How to increase your exposure on Airbnb through a successful marketing strategy
Airbnb is one of the most stable and lucrative vacation platforms on the market. There is no doubt that during the pandemic, far from having losses, it knew how to reinvent itself and rather obtain positive results, contrary to many other online reservation platforms that suffered heavy economic losses during 2020 and 2021. That is why there are many property managers who decide to become hosts, and there are also many property managers who decide to list their vacation homes on this portal.
Now, having a good exposure on this portal is not as simple as many think, it requires a lot of knowledge in marketing and good information management, which is why, as always, we want to bring you five excellent tips that Rental United company offers us about how to get a better position of your accommodation on Airbnb this coming winter.
1. Use an Airbnb-approved channel manager
As a professional property manager, it is crucial to use a channel manager that Airbnb has named Preferred Software Partner. This indicates that the channel manager is a trusted technology provider that meets Airbnb’s highest standards and has superior syncing capabilities. As a result, working with such a provider is key to getting the best results from your Airbnb marketing strategy.
The benefits of using an Airbnb certified channel manager include:
- Frequently updated API connections that allow you to take advantage of the latest Airbnb features and tools as soon as they are released. This includes Covid-related updates like new amenities, pricing schemes, and cancellation policies.
- Priority customer support to help you solve problems faster than anyone else.
- Ongoing training to help you optimize your listings and improve your conversions on Airbnb.
2. Check the status of your Airbnb listings
If you’ve been managing vacation rentals for a while, you probably know how to put together an attractive listing. You most likely know that OTAs like Airbnb have minimum content requirements that you must meet (for example, regarding the size of images). When there is a discrepancy between what you are seeing and what your guests are seeing, there is a possibility that you are not doing your best and missing reservations. Therefore, as soon as you have connected your channel manager with Airbnb and your listings have been published, the first thing to do is a status check.
3. Get the correct price from Airbnb
Once you have the right software to distribute your properties and have gone through your listings, the next thing to find out is your Airbnb pricing strategy. Distribution should always go hand in hand with revenue management – otherwise you could be presenting the most beautiful list, it won’t convert.
4. Master Airbnb SEO
And now, another step that could make or break your Airbnb marketing strategy: implement Airbnb’s SEO (Search Engine Optimization) best practices. This step is essential to get the most out of your listings, as it will allow you to rank higher in Airbnb search results. Creating the perfect list is not enough; you also need to make sure that guests actually see your properties.
Airbnb’s algorithm works like any other search engine: it favors listings that meet certain requirements. While no one knows exactly what these requirements are, we have a list of optimization tricks you can use to rank higher, gain more visibility, and increase your conversions on Airbnb. Some tips are:
- Collect reviews as quickly as possible. The more reviews you have, the more likely you are to rank higher in Airbnb search results.
- Respond to all guest messages within 24 hours. Airbnb prefers hosts who are always aware of their communication with their guests, as this ensures a better experience for them.
- Have competitive prices. As mentioned above, getting the prices right is crucial to getting bookings on Airbnb, and it’s also an important ranking factor.
- Avoid rejecting reservations. If your properties are on hold, it’s worth keeping your rejection rate to a minimum – otherwise, too many rejections will affect your ranking.
- Improve your click-through rate. The more people click on your properties after seeing them appear in search, the more likely you will get a higher ranking. To increase your click-through rate, be sure to write catchy headlines (find some practical tips on how to do this in our vacation rental copywriting guide) and make sure that the thumbnail / hero image you have set shows the best face of his property.
- Reduce your minimum stay and increase your maximum stay. Being more flexible with length of stay restrictions will allow your ad to appear in more searches.
5. Stay up-to-date on new optimization opportunities.
Airbnb makes frequent updates to its platform and regularly releases new features to help property managers respond to changes in demand and traveler behaviors. That’s why it’s crucial to your Airbnb marketing strategy to stay up-to-date on developments on Airbnb and implement new tools as soon as they become available.
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