Author:

Keywords:

influencers, Instagram, textual post characteristics destination marketing, visual post characteristics, Social Sciences, Business, Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism, Business & Economics, Social Sciences - Other Topics, DESTINATION IMAGE, VISIT INTENTION, IMPACT, CREDIBILITY, INFORMATION, HYPOTHESIS, 1505 Marketing, 1506 Tourism, 3506 Marketing, 3508 Tourism

Abstract:

The aim of this study is to examine how important the respective roles of influencers, visual and textual post characteristics, and destination-unique selling point (USP) references are in Instagram marketing. We analyzed these factors’ relative effectiveness using a real-life case study in the hospitality industry. The findings – based on an externally valid dataset (N = 457 Instagram posts) – indicated that influencers are a key asset for the hospitality business. Moreover, we find that visual and textual content characteristics and USP references also significantly influence the effectiveness of an Instagram post (i.e., the length of the text, a photo of a swimming pool, and an illustration of a couple). Therefore, this study suggests that the hospitality industry should focus on influencers and other factors such as textual and visual post characteristics and destination-unique selling points in its communication strategy on Instagram. These findings can aid the hospitality industry in calibrating and optimizing their advertising on Instagram, which may lead to a stronger external market position and higher revenues.