Comment: A social Ramadan Kareem

Tweak timings and tailor social media offers to meet the needs of fasting followers

How time flies! This is going to be my 10th Ramadan in the United Arab Emirates. I still remember the first one in 2004 when I got a glimpse into a previously relatively unknown world and came to like this special time of the year.

I still like it and, unlike some, I usually stay around the region during Ramadan and try to make the most of this quiet, but also very social time.

Ten years ago, we didn’t have Twitter or Instagram, and Pinterest was still years away from being invented. We lived in a Bebo and MySpace world, if we engaged in social networking at all, and Facebook was only a couple of months old.

It seems to me that Ramadan and social media is actually a perfect match. For all its reflectiveness, the Holy Month is also very social.

Families and friends gather in the evenings, colleagues meet over iftar dinners, and everybody enjoys the Eid celebrations at the end of the Ramadan period.

So, how do you make the most of Ramadan for your hotel social media-wise? The obvious answer, of course, is “be social”, but that’s perhaps a little too obvious. Ramadan is a special time and requires good digital planning and a few adjustments to your usual social media strategy.

The day-to-day life of your many segments of your target audiences is changing, which also reflects in their online habits. Timings shift and so does the type of content appreciated by your social media fans.

Research by The Online Project (www.theonlineproject.me) has shown that social media usage in the MENA region increases between 30% to 33% during Ramadan and that user sentiment is more positive than immediately before or after Ramadan.

This is great news for social hoteliers and marketers, because it means that, provided you engage your audience correctly, your updates will travel further and receive more comments, shares, retweets, and repins.

Ramadan is also a great time to hone your digital storytelling skills and you should have started with this already.

Give your audience an insight into your hotel’s Ramadan preparations, invite food bloggers for an exclusive preview of your iftar offerings, and don’t forget about segments of your audience who may be new to Ramadan — keep them informed about the dos and don’ts of the Holy Month and perhaps share some Ramadan-specific sightseeing and activities ideas.

Many hotels engage in charitable initiatives during Ramadan and if yours does too, you should use social media to increase the visibility of your hotel’s work and that of your chosen charitable cause.

This is also a great opportunity to get your associates involved. Let them take pictures, make videos, and generally help you generate content.

More than ever, Ramadan is the time to encourage your guests and visitors to share updates while they’re in your hotel or restaurant. A post-Iftar video wall showing live updates of your hotel’s Twitter or Instagram feed could be a great way to get your guests to share more.

Why not tie this into your charitable initiatives and offer to donate more money/time/products, the more pictures and videos your guests share while they’re with you? Two birds. One stone.

Lastly, do not just amend your posting times, but also make sure you update your social media listening keywords and are prepared for comments, questions, and complaints to come in during other times than you’re perhaps used to.

A really social hotel takes into account such subtleties and ensures that even if a tweet with a question comes in at 3am, it is answered without delay, provided it’s urgent. Whatever you do: Keep it social!

About the Author:
Martin Kubler is owner, director and chief cook and bottle washer of Iconsulthotels FZE, an ultra-boutique hospitality consultancy in Dubai.
Email: info@iconsulthotels.com or visit facebook.com/iconsulthotels