Instagram is a highly attractive social network for those who own and manage non-hotel accommodations. Zuckerberg, who purchased it in 2012 when it had 35 million users, knows this well. In June 2016, a press release published on the social network announced that Instagram users had reached 500 million, 80% of whom were logging in from the United States. What are the numbers for Italy in this regard? Well, the country boasts a whopping 9 million active users each month. These data help us understand why a hospitality business should have its own Instagram profile. Instagram can be a great resource for non-hotel accommodations.

Instagram was born in the mobile world as an application for taking and sharing photos. This social network 's unique feature is its embrace of the maxim that a picture is worth a thousand words. A photo with a short caption is easy, immediate, and quick to consume. In a world that's rapidly changing, it's essential to produce content quickly and easily, allowing it to be viewed, read, and shared.

Instagram for non-hotel facilities: storytelling

Stories. Since childhood, we've always been fascinated by fairy tales and stories, told by adults to lull us to sleep or to make us dream. There's even a discipline called storytelling, widely used in advertising to explain a product or service to customers and engage them in the narrative. Instagram allows you to tell the story of your bed and breakfast or farmhouse through images. This opportunity shouldn't be underestimated, considering that sight has always played a fundamental role in human evolution: our ancestors used sight to find food and remember where water, good fruit, and shelter were located.

One of the learning channels is the visual one and among all the five senses, that of sight is certainly the most important together with hearing, so much so that it also influences our language; we often use expressions like “first, second etc. or we usually say to think LOCALLY, to say that we want to remember something and so on.

Instagram for non-hotel facilities: what to publish

In the hospitality industry, you'll obviously need to post photos of your hotel, bed and breakfast , or farmhouse, and the services offered, including who your employees are and what their roles are. Don't forget to post images that highlight the local tourist attractions, landscapes, and architecture, as well as events such as festivals and other local events. The meals served at your property can also capture users' attention, so a photo of a well-prepared table laden with delicacies is highly appreciated. Since it's the primary focus on Instagram, it's important that your photos are of high quality.

Finally, since Instagram is still a social network, you will also need to invest some time to always follow profiles of your interest or even those of competing structures, "like" photos you like but above all interact with your followers and those who comment the posts.