Pinterest’s recent search trends show that people are more interested in travel now than they were before the pandemic. The data shows that people are searching for travel-related topics more now than at any point in the site’s history. Travel searches on Pinterest have increased 60% year over year. And those searches are turning all those pins to travel boards into actual bookings. 

Why Pinterest?

As of the first quarter of 2022, Pinterest had 433 million monthly active users (MAUs) worldwide, up by roughly 2 million in the previous quarter. A quick run down on Pinterest is that it is both a social networking site and a search engine rolled into one.  It’s for visual learners connecting users to other sites through the use of photos. Most social media platforms' algorithms penalize links that take users off the platform, whereas Pinterest is designed to do just that. Taking you to helpful, inspiring, or educational content all across the web. The best part of it all is it's free and allows users to post and view all kinds of content for inspiration. 

Be sure to set up a business account first including your vacation rental name and location.  If you have a logo, use that for your profile, if you don’t have one yet, here is a great way to start the brand process for your rental property. 

Last but certainly not least, add a link to drive traffic to your booking site. Pinterest allows you to embed Pinterest boards to your website and share Pinterest boards to other social media sites as well.  To set your Pinterest profile up for your property, add your logo or the exterior of the home as your profile picture and an eye-catching interior or photo of a special amenity for the cover that connects with who your ideal guest is. If you need help with professionally styled photography tips, we have you covered here.

How can you use Pinterest for your Rental Property?

According to a study commissioned by Pinterest to better understand its users, 50% of American women who use Pinterest use it to help plan their vacations. Users create a “board” of ideas and inspiration by pinning pictures of areas they would like to visit. As a short-term rental owner, aside from sharing your property photos think of all the attractions and places to eat near your property. You can literally create a full experience for users before they even visit the area and reaffirm why they wanted to visit in the first place.  

Pinterest allows you to connect with people who are searching and planning their trip to your location before they are looking on OTAs like Airbnb, VRBO, or Booking.com to make reservations.

How can you optimize your Pinterest profile and post?

While it only takes a few minutes to set up your profile, it can be daunting to figure out what to post which usually includes a photo, caption, and hashtags.  The great thing about creating content for social posts is you can use the same content across all the social platforms you use.  Tailoring it to each one for the best results. Remember

what to pin

Pinterest is a visual platform so images that instantly catch the eye, should be a focal part of your strategy. Educational and inspirational content is the main reason users are on the platform.  So make sure you are providing substance for users to “pin” and click your link. 

Hashtags & Keywords

Pinterest also recommends using no more than 20 hashtags per description. Be sure to keyword search so your hashtags are relevant to your topic and are popular search words. We recommend focusing on geographic keywords like cities surrounding your property, state or local parks, and your state or province. You can also use travel-inspired keywords like coastal getaway, beach vacation, girls weekend, mountain escape, mountain cabin, hiking in NC, etc.

OPTIMIZE & ADVERTISE

Finally, use your business analytics dashboard to see how your posts are performing and if there are any that are more effective than others. You can refine your content to that you are posting what pinners are most interested in and drive traffic to your listing.
Test a few ad campaigns with your most successful posts to boost bookings during the off-season or to fill mid-week availability!

What's the secret to successful social content?

That’s a secret we like to share with friends. If you’d like behind-the-scenes access to how we curate top-performing social content, download our 2022 HOSPITALITY SOCIAL MEDIA HANDBOOK - it’s absolutely free. Property managers who download the guide are invited to a private, complimentary strategy session (valued at $279) when you mention our handbook when BOOKING A CONSULTATION.