A good short term rental marketing strategy can turn lookers into bookers. The right plan of action will show you how and where to promote your vacation rental. A solid Airbnb marketing plan can  include online and offline strategies.

Your  Airbnb marketing strategy will vary depending on the size, location, and type of space you are renting out. There is no one-size-fits-all marketing strategy.

However, there are some strategies that every host can implement. Here is a list of ten tips to help you get your property in front of the right audience, generate more reservations and increase your income!

Host Tools provides an automated, unified calendar for short-term rental hosts, allowing you to seamlessly list on all major channels. Start your free trial today!

10 Airbnb Marketing Tips

Direct bookings

Direct bookings are a great way to increwase income, espeicailly for returning guests! You can build a website for your short-term rental or , you can list your property on Houfy, a totally free direct booking site that integrates seamlessly with Host Tools. 

Always use high-quality photos

Your listing’s images will make your  first impression, so make sure to include plenty of photos wherever you advertise your listing. There should be between 6-7 high-quality images for each room in the space. It’s also helpful to post close-up images to show potential guests every nook and cranny of your space.

 Learn more about taking great photos for your listing here. 

Connect with your local tourism board

There is nothing like getting listed with your local tourism board. These organizations know the importance of quality listings. If you are a superhost providing a top-of-the-line experience, tourism boards will want to include your property in tourist guides and directories. 

Collaborate with social media influencers

Social media influencers are everywhere these days, and they have no shortage of followers who could potentially be your short-term rental guests. Tap into their existing audience for a boost by reaching out to them to work together on marketing campaigns.

More prominent influencers may require payment, but micro-influencers (10,000 followers or less) may be willing to provide you content and share their experience with their followers in exchange for a free stay. 

Working with influencers is also an opportunity to try out affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing is when you pay another person (like a blogger) to advertise your short-term rental. For example, you can create a discount code for the influencer’s followers to use when booking your property. 

Airbnb marketing with social media

What are the best practices for using social media to promote your short-term rental?

The answer is complicated because each social platform has its intricacies. The most important thing to know is to tailor your message to suit the medium. For example, Facebook users respond well to creative photos and videos with limited text, so show off your property and its surroundings and include simple call-to-action buttons. 

Twitter users respond well to humor and clever hashtags, so share funny or interesting tweets about your home and engage with other users by retweeting them. 

Instagram is ideal for sharing images, especially with people in them. Make sure you post engaging photos to get the most out of this platform. Instagram is an excellent opportunity to show off the local area and places to eat/things to do in the neighborhood. The photos do not strictly need to be of your property. 

All these factors will affect how users receive your messages. Therefore, it’s best to practice your social media outreach and analyze the results so you can determine which mediums work best for you and your short-term rental.

See Related: Advertise on TikTok: Tips to Promote Short-Term Rentals

Join an online short-term rental group

Social media has many groups or chat forums for short-term rental hosts, particularly Facebook. Join these groups not only to further your hosting knowledge but to make connections with other hosts. When you form relationships with other people in the industry, those hosts are more likely to send guests your way when they know someone visiting your area. 

Submit your property photos to interior design blogs

If your property is popping with a fresh interior design and stellar furnishings, a design blog may be interested in featuring your property on their website. Smaller design or real estate blogs will likely be more receptive to your pitch than more prominent brands.

Be sure to include why your property would be a good fit for their blog. For example, if you run an eco-friendly short-term rental, pitching to a real estate or design blog that focuses on sustainability would make sense. 

Offer discounts

It is no secret that travelers love a good bargain. Many travelers choose short-term rentals over hotels because of lower prices. If hosts add a discount for weekly stays or some other perk like a free upsell, guests will be extra inclined to book. Additionally, you can consider offering a discount for returning guests.

Create print materials

Believe it or not, good old-fashioned print advertising is not dead. Create some business cards or flyers to leave at places travelers frequent.

In addition, many local coffee shops or restaurants allow other local businesses to advertise on their community boards. Consider finding a way to partner with one of these local businesses to find a mutually beneficial way of advertising. For example, guests of your rental receive 20% off at “Joe’s Coffee Shop.”

Respond to reviews

Reviews are the short-term rental industry’s lifeblood and will make or break a host’s success. Responding to both good and bad reviews is a form of marketing. Whether or not a guest decides to book with you will be affected mainly by the professionalism of your response to reviews. 

Automate Your Short-Term Rental with Host Tools

Automating your rental is excellent for advertising. For example, if a guest sends a booking inquiry, having an instant automated response will show your professionalism.

Upon integrating your listing with Host Tools, you gain access to numerous message templates that you can easily automate. Your timely and professional response will impress and attract guests to book your home. 

Final Thoughts on Airbnb Marketing

Every host in the short-term rental industry wants to get their property in front of as many eyes as possible. It is vital to get creative and think outside of the box to succeed. Be sure always to produce quality content with your short term rental marketing strategy, and remember this list when putting together your next campaign:

• Build a website

• Always use high-quality photos

• Connect with your local tourism board

• Collaborate with social media influencers

• Use multiple social media platforms

• Join an online short-term rental group

• Submit your property photos to a design or real estate blog

• Offer discounts

• Create print materials

• Respond to reviews

• Automate your rental with Host Tools

Host Tools provides an automated, unified calendar for short-term rental hosts, allowing you to seamlessly list on all major channels. Start your free trial today!