Boost Airbnb Profitability

5 Top Strategies for Marketing Airbnb Listings

You don’t need a marketing degree or years of experience to become a great Airbnb host. A little bit of research — and hitting the pavement — can go a long way in helping you attract more guests, increase your listing’s rankings, and get more positive reviews. Below, find our top Airbnb marketing strategies and tips to maximize your listing potential.

by The Turno Team

How to Market Your Airbnb: 5 Helpful Strategies

Operating a successful short-term rental business requires more than just fresh linens and beautiful property images. With the rising popularity of vacation rentals worldwide, it is essential to market your Airbnb in a way that will stand out and attract guests.

With the right marketing strategies, you’ll be able to expose your property to an even larger audience than before. Keep reading to learn five of the most effective and creative ways to advertise your Airbnb listing and boost your occupancy rate.

Cleaner spaces lead to happier reviews and more guests!

1. Understand Your Target Market

When advertising your Airbnb, it’s important to know who your target market is.

This will vary depending on where your rental is located, but it’s likely that there is a large number of millennials interested in your rental. Millennials are the most frequent users of home rental sites, such as Airbnb, and are 23% more likely to travel compared to other generations.

How to successfully market your Airbnb

Considering these facts, here are tips to help you in marketing your vacation rental to millennials:

  • Make Booking Easy: Millennials tend to prefer convenience, so it’s best to make booking your vacation rental easy. Also, make sure your rental booking process can be done using a mobile phone.
  • Strive for Good Reviews: There are typically many options for vacation rentals, and millennials take reviews into account when choosing a place to stay. This is a good tip in general because reviews are always important.
  • Brag About Your Area: In your listing, let potential guests know what your area has to offer. If young adults tend to stay with you, highlight your proximity to nearby nightlife and trendy restaurants.
  • Use High-Quality Pictures: Professional quality rental photos are extremely important in advertising your vacation rental property. Guests are much more likely to stay at your vacation rental if there are appealing photos.
family living room

2. Highlight What Makes Your Listing Unique

Guests are always searching for unique ways to improve their vacation experience. To successfully market your Airbnb, showcase features that make your property stand out.

Is your property set away from the busy hustle and bustle of the city? Alternatively, is your rental located nearby popular tourist attractions? No matter your location, consider adding this detail to your listing — it can be a major selling point for guests seeking a particular experience.

Next, think about specific rooms and features that can be highlighted in your listing. For example, remote workers may be drawn toward listings that include a home office or other comfortable areas to work. Families with young children may be attracted to listings with a designated playroom.

Seasonal amenities are also important to highlight in your listing. For example, having an outdoor dining area, fire pit, or pool will attract guests during the warmer months. For colder climates, set the scene by promoting a cozy night in, sipping hot cocoa by the fireplace.

man and woman sitting in an empty living room with their dog while drinking wine

Whether unique features are found inside your property, or in the surrounding area, make sure prospective guests know about them.

3. Establish a Social Media Presence

Social media heavily influences the decision-making process of those planning a vacation or trip. Rather than shy away from these digital marketing platforms, opting to take advantage of social media and its many features can help promote your Airbnb to a much broader audience.

Facebook

Consider creating a business page for your vacation rental property, even if you already promote your listing on your personal account. Advantages to having a dedicated business page to promote your listings include:

  • Reviews: Reviews can make or break an Airbnb listing. Facebook allows another platform for your guests to write a review and tag photos from their stay.
  • Photos: Facebook provides an opportunity for guests to tag your property in any photos they take during their stay. Potential guests will enjoy seeing these natural images rather than the staged or professional shots you use to promote your listing.
  • Promotional Opportunities: Lastly, a business account allows you to explore Facebook advertising. Even a small budget of $20 can help promote your listing to a new audience.

By creating a Facebook page for your vacation rental, you’ll be able to reach a larger audience. The page can serve as a platform for previous guests to share information and experiences by tagging your business and further extending your reach to their audiences as well.

Instagram

Instagram is a popular social platform where people can share and communicate information using only images. Guests who geotag your vacation rental property can inadvertently aid in marketing your Airbnb. By sharing images of the features they liked most about their stay, others will take note.

Instagram also offers a way to create short video clips called “Reels” to further help you market your Airbnb. Instagram Reels allow you to post quick videos about your property with maximum exposure and reach to Instagram audiences. Sharing noteworthy features throughout your property using Reels can result in more viewers and recommendations to new audiences.

TikTok

One of the newest social media platforms, TikTok’s rising popularity makes it a great video platform to share content promoting your vacation rental property. By taking short 15-60 second videos, you can share all the unique features your Airbnb has to offer.

TikTok curates its videos toward viewers’ interests. This makes it an excellent opportunity to market videos to an impressionable audience: those who are most likely to book a vacation rental property or enjoy travel in general.

Tiktok app loading on phone screen with hands holding the phone

4. Provide Excellent Guest Communication

Marketing your Airbnb goes beyond having unique features and aesthetics that leave guests raving. It’s just as important to properly communicate with your guests to ensure they have a pleasant stay. This can be achieved by making sure they feel welcomed from the very beginning of their trip.

Here are some top communication practices to follow prior to your guests’ arrival:

  • Remind guests of your arrival and check-in information to prevent any confusion.
  • Provide a welcome packet and local recommendations for their stay.
  • Inquire if there is anything they may have any questions about or if they have specific requests for their stay.

By making your guests feel comfortable and welcomed, they’ll be encouraged to come back and share positive reviews about your space.

5. Leverage Restaurants When Marketing Your Airbnb

Guests love recommendations — whether it’s restaurants, attractions, or other unique opportunities to help create an even more memorable experience at your vacation rental.

Consider creating a list of local eateries, ranging from diners to five-star restaurants, to include in your welcome packet. You can promote this service on your listing to help give you an edge over other properties nearby.

Another way to help increase your Airbnb marketing efforts is to visit these restaurants to inquire about a mutually beneficial partnership.

Would the restaurant like to provide printed menus to include in your rental property? Could they offer a physical coupon or coupon code exclusive to your guests? Prospective guests are usually more likely to book your Airbnb if you promote unique dining features or special restaurant deals they may be able to receive by staying at your place.

Soon, you will have a robust list of local hot spots to entice prospective guests to book your property, as well as an impressive welcome packet with a variety of recommendations, discounts, and unique experiences available to guests during their stay.

Bonus Tip: Hold Cleanliness to a High Standard

One thing all potential guests can agree on is the importance of a clean property. To help you stay on top of your cleaning routine, consider hiring a professional Airbnb cleaner.

Vacation Rental Cleaning

Turno offers vacation rental hosts access to a cleaner marketplace with both independent vacation rental cleaners and cleaning services in their area. Simply enter your property details to get started and find your next Airbnb cleaner.

From Check-out Mess to Guest-Ready Best!
Find your perfect cleaner on Turno.

Get More Tips for Marketing Your Airbnb

Marketing your Airbnb is necessary to attract guests to your listing. That said, the strategies above are just the tip of the iceberg. There are many other marketing techniques you can try out, such as word-of-mouth advertising, content marketing, and SEO (search engine optimization).

No matter what types of marketing campaigns you decide to employ, make sure your long-term plans include maintaining a pristine property and creating an unforgettable experience for guests.

For more tips on elevating your vacation rental property, check out our other resources.