throughout SLO County. In doing so, obvious pitfalls and
opportunities come to light.
• Like us on Facebook, get social marketing tips and
look for our Social Media Hospitality Workshop coming
this November.
• Call Jessica Wynne at (805) 594-1880 for a consultation
and to see how your property can benefit from a better
social media plan.
* For a white paper presentation or review, please call Jessica Wynne at (805)
594-1880.

4. What industry pros are saying/doing…
“…56% of (adult) Facebook users say they are
more likely to recommend a Facebook hotel
they follow. 71% of guests make purchase
decisions (like booking a room) after
listening to their friends’ recommendations
on Facebook.”
- Buuteeq News, Brandon/Feb 14, 2012

5. Summary
• 232 lodging properties were identified in SLO county.
Our definition of lodging properties includes resorts, hotels,
inns, hostels, motels, and bed and breakfasts. Rental
properties are not included.
• Only 28% (65 properties) of the 232 are taking advantage of
Facebook’s potential. This is an alarmingly low number
knowing that 93% of adult US Internet users have a Facebook
page (164 million US adult internet users, 154 million use
Facebook).

6. Breakdown of the number of lodging properties
in SLO County by city
Amount of lodging properties accounted for within SLO County by city
Templeton
SLO
Santa Margarita
San Simeon
Pismo Beach
Paso Robles
Oceano
Nipomo
Morro Bay
Los Osos
Grover Beach
Cayucos
Cambria
Avila Beach
Atascadero
Arroyo Grande
0 10 20 30 40 50

7. Facebook Status
Number of SLO County lodging properties that have an account on Facebook
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Yes
No
Yes, but personal account
Yes, but limited amount of information availble
Yes, but inactive
Multiple pages
141 of 232 (61%) lodging propertiesFacebookpages are not
optimized.Optimization would include Facebook Timeline, use
of apps, pictures, postings, link to website, CTA, etc…

8. 100
300
400
500
600
700
800
200
0
Arroyo Grande
Atascadero
Avila Beach
Cambria
Facebook “likes”
Cayucos
Grover Beach
Los Osos
Morro Bay
Nipomo
Oceano
Paso Robles
Pismo Beach
San Simeon
Santa Margrarita
Average amount of likes per lodging property in SLO County by city
SLO
Templeton

9. Facebook “likes”
• The highest average number of likes per property is 667, in
Avila Beach (8 properties). The lowest is 9.5 in Grover Beach (2
properties).
• Los Osos has only two properties yet has the 4th highest
likes by city, slightly behind Pismo Beach with 35 properties.
• Cambria has the most properties (42), but one of the lowest
likes by city. Cambria properties have the potential to connect
with 10 million more adult Facebook users.
• Call Jessica Wynne at (805) 594-1880 for a consultation.
• Like us on Facebook, get social marketing tips and look for
our Social Media Hospitality Workshop coming this November.

10. Facebook “likes”
The top 10 lodging properties with the most likes in SLO County.
The number of likes can be driven by the size and depth of
the lodging property. For example, a property with a
spa, restaurant(s), pool, or in a really cool location like
Cambria should have more likes.

11. Facebook “likes”
What can Facebook likes do for me?
• Expression of affinity
• Builds credibility
• Send broadcast-style emails to all your fans
• More traffic to website
• Likes lead to insights and impressions

12. Facebook “check-ins”
A check-in on Facebook is a great tool for businesses to
use and is very beneficial. When customers check-in at a
property location, that property’s name and link to the
property’s Facebook page will be spread virally to all the
customer’s friends on their personal Facebook page.
The customer’s check-in also shows up on the property’s
Facebook page. It is a confirmation of popularity which
allows followers to become more enticed towards your
business’ Facebook page, thus leading to more likes and
even greater reach.

13. Facebook “check-ins” UPDATED 07-26-12
TOTAL amount of lodging property check-ins to date by city.

14. Facebook “check-ins”
AVERAGE amount of check-ins to date in each city by property.

15. Facebook “check-ins”
• With 11,000 rooms in SLO County and 68,733 total check
ins for the county, the average number of check-ins per
room for all SLO County properties is 6.25. A healthy
number is 85. Total check-ins for SLO County should be
closer to 1,000,000, vs. the current 68,733.
• The City of Nipomo, with one property (6 rooms), has 690
check-ins, reaching as many as 247,710 adult Facebook
users. That’s approx. 115 check-ins per room.

16. Facebook icon
Of the 167 properties that have a Facebook page, only 86
properties, or 52% have an integrated link to Facebook from
their website.

17. What industry pros are saying/doing…
- Brian Solis, Engage
The Four Seasons Hotels use Twitter in the following ways.
- to listen in on the chatter, and know when people are talking about
their brand, whether it is good or bad. When someone is happy, they
tell 3 people. When someone is unhappy, they tell 10 people.
– to respond and take action when a customer complains about
something.
- to announce promotions in the restaurant, bar and spa
– to welcome customers who tweet to their account.

18. A perfect twitter interaction.

19. Twitter Status
72% of SLO County lodging properties do not take advantage
of having a Twitter account.
• Call Jessica Wynne at (805) 594-1880 for a consultation.
• Like us on Facebook, get social marketing tips and look for
our Social Media Hospitality Workshop coming this November

20. Twitter “tweets”
Top 10 list of the number of tweets by lodging property that use Twitter.

21. Twitter “tweets”
#CambriaVictoria (Victoria’s Last Resort) has 703 tweets
and 677 followers, good numbers, and good engagement.

22. Twitter “followers”
Top 10 lodging properties with the highest number of Twitter followers

23. Twitter “followers”
Of Interest: La BellaseraHotel & Suites has the most Twitter
followers, but are not tweeting back to these consumers.
First tweet was May 12, 2010. Their most recent tweet was
Feb 15, 2012, Before that, it was Oct. 25, 2011.
That’s 0.18 tweets/day on average.

24. Twitter “followers”
Two positive tweets, one from a hospitality partner, the other
from a guest are completely ignored.

25. Twitter “followers”
A large base of followers on Twitter is highly beneficial to a
business. Followers are able to see and read tweets, creating
more value and awareness to the business. This is especially
true for SLO County lodging properties, considering our
location, demographics and target markets.
If you are a lodging property between Los Angeles and San
Jose, you need to be engaging on twitter.

26. What can Twitter do for me?
- Listen in on the chatter, and know when people are talking
about your brand, whether it is good or bad. When someone is
happy, they tell 3 people. When someone is unhappy, they tell
10 people. When an unhappy person is made happy, they tell
400 people.
– Respond and take action when a customer complains about
something.
- Announce promotions
– Welcome customers who tweet to your account.

27. Conclusion
71% of adult Facebook users make purchase decisions (like booking a room) after
reading (and seeing) their friends’ recommendations on Facebook.
Remember, a valuable social media campaign never ends.A company or brand is
constantly reiterating its presence. So should your social media commitment.
Social media use is crucial to the future growth and continued success of SLO
County lodging properties. So much of this category is based on peer
recommendations and consumers talking about and sharing their experience with
your brand.
Keep these guidelines in mind when devising your social media strategy;
1. Have a focused strategy and define success metrics at the start.
2. Develop and follow a schedule of postings, responses and monitoring.
3. Create cross channel synergies and recycle content across social networks
4. Let people know you exist, invite them to join your network(s)
5. Follow the Whizbang R.E.M.A. model:
Be Relevant, Engaging, Memorable and Actionable.
6. Get in it to win it and commit to your success.

28. Work Cited:
• Businesses to Fully Embrace Social Media in 2012. PC Quest, (2012)
• Facebook.com
• Facebook’s “People Talk About This” Metric PO.Engauge, 5. Oct. 2011. Web. 26 Apr. 2012.
• Hampton, Keith; Sessions, Lauren; Merlow, Cameron. Why Most Facebook Users Get More Than They Give. Pew Research
Center, Internet and American Life Project, Feb 3, 2012.
• Inbound Marketing: A Cut Above Outbound for Social Media Marketers. Business 2 Community. 17 Apr. 2012. Web. 27 Apr. 2012.
http://www.business2community.com/marketing/inbound-marketing-a-cut-above-outbound-for-social-media-marketers-0165092
• Male, Bianca. The 6 Real Benefits Of Using Social Media For Business. Business Insider, 14 Apr. 2010. Web. 01 May 2012.
http://articles.businessinsider.com/2010-04-14/strategy/30067056_1_social-media-open-forum-building-links>.
• Mashable.com
• More than 13 Percent of Americans Use Twitter. Deluxe Small Business Blog, 3 July 2011. Web. 04 May 2012.
• 2012 Economic Profile.San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce
• San Luis Obispo County Tourism Industry Analysis. SMG Strategic Marketing Group and Dean Runyan Associates, released September
24, 2008. Study commissioned by the Economic Vitality Corporation
• Stelzner, Michael A. 2012 Social Media Marketing Industry Report. Rep. Social Media Examiner, Apr. 2012. Web. 1 May 2012.
• Sutton, J., Palen, Leysia, and Shlovski, Irina. (2008). Back-Channels on the Front Lines: Emerging Use of Social Media in the 2007
Southern California Wildfires. Proceedings of 2008 ISCRAM Conference. Washington, D.C..
• Tsukayama, Haley. Your Facebook Friends Have More Friends Than You. The average Facebook user has 245 friends. The average
Facebook friend has 359 friends. Washington Post, Feb. 3, 2012. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/your-facebook-
friends-have-more-friends-than-you/2012/02/03/gIQAuNUlmQ_story.html
• Technorati.com
• Twitter.com

29. Work Cited:
• http://www.seomoz.org/blog/a-peek-under-the-hood-how-we-manage-the-seomoz-
communityhttp://www.seomoz.org/blog/why-every-marketer-now-needs-a-google-strategyhttp://www.stonetemple.com/real-time-
quality-score-with-frederick-vallaeys/
• http://support.google.com/places/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=7091
• http://www.youtube.com/t/press_statistics
• http://juliasegal.tumblr.com/post/16019804182http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2124899/SEO-for-Google-Profiles-and-
Pages•
• http://www.copyblogger.com/google-plus-content-marketers/•
• http://adage.com/article/the-media-guy/facebook-makes-52-sharing-web/231528/•
• http://www.wihphotel.com/mag/2011/when-social-media-for-hotels-works/•
• http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/30306/Facebook-Launches-Customized-Calls-to-Action-for-Apps.aspx•
• http://searchengineland.com/googles-results-get-more-personal-with-search-plus-your-world-107285•
• http://www.travelclick.com/press/releases/index.cfm•
• http://blog.milestoneinternet.com/education/webinar-top-10-marketing-trends-2012/•
• http://mashable.com/2012/01/19/google-plus-search-upgrade/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign

30. About Whizbang
Whizbang is a full-service marketing firm located in San Luis
Obispo, CA. We deliver innovative and idea driven solutions for
our clients’ brands through all B2B, B2C, B2G, B2P, P2P and all
the other "2" acronym touch-points.
We would be happy to work with your property to help maximize
your social media presence.
We invite you to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
@whizbangideas.
805.594.1880
jessica@whizbangideas.com