How to Brand Your Airbnb
With new Airbnbs and Vrbo rentals popping up every day, it may seem impossible for your property to stand out in a crowd. And while vacationers are searching for the perfect rental, we’ll help you position your property as the most Instagram-worthy stay in town. If you follow these three tips, you’ll create a brand for your rental experience and increase your bookings.
Create a Branded Experience
The first step in branding your AirBnB is to change your perception of what you’re selling. You’re not offering people a room—you’re offering them an experience. Creating this experience starts with your décor. You want the space to have a cohesive look and feel to it. More than that, you need to consider what makes your AirBnB a better choice than others. If it’s your location, that should be included in your branding. If you have an amazing yard, make that the highlight of your listing by creating an indoor/outdoor entertainment space.
Your décor should highlight your key features while also creating a relaxing atmosphere. It also needs to photograph well. Remember, your photos are what potential guests will be using to decide if they want to book your Airbnb. You may even want to consider bringing in a professional to take high-quality photos. Your goal is to create a space that looks great on Instagram so that your guests and others who view your profile want to share your pictures with their friends. Instagram and other social networking sites are the new form of word-of-mouth, so be sure you’re taking full advantage of them.
While images are vital, don’t forget your text. Your listing on Airbnb needs to have a catchy title that describes what makes your space better than other options. “Small Private Cabin” is not going to get much attention. “Rustic Cabin with Amazing Lake View,” on the other hand, is going to get more clicks. Don’t over-promise anything, of course, but use your description to highlight what makes your space different and promote your brand.
Make it Shareable on Social Media
Don’t rely on Airbnb to do all the promotion for you. Instead, you use the power of social media to attract potential visitors to your property before they’re even looking for a place to stay. Create your account on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest to share your beautiful abode. Upload professional and personal pictures, past customer experiences, and add relevant events or attractions nearby. Your Instagram should highlight photos of the space, while you can use sites such as Facebook and Twitter to share reasons people should book your Airbnb. For example, you could share information about upcoming events and activities that bring many people to your city.
Don’t forget to use hashtags to help others discover your profile. Use relevant tags and consider creating some of your own. You’ll want to showcase the local area, special features of your property, and any interior décor accents that are unique to your booking. Capitalize on local event hashtags, locations or attractions to create more awareness to your account – location and profile tagging work too!
Once you’ve created these profiles, you do need to stay active on the sites. Keep your information updated, add more content regularly, and respond to any comments to keep your Airbnb in front of as many people as possible.
Build on Your Investment
Once you’ve invested in great photos, compelling text, and a marketing campaign, don’t become too complacent. You need to continue building on this foundation in order to increase your bookings and your profitability. Ask your guests for feedback, especially if you have just started working with Airbnb, and take their reviews to heart. Make adjustments to your brand experience as needed, and never stop learning about what works and what doesn’t. Do your customers need a curated list of recommendations in a welcome booklet so they aren’t asking you? Think about the entire experience and how you can make their stay easy and stress-free.
That goes for your marketing as well. Social media sites update their algorithms regularly, so a marketing method that may once have resulted in hundreds of views may no longer work. While marketing your Airbnb doesn’t need to be a full-time job, you do need to put in some work to brand it. Doing so, however, will result in a very nice return on investment.
Let’s Create Your Brand
Want to create a custom brand for your Airbnb but don’t know where to start? Reach out to us and schedule a complimentary consultation today.