Do you consider your Vacation Rental a business? If not, you should! In 2021 every good business leverages social media to increase brand awareness, grow their following and ultimately make more sales.
The main goal for your Vacation Rental is to book more of your ideal guests so that every day on your calendar is full. Let's use social media, specifically Instagram, to help you make this happen.
1) Good Listing Photos
A picture is worth a thousand words, and let's be honest, many listing photos are speaking the wrong language. Your photos are your first impression, so make it a good one.
If you are not confident in your photography skills enlist the help of a professional. Once you have a bank of beautiful photos of your property don't stop by simply putting them on your listing. Use those same photos... the ones that feature all of the best parts of your listing, and fill your Instagram feed.
2) Branding
Think branding is just for big corporate companies, think again. Every good Instagram page has a secret branding sauce holding it together. Just like when you are missing a vital spice for your favorite family recipe, without a cohesive branding suite your ideal guest may never stop their scroll.
So what's included in a branding suite? Logos, fonts, colors, and a feeling. If you don't have the money to hire a designer right now there are plenty of free resources to make yourself a simple brand without breaking the bank. Try out Canva for a super easy DIY option.
Once you have all of the pieces of your brand use those as the thread that ties your website, listing, and Instagram feed together. Each should be an extension of the other that give guest the feeling of what it is like to stay with you.
3) Area Highlights
Don't focus too much on your listing alone. Chances are your guest is not coming to your listing to stay in the house. Whether they are there for a quick trip, a work conference or an extended stay; mosts guest like a local perspective on things.
Take the time to think of your favorite cafes, coffee shops, activities, boutiques, museums and more. Once you have your favs in mind, throw them up on your Instagram account. These should be used throughout your feed as well as in a highlight so that it can be easily found. Reels and video are also great ways to features your surrounding area and they happen to preform really well in the algorithm too.
4) Guest Posts
Feel like you are always running out of content to post? Use guest photos, videos, stories, and reels to show a first hand experience of what it is like to stay at your property. Obviously only pick guest posts that make your space look/feel amazing, but you will find this is a great way to create authenticity.
Utilize micro-influencers in your area to get in front of their trusted audience. Have them do a story take over and also see if they will provide you with photos from their stay to use in the future.
5) Be Consistent!
The biggest contributing factor to your success on Instagram is being consistent. Pick a posting schedule and stick with it. Show up routinely with good content on your listing and your area to stay at the top of mind when your followers go to book their next vacation.
Being a vacation rental host can be exhausting and time consuming. If you feel that social media is simply something that you can not add to your plate right now, please let us know. We would love help alleviate this burden and ensure that your rental has the most success possible. Don't hesitate to reach out.