Airbnb Investing: How to Market a Short-Term Rental Property
Let’s say you’ve purchased your first income property and turned it into an attractive Airbnb rental. Now what? I’m usually focused on the process of acquiring and renovating your first income property but, today, I want to dive into Airbnb investing. More specifically, how you can market your Airbnb property once it is ready for guests. With that said, here are five tips to help you market your short term rental property.
#1 Create a Social Account
Once your property is ready to show, the first thing you need to do is create a social account to build a community around it. Instagram is your best shot here. Using this social media platform will help you increase awareness and build a following around your property. Moreover, it will allow you to connect with potential renters and have them engage with your content. Besides, Instagram is a great place for starting conversations, hosting giveaways, and sharing everything about your Airbnb rental. Keep in mind that if you’re starting from scratch, it will take a while to get the ball rolling. However, with each new post you will be closer to achieving the organic growth your property deserves.
#2 Make It Easy for People to Reach Out to You
Once the Airbnb property starts attracting people online, it is very important to make it easy for them to reach out to you. If someone’s interested in booking your rental, they should be able to do so in less than five minutes. Otherwise, people are likely to start losing interest as the attention span drops lower. Therefore, make sure to include relevant links to your Airbnb listing in your Instagram bio, as well as on other social networks your business is currently present on. Simplifying this process is the only way to ensure your marketing efforts are not going to waste.
#3 List Properties on Facebook Marketplace
While you’ve probably already put your property up on Airbnb listings, it is a good idea to consider other outlets as well. The Facebook Marketplace is a great example of an online community where you can post about your rental listings. As a landlord, you can easily showcase your properties available for rent within this community. Besides, Facebook Marketplace listings are easily shareable and might come in handy if you ever get in touch with a potential tenant via Facebook.
#4 Market the Amenities
One of the mistakes short term rental property owners often make is that they don’t give the property amenities enough love and recognition. Instead of only marketing your property as a whole, try to shift the focus to one or a few prominent amenities on site. For example, if the property has a sauna and a pool, look for ways to emphasize those two luxuries to make the listing stand out. Other amenities worth mentioning include yards, air conditioning, close proximity to public transfer, etc.
#5 Create an Event
Lastly, another great way to market your property on Facebook is to create an event and invite people to it. This marketing tool allows you to send out invitations to hundreds of people for free. You can either set it up as property viewing or simply market an open booking spot if you’re showcasing a vacation home. If the space and the circumstances allow it, you may as well host an actual event on site. This will give many people an opportunity to experience the location and, hopefully, they would be happy to come back one day.
Get It Right From the Start
Marketing a short term rental property is all about using the right words and visuals to draw people in. However, you also need to make sure they trust you and see you as a great opportunity. Hence, make sure to maintain your social media accounts to a high standard and post consistently to build trust. Make sure to follow people and brands who post content relevant to renting and Airbnb. Lastly, consider using social media ads, since there’s only so much you can achieve through organic reach.