How Meliá Lodges Worldwide scales influencer advertising and marketing by sharing finest apply and tailoring its influencer strategy to suit every model.
Traackr has partnered with Scott Guthrie for the next interview, as a part of our new world sequence “Influencer Advertising and marketing at Scale”.
Listed on the inventory change (A part of the IBEX 35 index) and nonetheless family-run Meliá Lodges Worldwide is likely one of the largest lodge corporations on the planet.
This home of manufacturers operates over 90,000 rooms throughout 377 inns worldwide underneath its seven manufacturers: Gran Meliá Lodges & Resorts, Paradisus Resorts, ME by Meliá, Meliá Lodges & Resorts, Innside by Meliá, Sol Lodges & Resorts and TRYP by Wyndham. Its portfolio is complemented by its worldwide shared trip membership Meliá Membership.
I spoke with Santiago Garcia Solimei, International Director of Social Media, Meliá Lodges Worldwide to higher perceive how this resort and metropolis lodge operator works with influencers globally at an enterprise degree.
The interview explores how the agency has constructed an influencer system strong sufficient to optimize investments, enhance efficiencies, adjust to laws and share finest apply throughout 43 international locations on 4 continents. On the similar time, it is a system sufficiently versatile to adapt its strategy to satisfy the differing wants of its seven model identities.
[SG] What drives Meliá Lodges Worldwide to make use of influencer advertising and marketing?
[SGS] About 11% of visitors to our reserving web site Melia.com comes from social. An increasing number of individuals are reaching out to social media channels to find new inns and to find locations.
So not solely can we should be current on social, however we should be current with actually good content material and the way in which to make sure we’ve got wonderful and diverse content material is thru influencer advertising and marketing.
We used to function a company-wide PR and social media technique that was properly established by model and area however lacked a system strategy and particular methodology to influencer advertising and marketing.
In January 2017, we made the change to a system-based strategy. The transfer was a response to the growing variety of influencer requests being obtained on the lodge, regional and world ranges, plus the period of time wanted to judge, take into account and reply to all these requests.
Our systematic strategy, pushed by Traackr, has given us the advantage of a constant methodology to determine, validate, reply and report on influencer associated proposals.
[SG] Are you able to give me an thought of the size of influencers Meliá Lodges Worldwide works with?
[SGS] We categorise influencers at three levels: recognized, engaged and advocates. We solely hold related influencers in our Traackr database. Thus far we’ve got recognized 896 related influencers. This provides you an thought of the scale we’re speaking about. Of these 896 influencers, 150 are engaged. Which means they’re doing one thing with us. An additional 75 we classify as advocates.
General a few third of our influencers are related to the ME by Meliá model. However, yearly every certainly one of our seven manufacturers runs a worldwide marketing campaign which incorporates an influencer advertising and marketing element.
[SG] How does Meliá Lodges Worldwide determine probably the most applicable influencers to work with for every model?
[SGS] The model advertising and marketing division creates a persona of a really perfect influencer for every model. These profiles cowl the perfect pursuits, age, and developments that these folks observe, together with model configurations, and attain. We’ve got a really clearly spec’d out map of what an influencer must be for every of our manufacturers.
It’s actually necessary for us that we don’t share influencers throughout completely different manufacturers. Every model has its personal particular targets and profiles.
We have interaction with influencers on an unique foundation. We glance very rigorously on the values of that influencer and our model, the message the influencer is portraying to his or her viewers; what kind of viewers it’s and the place they’re situated.
We actually need genuine content material which amplifies all the improbable tales we’ve got in every of our properties. We’re transitioning our strategy in the direction of having much more tradition and art-based influencer engagement.
[SG] Which crew inside Meliá Lodges Worldwide ‘owns’ influencer advertising and marketing’?
[SGS] The International Social Media division is accountable for the influencer advertising and marketing imaginative and prescient, technique and program, plus the way in which it’s applied by the areas and inns.
We’ve got created a technique known as the MHI Influencer Greatest Apply Information. PR and social media companies have interaction with influencers based mostly on our methodology. They use Traackr because the influencer database and reporting framework.
RELATED: A Blueprint for Scaling Enterprise Influencer Advertising and marketing
We devise the framework technique centrally. We then current this technique to our PR companies, social media companies and inns worldwide. Given our geographical unfold we depend on PR companies and social media companies – our specialised sources – to conduct native coaching with inns. They take the technique right down to a property degree. So for instance, if a normal supervisor obtained a request from an influencer, he’ll know what to do and who to contact. This whole workflow is included in our Influencer Information.
[SG] How does Meliá Lodges Worldwide allocate sources to its influencer applications?
[SGS] We’ve got a central influencer price range allotted to every model that covers journey, internet hosting and associated bills. As a part of our world campaigns, there’s additionally a price range for influencer marketing-related actions particular to every marketing campaign.
We wish to have interaction with influencers who totally join with our manufacturers at an emotional degree so we invite them to an unforgettable lodge expertise the place all bills are coated. We solely pay for the influencer participation on particular ad-hoc actions (for instance for DJing, artwork interventions, or Ted Talks). We imagine this strategy will lead to simpler and genuine content material in addition to a long-term relationship of brand name advocacy.
[SG] How do you measure the success of your influencer advertising and marketing?
A part of proving the ROI of social is by way of a data-driven strategy. By way of Traackr, we’re capable of generate a report of each related influencer marketing campaign. Throughout the report, we will see all the protection generated plus the mentions and interactions. We are able to see which content material has labored finest for us on every social community and by particular influencers.
We’re additionally placing collectively inside enterprise circumstances which present outcomes on all of the completely different campaigns. Globally, about 11% of visitors to our reserving web site Melia.com comes from social. In some international locations, social media drives 15% of visitors to the reserving website. By way of enterprise circumstances and reviews we present our inns’ normal managers how a lot protection has been generated and the way a lot traction was achieved.
[SG] What boundaries should be overcome to successfully scale influencer advertising and marketing inside an enterprise and the way do you overcome them?
[SGS] The primary boundaries are taking the technique to all markets, on all 4 of the continents that we function. Every market has its personal particular guidelines, regulation and completely different digital behaviours.
We’re grouped by areas. Every area has its personal annual convention. Social media all the time has a slot at these conferences. So a minimum of annually, we’ve got the chance to get in entrance of the final managers of any specific area and actually give them an replace on developments, technique, and completely different tasks. Then the final supervisor is accountable for passing on the data to their crew.
Face-to-face data sharing is augmented with on-line coaching and a social media ambassador scheme. There are additionally bootcamps and there is a firm on-line portal the place workers can share their concepts with their friends.
Offering up to date coaching is a problem given how shortly social media is evolving. So, we’re trying into offering full on-line coaching which covers our influencer advertising and marketing methodology.
[SG] What influencer advertising and marketing activation are you particularly pleased with?
2017 marked the tenth anniversary of ME By Meliá. To commemorate this landmark we devised an always-on, year-long world marketing campaign throughout all of the ME by Meliá inns and markets. Our purpose was to coach audiences concerning the model and to rejoice the primary decade in a means that mirrored the ME vibe. We held occasions at ME Miami, ME Madrid, ME London, ME Mallorca, ME Ibiza, ME Cabo and ME Milan. These occasions drove visitors to the model channels and net content material hub the place all event-related content material is hosted.
Marketing campaign outcomes for the ten Years of Me have been phenomenal on social media. Content material created from the Milan occasion, for instance, generated a 30% engagement fee. For that occasion held final December we mixed the glamour and exclusivity of ME by Meliá with the distinctive values of Milan: Vogue, design and gastronomy.
Influencers got make-up and hairstyling make-overs by specialist stylists. They have been then provided branded equipment to finish their new look.
We additionally showcased town’s structure and gastronomy legacy earlier than internet hosting a celebration on our rooftop bar giving influencers the right alternative to take and publish photos of the solar setting behind the Milan skyline.
The marketing campaign was a hit. The hashtag #10YearsofME was used 1,346 instances all year long on Instagram. It generated 1.36M likes and feedback on the platform. In whole we achieved 3.5M content material engagements on all promoted posts.
About Scott Guthrie
Scott is an impartial influencer advertising and marketing guide. Earlier roles embrace overseeing influencer relations at main company, Ketchum, and serving because the newswire product supervisor, EMEA at PR Newswire. Observe him on Twitter. Learn his influencer advertising and marketing weblog, or watch “My Influencer Advertising and marketing Philosophy”.
