According to Statista, over two-thirds of Instagram users are aged between 18-34. This is great news for vacation rental managers who aim to promote their properties on this platform. Using Instagram for vacation rentals can help you get followers, build your brand community and drive traffic to your website.
Here are some 101 tips to help you make this medium a marketing tool for your vacation rental business.
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Why Do You Need an Instagram Account for Your Vacation Rentals?
Instagram has an incredible visualisation power, which means you can showcase your vacation rental in front of many potential visitors. The platform helps you to connect with your current and future guests throughout the year and build a long-term relationship with them. Keeping in touch with travellers enhances their satisfaction and leads to more glowing reviews. So, you can create an engaged community and increase direct bookings, which, in turn, reduce your dependency on OTAs.
Not only does Instagram allow you to share your inspirational images and show what makes your vacation rental outstanding, but you can also discover your guests’ interests and needs by doing a hashtag search.
In addition, Instagram assists you to network with other businesses that provide complementary services such as local restaurants, stores, gyms, spas, and museums. So, you’ll be in a better position to give better advice and improve your guest experience.
To reap all the benefits, you need to know how to get started and create an account. To do so, take the following step:
How to Set Up an Instagram Account for Your Short Term Rental Business
First of all, you’ll need to create an Instagram account. Download and install the app and come up with a catchy username for your account. You can use your vacation rental name as your username.
If you have an Instagram account, it’d be better to turn it into a business account to benefit from more features. For instance, a business account lets you access Instagram Insights, Instagram ads, and call-to-action buttons. To do this, just click on the “Edit Profile,” then tap on “Switch to Professional Account,” and simply select ”Business.”
The next step is completing your profile. You can add your vacation rental logo as your profile picture. Also, write a short and intriguing bio about your rental(s) and add your vacation rental website to the bio section to drive more traffic. The bio section is the only place you can add a link, so don’t overlook this great opportunity!
If you have a Facebook page, you can easily sign up for an Instagram account without choosing a new username and password. This lets you improve your marketing by taking advantage of the business features of these two prominent social media platforms. Also, you can manage both social media accounts using Facebook Business Suite.
Consider the following points to boost your Instagram account and expand your reach.
How to Write a Good Bio for Your Instagram Account to Attract More Guests
Instagram bio is a section where you can grab your potential guests’ attention. So, spice up your description!
You should describe your vacation rental branding in a compelling manner. Share your hosting experiences and list your unique amenities. Keep in mind that your bio should be concise and not exceed 150 characters.
Use line breaks for better readability and incorporate emojis into your writing to make it more captivating. Also, use clickable hashtags to allow your target audience to find you more easily when searching for topics related to you.
Finally, add a call-to-action to encourage your visitors to book your vacation rental(s). So, words such as “book now” can motivate them to visit your direct booking website.
How to Promote Your Vacation Rental Business to Increase Brand Awareness
Instagram offers great opportunities to reach new audiences and build brand awareness. You can take advantage of this platform to promote your vacation rental.
How to Produce Engaging Instagram Posts
One effective way is to share high-quality photos and videos of the interior and exterior of your property. For instance, snap an image from your unique interior design elements or the tourist attractions in your area, such as festivals, restaurants, or farmer’s markets. When you promote local businesses, they will be motivated to reshare your posts, so your account, thus your brand, will be placed in front of more viewers.
How to Find Trending Property Management Industry Hashtags
Hashtags are an excellent approach to grow your follower count – future customers. They help you classify your posts and get seen by the right audience. Bear in mind to include related and specific hashtags about your vacation rental business and your region. So, when users search for their travel destination, they can easily find you.
You can include trending and branded hashtags. Some tools such as All Hashtag and RiteTag can help you generate relevant hashtags for your vacation rental.
The maximum number of hashtags on a post is 30, and 10 on a story.
Share Your Instagram Posts on Other Platforms
You can promote your Instagram account via sharing some inspiring Instagram posts on other social media outlets such as Facebook, Linkedin, or Twitter. This will help you to hook attention to many more and increase your brand exposure.
How Can Instagram Paid Ads Help Your Vacation Rental Business?
Paid ads assist you to increase your visibility on Instagram. In this regard, Instagram offers different ads such as photos, videos, photo albums, or stories.
First of all, you should choose the right campaign based on your goal: awareness, conversion, engagement, etc. After that, select the right target according to demographic, location, gender, etc. Next, determine a format and add a description. Finally, analyse your Instagram Ads campaign via the Promotion area in Instagram Insights.
How to Interact with Your Audience on Instagram to Get More Booking
Reaching out regularly to your audience can build up more engagement.
It’s a good idea to follow your Facebook friends, local businesses and also follow back any new user who starts following you. You can improve your relationship with your guests by leaving friendly comments on their images taken around your property or “like” their photos. Keep in mind, however, not to leave the same reply for all comments; just write personalised comments for each; you don’t want to end up being recognised by the Instagram algorithm as a bot.
Plus, ask your followers a question in a caption and encourage them to respond. For instance, you can use “ Comment down below” or “ Let’s chat in the comments.” Not only will this help you to learn more about your audience, but a conversation will also be created and you can interact easily with your audience.
In addition, you can keep in touch with your guests via “Direct Message” and ask them to share their photos during their stay in your vacation rental. This way, you can post them in your profile with their consent and promote your property.
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Final Words
Instagram can help you to build a strong relationship with your guests, and boost your direct booking campaign(s). If you aim to use Instagram as a promotional tool for your vacation rental, you should know how to manage it. The above tips can assist you to set up your account, write a strong bio, and promote your business.
