Discover how to leverage Instagram for vacation rentals. Essential tips & strategies for vacation rental owners. Boost your rental bookings today!
As a vacation rental business, you should always search for ways to attract guests and increase bookings. You might've heard about Instagram for vacation rentals or even used it for a while without much success.
Boasting over 1.4 billion users, Instagram is one of the largest social media platforms and an online playground for businesses wanting to generate visibility. The platform is deeply influential, with 40% of users claiming they made purchases they wouldn't have considered without it.
Whether you're a novice host or an expert in the field, Instagram should be on top of your marketing strategy. In this guide, we'll share our top tips to make the most of it and promote your vacation rentals.
Instagram is a highly visual platform. Investing in professional photos is the first step to a successful strategy. Your posts should be a mix of well-staged house pictures as well as things to do in the area.
Providing a 360-degree experience for guests will be highly appreciated and will elevate you as an authority in their eyes. Here are a few post ideas to use with beautiful imagery:
Your Instagram Bio sums up what your vacation rental business is all about. Include a profile picture or a logo, your name, and what your business does. Shape your description to reflect who you're helping and your ideal audience, and use relevant keywords to appear in searches.
Here are a few more tips for the perfect Instagram Bio:
Preparing your rentals to welcome guests takes a lot of work. Help visitors feel part of the action by sharing behind the scenes. Mowing the lawn in preparation for summer? Take a few snapshots and post them in your Instagram Stories.
Stocking up on winter essentials such as blankets, Christmas decorations, and hot cocoa? Let potential guests know! This will help them understand how much effort it takes to run a vacation rental business and will directly reflect on their reviews.
Using hashtags on your Instagram account can boost your visibility to new audiences. For example, by using relevant hashtags like #vacationrental, #airbnb, or #houfyhost, you can attract audiences who already follow them and ultimately grow your engagement and bookings.
In the meantime, geotags are location tags that help you appear on Instagram's location-based feed. Location tags can achieve higher impressions if you want to attract staycationers or visitors looking for rentals in specific areas.
User-generated content (UCG) is content guests create and post online regarding your vacation rental. This is an Instagram trend you don't want to skip since 76% of people trust UGC more than branded or influencer content. That's because they think it comes from "real people", so it must be accurate.
For example, if a visitor posts your vacation home online and describes how perfect their stay was, you can repost it to your account after securing their permission. That's why you should make your home as "Instagrammable" as possible. As a result, you'll increase potential guests' trust and secure more bookings.
The best vacation rental Instagram accounts engage with users frequently to build great rapport. Here are a few things vacation rental owners should do for their online community:
Before jumping on Instagram for your vacation rental business, ensure you have a clear strategy. Don't just post once and disappear from the face of the earth. Decide on a posting schedule and stick to it. Social media platforms take consistency to see results.
It's vital to decide on your content pillars beforehand. Your content should be educational, inspiring, and entertaining at the same time. For example, create educational Instagram posts to guide guests on local restaurants, nearby museums, and your city's history.
Or post an aesthetically pleasing photo from a sunset at your rental and how peaceful nature is in the background. Make people drool over your home, and keep reminding them about it.
An Instagram business account isn't just for organic content. Vacation rental hosts can also use Instagram ads for faster results. An easy way to do that is by connecting your Facebook to your Instagram page and running ads on both platforms.
You can run advertising campaigns for as low as $5 and reach audiences you wouldn't otherwise. Remember that Instagram is highly visual, so your photos and graphics should be scroll-stopping. Use calls-to-action like "Book Now" to encourage guests to convert, and always link to your website.
With these tips, you're now ready to conquer the Instagram world! Although Instagram marketing isn't easy, it's vital in the digital era. At the end of the day, it's a powerful, free online tool that can help you build relationships with guests and communicate your brand values.
To level up your vacation rental game, make sure you create your own direct-booking website where you'll send Instagram users to book. At Houfy, we make it easy to build your website and connect directly with guests.
If you're tired of the huge profit cuts from OTAs, join our community of 15,000 hosts and list your property today!
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