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Remember when it was enough to have a decent-looking website and a few keywords on some pages? Times have changed! Now marketers have to constantly come up with innovative ways to grab visitors' attention. Video contents helps increase engagement across all channels: web, email and social media include videos nowadays. Brands and people increasingly connect through more social video channels like Vimeo, Snapchat, Instagram videos or even Twitter’s Vine. So what are you waiting for? Try it out and get started!

Audience

Always consider the audience you are trying to reach and ensure the video is relevant to them. This is a much larger topic we'll cover soon, but you should be laser focused on your audience - are you targeting flashpackers, party- goers, photo-enthusiasts, or another group? You could be targeting a couple of different groups depending on the season and room type, but you want to be consciously directing your marketing material to those people.

Shareability - Make it easy to share

If you want to fully realize the video medium's full potential, you make sure it's easy for your audience to find and easy for them to share it with their social network. This ties in with understanding your audience - for example, photo-enthusiasts might be more connected on Instagram than other groups, so if you were targeting that group, you should definitely make sure your Instagram account is connected with whichever video platform you're posting videos on.

Creativity - Let your mind run wild :)

Be creative! Not only with the videos themselves but in the campaign strategy you build around them. For example, you could live broadcast, on Periscope (if that's where your audience lives!), a backpacker's birthday party at your hostel, while everyone’s having a blast.

Live videos

Hostels are defined and differentiated by the experience people have at them. One of the best format for sharing those experiences is video. Showing real- life backpackers in your videos evokes positive emotion in those people thinking about staying at your hostel and instills a sense of trust and transparency as well! A video is so much easier to connect with and relate to than a block of text.

Need an idea?

Stream a “day at the hostel” showing your backpackers' best moments. Show what travelers enjoy most about staying at your hostel; show how backpackers relax in your hostel’s living areas (playing cards, having a drink, partying, or watching movies); when they must leave :( and are sad to say farewell. Here are some more ideas to get your brain's juices flowing:

1. Film 15-second testimonials from real backpackers that stayed at your hostel.
2. Do a short introduction of the hostel, its mission and vision.
3. Film your hostel’s neighborhood and talk about why it's a unique place to stay.
4. Talk about your hostel's story (for example, it started out as a family venture in the house you grew up in!).