If you’ve recently invested in a short-term rental property, you may be wondering how to make your new investment work for you.
Short-term rentals are becoming increasingly popular among homeowners as they provide a steady income stream that many people can’t get from their primary residences.
But with so many people getting into short-term rentals, it’s essential to learn how to market your property correctly to stand out from the crowd.
Tips on How to Market Your Short-Term Rental Effectively
Marketing is one of the most critical aspects you need to consider when venturing into short-term rental investing. It is vital in the hospitality industry, where competition is fierce, and travellers have many other options.
You can’t expect to have your property rented out quickly without proper marketing. The last thing you want is for your property to be often vacant because no one knows about it. Here are some tips on how to market your short-term rental property:
1. Know Your Target Market and Their Needs
When marketing any product or service, you must know who you are targeting and what they need. In rental property investment, your potential target will be travellers looking for a place to stay while on vacation or business trips.
These travellers take proximity into account when looking for a place to stay. They want to be near tourist attractions or tasty restaurants. They also consider the cleanliness and comfort that the property can provide them. By knowing what they need to make their stay enjoyable, you can better tailor your marketing effort to suit them.
2. Make Sure You Have Quality Photos
You can have the most impressive short-term rental listing in the world, but if your photos are low-quality, people will think the property is not good and will not want to book it. Make sure that all of your photos are of high quality and professional looking.
If you have a skilled photographer who can take some great shots of your property, this can be advantageous to you. Otherwise, consider using photo editing apps like Photoshop Express or Adobe Lightroom Mobile to help improve the quality of your photos before posting them online.
3. Create a Compelling Website Design
Your website is the first thing potential guests will see when they search for a place to stay, so it needs to be top-notch if you want your vacation rental property to stand out from the competition.
A professionally-designed site will make it easier for people to navigate your site and check the property. However, remember that it’s also essential to make the website informational so that people will have an idea of the place and know the regulations before booking their stay in your property.
Also, ensure all your information is up-to-date, including the room rates and availability dates. People want to avoid unexpected charges when they book a property.
4. Get in Touch with Your Local Tourism Board
If you have decided to buy a vacation rental property, communicate with your local tourism board about your property and what it offers. The tourism board can help spread the word about your property and promote it to tourists visiting the place. This is especially useful if you live in an area where many tourists prefer to stay in a short-term rental during their visit.
The tourism board can also inform you of any upcoming events or activities in the city and provide insight into the types of visitors who might be interested in booking a room in your property.
5. Create Instagrammable Posts
Instagram has recently become one of the most popular social media platforms. It’s also one of the most visually appealing platforms, so it makes sense to create content that will look great on Instagram.
If you buy a vacation rental property that has a stunning view of a scenic beach or mountain range, ensure that these features are included in pictures or videos you post on Instagram. You can also tag your posts with hashtags such as #instavacationrental or #igtravel so that they appear under relevant hashtags for other travelers looking for vacation homes near them.
You can also use other platforms like Facebook and Twitter to post pictures of your property along with the descriptions and rates. Update your accounts regularly, so potential guests know when they can stay at your place and how much it will cost them.
6. Create a Short Video
A video can effectively show off your short-term rental property and its amenities. People love watching videos on their phones, so it is an easy way to reach many people simultaneously. Social media sites like Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok allow you to upload videos directly from your phone, so there’s no need for expensive equipment or editing software.
A well-made video can highlight the facilities and amenities of your property and can help convince potential guests why they should spend time on your property. Create a short video clip for each room, including the outdoor facilities like the deck and patio.
7. Join a Short-Term Rental Online Group
Joining online groups is a great way for people with common interests to communicate. Joining local online groups will help connect you with potential guests looking for a place like yours if you rent out rooms in your home or run a bed and breakfast.
8. Respond to Online Reviews
The biggest mistake short-term rental property investors make when they first start on Airbnb or HomeAway is ignoring their reviews. Some owners don’t even know they have reviews because they aren’t monitoring their accounts regularly.
Your guests will leave feedback after their stay, and this information can be very useful in helping you improve your property’s performance over time. Address any negative reviews by directly messaging the guest or posting a public response on your listing page.
If you see a positive review, you should also respond to it. It’s good practice to thank the guests for their feedback and tell them that you appreciate their business.
9. Use Automation Tools
Use an online marketing platform that automates the processes involving your short-term rental property and assists you in increasing the number of bookings on platforms such as Airbnb, HomeAway, and others.
Host automation can automatically send booking confirmations, payment receipts, and other important emails when guests book your property. This eliminates the need for hosts and guests to communicate manually. This saves you time by keeping your guests updated and ensuring that their reservations are taken care of.
10. Collaborate with Social Media Influencers
Social media influencers have huge followings on Instagram, Facebook, and other platforms. They can promote your property and drive traffic directly to your listing.
If you’re looking for a specific influencer to collaborate with, look for one who has experience working with hotels or bed and breakfast properties. These properties will likely appeal to them because they offer unique experiences that aren’t available in traditional hotel chains.
11. Offer Attractive Discounts
A big part of marketing your short-term rental property is your ability to offer discounts.
Consider offering discounts for longer stays instead of booking multiple nights in a row. When people stay in your home for several days or weeks at a time, they’re more likely to fall in love with it — and want to come back again. In addition to getting more extended stays, it’s also easier on your wallet if they stay longer, especially if they bring friends or family along.
Offer discounts when people book directly through your website instead of online booking sites (like Airbnb). Most online booking sites take a percentage when someone secures through them (usually about 5 percent). Hence, if you’re able to get people to visit your website instead, that means more money in your pocket.
Wrapping Up
Marketing your short-term rental property is a crucial part of the business. It’s not enough to have a beautiful home with the right price point; you need to find renters looking for what you offer and convince them that your property is the best place for them to stay.
You must adequately market your short-term rental property to attract potential guests. Marketing will help the guests be aware of your property’s existence and attract them to book it.
To attract as many potential guests as possible, make sure your marketing strategy appeals to your target market. A wise investor will have a strong marketing strategy in place to ensure that their property is seen by many potential guests.
