Visual content is processed 60,000 times faster than text. That’s why we say a photo is worth a thousand words and that’s why the 7 Waves Hostel made a smart move by creating this video. Because if a photo is worth a thousand words, well, what about video? Where there’s also audio involved? What’s the value of that?

We can’t deny the power of video anymore. It draws clients directly towards your venue. A good video triggers a potential client’s urge to pack their bags or grab their wallet. And video is even more important when your target audience is relatively young – which is often the case with hostels. Because a hostel’s audience is online, always seeking new inspiration, new content to absorb, suck in. They spend hours and hours on social media and guess what: video wins on these platforms. According to Animoto (video company), 80% of millennials find video helpful during initial purchase research: they do the same for choosing hostels.

“Facebook generates 8 billion video views on average, per day, and those videos have +135% further organic reach than photo posts.”

What’s good about this specific video?

The 7 Waves Hostel in Portugal makes use of this fact by showing off their hostel beautifully in the next video. Besides showing you the property, they also do a good job at putting the vibe of the hostel in the video. By picking specific models, music and color overlays they transfer the feeling of the hostel right to you, the viewer. A relaxed, chilled hostel, perfect for surfers, perfect to meet new people from all around the world. That’s it.

A little behind-the-scenes

“I believe people inspire people. We all want to witness somebody’s experience and project ourselves living it.” – Gustavo Korontai

I got to talk to Gustavo Korontai who produced this video. “We tried to get as close to the people that were staying at the hostel as we could and show what they liked: surf, chill, party and the good weather. We shot spontaneously, didn’t plan too much.” Of course, if you don’t really plan out your video, you’re taking a risk. How do you know it’s going to work out?  “The people there were very cool and vibrant. It’s easy to work when you have these ingredients.” – And luckily, that’s often the case with hostels.

Take-aways

• Keep it short: the majority of people decide within 30-60 seconds whether they will watch your video until the end or not. And they say millennials have the worst attention span… 😉
• Use visuals that engage your audience. A good place to find out what your guests like is Instagram: what are they sharing from your hostel? Or, if you are just opening, look at competitors and check out the photos they were tagged in. This gives you a good idea on what type of visuals your future guests would like to share, and therefore, what they like to see. If lots of your (competitor’s) guests are sharing photos of the view from your pool, put this in the video. Or the delicious healthy breakfast, or the mojitos, or the campfire.
• Most importantly: try to inherit the vibe of your hostel into your video. Your potential guests want to know what your place is like, and they want to know within 60 seconds. So focus on the vibe and show off your property’s best facilities. Make it look irresistible.

Did you find this helpful, fun or interesting? Then please leave a comment! And if you have other hostel videos I should check out, please share. Hostels, hotels, restaurants… All promotional videos are welcome.

> I’m sharing one inspirational commercial or promotional video from the hospitality business each week. If you want to stay updated, make sure to become part of the Tremento Tribe.

This video was created by Gustavo Korontai and Lino Guimaraes.