THE ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA TO THE MARKETING OF HOTELS PRODUCTS AND SERVICES (CASE STUDY OF CROSS RIVER STATE)

Phe study examined the role of social media to the m services. Traditional internet sources of marketing infor sources that included customer blogs, Blogging is one networking tools, and the Travel and have not only positive impacts but become arketing of hotels product and mation were compared to web ol the most important social Fourism Industry today has discovered that blogs also negative ones if not managed properly. As blogs more and more popular as a social media tool. knowing how the blogs can mfluence consumer decisions can definitely help the hotel managers make competent | decisions regarding the use of social media in their marketing strategy. The sample in this study consisted of faculty and staff members of management sciences from Cross River State University and University of Calabar who responded to an invitation to participate. I'he entire accessible population of faculty and staff was randomly assigned to three ing a different website to review before completing ive blog versus mixed blog). The result was a total group consisted of 35 respondents (15 male, 20 a website profiling a fictional hotel. The positive I8 female)T.he positive blog group received the al blog site with positive statements about the hotel. The 8 respondents (9 male. 29 female) who also received the hotel website, and also a fictional blog consisting of a mixed of positive and negative statements. The survey was composed of three segments: a demographic section, perceptions of bias and trustworthiness section, and a likelihood of future use or referral to a friendsection. It was hypothesized that those who received positive blog information would perceive the profiled hotel more positively than the other two groups. Likewise, ation would perccive the hotel more negatively survey groups, with each group receijy the survey (hotel website, versus posit o 98 responses. The hotel web site female). The respondents previewed blog group was a total of 25(7 male, same web site, but also a fiction mixed blog group consisted of 3 blog opportunities, have a way to inter, comments or posts happen, have a plan of action professional approach to social media. viii