Social Media Marketing Plan for the Vacation Rental Industry
A big chunk of the majority’s wealth is vested in real estate. The industry is attractive and lucrative to most Investors due to its size and scale. Indeed, the emerging trends have confirmed that the property market is lucrative. Many investors are growing their share in high-quality properties, including vacation rental properties.
Even so, short-term rental businesses need constant research to keep up with the ever-changing customer preferences and perceptions.
Marketing your vacation rental properties on social media is challenging in the same way understanding SEO was 10 years ago. This is true whether it is for Airbnb or some of the other most popular rental sites. Besides creating an excellent rental properties investment strategy, you need an effective social media marketing plan to succeed.
Some brands still use generic social media marketing strategies to establish their rentals on these platforms. They forget that their business is unique, unlike selling clothes, bags, electronics, etc.
When used correctly, social media can effectively capture your target audience and grow your rental property investment significantly.
Here is how you can get started.
How to Execute an Effective Short-Term Rental Marketing Strategy
The best STR strategy can take your business to another level. Marketing on social media platforms is cost-effective and generates higher profits when done consistently and correctly.
As an organic marketing machine, social media can help short-term rental businesses establish rapport with their followers and convert them to guests.
Here’s the nitty-gritty of executing a top-notch social media plan.
Set Clear Goals
Your social media strategy should have clear goals and metrics to measure success. Business profiles differ from individual user accounts because they can analyze marketing performance and gain insight.
- Even so, you should know the following:
- What are you going to promote?
- Who is an ideal guest for your vacation rentals?
- Which type of content is appropriate for each platform and its audience?
- Who are your competitors, and which platforms do they post their content on?
- What impact do you want your marketing campaigns to have on your rental property investment?
- How much passive real estate income do you want to generate?
Post Consistently
Consistency is key in any marketing strategy. You can use many software and tools to schedule your posts, collect data and adjust where needed to improve engagement.
Provide Seamless Experience
Brands use stunning images to attract audiences and drive traffic. For vacation properties, things are different. You must tell your target audience the kind of experience they will have for choosing to stay with you.
Your content should showcase your property and evoke the potential clients to book in order to have the whole experience.
Here are smart tips to achieve that:
- Stage lifestyle shots of the meals on the table, bedrooms, etc.
- Provide must-visit destinations in your area, i.e., local businesses, museums, natural wonders, etc.
- Display the behind-the-scenes photos to show the other side of your business. This gives your short-term rental property business some human element that people love.
Fuse Properties with Direct Booking
Direct your guests to your OTA listing or website to increase bookings. Create a direct link to each property on your website or a third-party listing to boost your rankings on Airbnb or other sites.
Use Tags and Tag Others
Tagging other accounts can increase followers because it helps them find you easily. You can use specific hashtags and geo-tags wisely to categorize your profiles and help users find your post easily. This can happen even when they’re not searching for your content.
Content is King
Your vacation rental marketing campaigns can succeed when you mix and match content on these platforms. TikTok and YouTube are ideal for video content, Instagram works well with photos and videos. Again, Facebook is perfect for text and images. Such content can keep your target audience engaged.
Respond Promptly
Socials are guest service centers. People use them to contact brands, ask questions and leave reviews. So, respond to your followers’ comments promptly and react to their reviews thoughtfully.
How you react shows them you're willing to make necessary changes or adjustments.
Best Social Media Platforms for Your Vacation Rentals
To create a perfect social media marketing plan for your business, you must first identify the top social media platforms to use. Facebook and Instagram have a total of 5 billion users; thus, the majority of your target guests are probably on these two platforms.
Facebook: It’s the most popular platform in the 21st century. You can effectively market your vacation rentals on Facebook. The platform is easy to use and generates a lot of bookings than others. You can easily meet potential clients hanging out online. Hence, you can attract and convert them to long-term guests for your rental properties.
Instagram: This is an image-driven platform and an excellent option for Airbnb hosts. You can use Instagram to showcase your vacation homes. Although you can’t place a booking link on your posts, you can add it on the bio page or Instagram Stories.
Today, Instagram reels have managed to outshine every other form of posts. By the year 2022, 80% of brands present on the platform have published at least one reel. This is a tremendous increase from 2021 when 41% of the brands present on social media were posting the reels content.
Instagram reel is popular for the following reason:
Its unique format releases a whole lot of creative possibilities. This offers innovative ways for creators to easily engage their audiences.
Here, apart from spicing your Instagram feed with varieties, you also get to incorporate video content. Hence, reels give your brand the opportunity to engage a wider audience, and even go viral.
Pinterest: The platform is rich in ideas, and people visit it to get inspiration. You can find the best ideas for interior design, home improvement, fashion, vacation planning, etc. Based on its popular search – home design and travel – Pinterest is a good platform for vacation rental properties.
Other media platforms that you can consider are:
- Snapchat
- Vimeo
- YouTube, and more.
Reasons Why You Should Market Your Vacation Rentals on Social Media
Your social media marketing campaign can sway new guests when interacting with your videos, photos, or posts.
The good news is that your content will start to appear on the user’s Facebook and LinkedIn news feed when they react to your posts. This means a simple like can cause your content to be viewed by a thousand others on Facebook or LinkedIn.
Here are other benefits:
- They give your guests an online platform to share their experiences, communicate faster and offer greater relevance, and also promote your brand to others.
- They help you interact with your target audience and grow your followers, subscribers, viewers, likes, etc.
3. It’s a less costly advertising option that connects you with millennials, international travelers, travel influencers, etc.
- It enables you to cross-promote with other businesses, including tourist destinations, restaurants, eCommerce sites, etc.
- A well-planned social media marketing campaign can earn you short-term rental business credibility. The credibility can boost your business incredibly. Remember, people love going for trusted and reliable services. That’s why customer reviews are very important!
Wrapping Up
Advertising your vacation rentals on social media is likely to increase coverage. It can put your properties in front of a wider audience than other marketing tools. New and returning guests have a platform to interact with you and share their experiences with others.
Our article has highlighted the best social media platforms to post videos, images, and other content. The tips offered can help you create an effective social media marketing plan to increase bookings and sales.
Indeed social media can help grow your vacation rental property investment tremendously!