Part three of ONDA's social series walks Korean hoteliers through major platforms—Instagram, Facebook, Naver, KakaoStory—and which ones actually drive bookings versus brand awareness.
03. Finding the Right Social Media Channels for Your Property
Writer: ONDA Somora Manager
Finding the Right Social Media Channels for Your Property
Hello, Magazine ON subscribers! March is here—you can practically feel spring in the air. Many accommodation owners reading this are likely wrapping up the off-season and gearing up for the new season.
Today, we're picking up where we left off to explore the various social media channels you can use to promote your property. The 21st-century digital landscape is bursting with platforms, but most owners don't know which ones to use—or what makes each one tick. Even those already active on social media often tap into just a fraction of what these platforms can do.
So let's dig in. Which platforms are popular? Which ones suit accommodations best? What are the pros, cons, and quirks of each? We'll break it all down, step by step.
What social media channels are best for promoting your property?
How Korea's Social Media Landscape Has Evolved
We live in a global era. A platform that takes off in one country often spreads like wildfire to another. Facebook launched in the US in 2004 and boasted 1.87 billion users worldwide by 2017. Instagram followed—and now commands more screen time than Facebook in many markets. Of course, some platforms stay local: Korea had Cyworld, China has Weibo and QQ.
Korea's social media landscape has shifted dramatically. Cyworld was the first-generation SNS—centered on offline friends. It was the platform in the 2000s (nostalgia for "Cyworld vibes" still fuels viral content). Then came Twitter, built around anonymous online followers and 180-character bursts of text.
Next: Facebook and KakaoStory. Both blurred online and offline—you could connect with college friends and coworkers. Facebook appealed across age groups; KakaoStory hit with younger users and parents. Both let you post photos and text, making it easy to share thoughts with a wider circle. Naver Band joined the fray, becoming the go-to app for clubs, meetups, and communities—simple group creation, shared posts, threaded comments.
Recently, "vertical SNS" platforms—Instagram, TikTok, Naver's hashtag features—have taken over, centered on interests rather than relationships. People want information fast and frictionless. Instagram initially gained traction as a celebrity diary, then captured users fed up with Facebook's aggressive ad rollout. Its 10-photo limit, short captions, and bite-sized format perfectly match modern consumption habits.
Global Social Media Rankings
Statista, a German research firm, surveyed the world's most popular social networks by active users. Facebook topped the chart with 2.27 billion users.
Surprisingly, YouTube came in second. Until last year, WhatsApp (owned by Facebook) held the #2 spot—with less than half of Facebook's reach. But in 2018, video content exploded. YouTube, which wasn't even in the top 20 in 2017, leapfrogged everything to claim silver. WhatsApp dropped to third. Facebook Messenger, Instagram, China's QQ and WeChat filled out the rest of the top tier. Another standout: TikTok, a video-first platform launched in 2016, rocketed up the rankings to compete with the giants.
Global social media rankings (Source: statista.com)
Country-specific rankings echo this—Facebook dominates everywhere except China (blocked by government regulation). This holds true across the Americas, Europe, and Asia (including Japan).
Why does this matter to you? Foreign guests. If you're running a city hostel, guesthouse, or pension listed on Booking.com, Agoda, or Airbnb, you can't rely on domestic traffic alone. To attract guests from a specific country, you need to show up where they hang out online. Check Statista (statista.com) for real-time data—use a translation tool or brush up your English—and tailor your channel strategy accordingly.
Korea's Social Media Rankings
According to Mobidays, a digital marketing firm, Naver Band led Korea's Android app SNS usage in 2018 (200,000 users surveyed). Band held 23% market share domestically—and growing. No surprise: Naver commands over 90% of Korea's search market, and Naver Blog and Cafe also cracked the top rankings.
Domestic SNS usage (Source: platum.kr/archives/114230)
But the winds are shifting. Facebook—a perennial #1 or #2—slipped to third, overtaken by Instagram. The reasons? What we discussed earlier. Google Play's social category shows Facebook's user base plummeting from 13.39 million (2017) to 8.8 million (2018). KakaoStory also nosedived—13.12 million to 7.75 million in a year.
Demographics vary too: Gen Z prefers Everytime (a college timetable app) and Instagram. People in their 30s favor Naver Cafe. Those in their 40s and 50s lean toward KakaoStory.
Domestic SNS usage breakdown (Source: mobiinside.com/kr/2019/01/11/snsuser-2018)
To market effectively on social media in Korea, you need to do your homework. Let's say you nailed last month's assignment—"Define your property concept and target audience." You now know the age, gender, and preferences of your ideal guest. Next step: figure out which platforms they use most. Promote there. Stay on top of trends. If you pour time and resources into a dying platform, you'll burn effort with zero results.
Finding domestic SNS statistics is easy—just Google or Naver it. Before launching any account, do this research. Find the platform that fits your property.
Where Is Social Media Marketing Headed?
Hubspot, a leading US marketing firm, surveyed "the most effective online marketing tactics for driving customer clicks." The top three: Search Engine Optimization (SEO), blogging, and social media marketing. All three rely heavily on indirect tactics—reviews, word-of-mouth, organic content.
We've been talking social media marketing nonstop, so let me clarify the other two terms for those unfamiliar.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) means structuring your web content so search engines (Naver, Google, Daum, etc.) rank it higher in results. On Naver Blog, you often hear "top exposure" (상위 노출). Blogging is the act of posting content—text, images, info—on these platforms. Getting your blog posts to rank high is critical for any property. Hospitality is hard to advertise offline—guests can't see your rooms until they arrive—so online visibility is everything.
When you do social media marketing and blogging, SEO is non-negotiable. Optimize your content. Pull in clicks. Drive bookings.
Recommended Social Media Channels for Your Property
Okay, we've covered a lot. But with so many platforms out there, where do you even start? Let me break it down: top social media channels for accommodations—with quick intros and SEO tips for each.
1. Facebook
Sure, its popularity has dipped recently—but Facebook still holds the #1 spot globally. Even as young users migrate to Instagram, Facebook's seamless Instagram integration (easy cross-posting) keeps it relevant. That's why it's my first recommendation.
Facebook lets you share long-form posts, unlimited photos, and detailed property info. Messenger integration means you can field inquiries in real time—great for engagement. If you're a business, you can create a Business Page (separate from a personal profile), which unlocks analytics and business tools.
Facebook's ad system is industry-leading. Its vast user base provides rich data—demographics, behavior, intent—and even recommends campaigns based on your goals. Win-win.
Facebook SEO Tips
– Create thumb-stopping content: Make carousel posts (card-news format) people can relate to. Swiping through each card builds interest.
– Use Facebook Open Graph: Embed links (your website, booking page) into posts via Open Graph buttons. Share them widely and fast.
– Run promotions: Discounts, coupons, giveaways. Use your Business Page to build trust with followers through exclusive offers.
ONDA's Facebook page
2. Instagram
Instagram is my go-to for ONDA marketing—alongside Naver Blog, it's where I invest the most effort. Instagram is image or video + short caption. A 2018 article noted "Instagram over blogs" as mobile usage exploded—now over 70% of Korean internet users are on it. The hashtag (#) feature, which lets you hop between posts with a single tap, became so popular it spread to nearly every other platform.
Why Instagram took off:
- Photo-first = simple, fast posting. Perfect for spare moments.
- Visually stunning. Emotional. Grid layout = eye candy.
- Hashtags = real-time search. Trend-sensitive Gen Z loves it.
- Perceived as more authentic than Naver blogs (which feel ad-heavy) or Facebook (also ad-heavy). Instagram felt cleaner—so users flocked there.
I lean on Instagram heavily for the same reasons.
Instagram SEO Tips
– Post eye-catching visuals: Instagram is a grid. Make people want to click. Use emotional or striking images. Carousels work here too—but your first image (the grid thumbnail) is everything.
– Use popular hashtags: Hashtags are Instagram's connective tissue. Use trending, relevant tags (location, niche) to drive traffic. Stay under 30 hashtags total (including caption).
Magazine ON official Instagram
ONDA official Instagram
3. Naver Blog / Naver Post
Naver Blog is my other core channel—right up there with Instagram. Naver used to separate blog, cafe, and web results, but then launched Naver Post (a mobile-first blog service) to improve readability across devices. Think of it as a mobile blog that blends various content types. Recently, Naver Post launched a desktop version (same mobile-style layout)—and it ranks well. Downside: tons of sponsored accounts, hard to build followers. So I focus more on Blog.
Naver Blog and Naver Post are the richest platforms for detailed information. You can format text like a Word doc, insert high-res images in flexible layouts, embed videos, link out, cross-post between blogs. Naver's features—maps, reviews—integrate seamlessly. Basically, you can pour every marketing tactic into these platforms.
Accommodations typically use blogs to post daily updates, property info (directions, room tours, amenities). ONDA uses it to republish magazine content in digestible formats, announce events and training, and create viral-worthy issue content. A high-quality, readable blog post can promote your property as effectively as any ad. Plus, analytics are straightforward—you can see which keywords drive traffic and which posts perform best.
The catch: content takes time. Top exposure is Naver's black box—they control the algorithm. And it's mostly domestic-focused. Still, for Korean accommodations (especially pensions), it's one of the best platforms out there.
Naver Blog SEO Tips
– Publish valuable content: Blogs hold a lot of info—so make it good info. Posts with photos or videos outperform text-only every time.
– Prioritize readability: With so much content, make it skimmable. Use bold fonts, color, varying text sizes, clean image layouts. Break paragraphs for mobile readability.
– Showcase your concept: Unlike Facebook/Instagram (where follower relationships matter), blogs are about content delivery. Weave your property's identity into every post so readers instantly grasp what you're about.
ONDA's Naver Blog
4. Other Channels Worth Exploring
Beyond the big three, I'll introduce more platforms in upcoming installments: KakaoTalk (the nation's messenger), the trending video giant YouTube, Naver Cafe, Brunch, mobile homepage builder Naver Modoo, Twitter, and Google.
Not every platform fits every property—but one of these will click for you. Choose wisely, and you'll see results.
Why not pick one platform that fits your property?
This got long—so today I focused on three core social media channels for accommodations. These are the most widely used platforms, and they're worth testing. A well-tended social media account beats ten paid ads. If you leverage SNS right, you'll generate more revenue than any advertising budget could buy. So if you've read this far: go find the platform that fits your property.
Next time, I'll walk through each channel step-by-step—simple, actionable tactics for accommodation social media marketing. Stay tuned!
[Series Index]
Jan 2019: Social Media Marketing—What Is It? Feb 2019: Why Do Social Media Marketing—and How to Succeed Mar 2019: Finding the Right Social Media Channels Apr 2019: Simple Accommodation SNS Marketing (1): Facebook May 2019: Simple Accommodation SNS Marketing (2): KakaoTalk Plus Friend Jun 2019: Simple Accommodation SNS Marketing (3): Brunch Jul 2019: Simple Accommodation SNS Marketing (4): Naver Cafe Aug 2019: Simple Accommodation SNS Marketing (5): Naver Modoo Sep 2019: Simple Accommodation SNS Marketing (6): Naver Blog Oct 2019: Simple Accommodation SNS Marketing (7): Instagram Nov 2019: Simple Accommodation SNS Marketing (8): YouTube Dec 2019: Bonus Marketing Tips: Naver Smart Place