Social Media for your STR - is it worth it???
Before Airbnb and Real Estate, I worked with small businesses and Fortune 500 companies on branding and social media marketing. I will tell you this…
Social media is a BEAST. It is always changing. It can cost a lot of time and money. What works for one does not work for another. And without a clear strategy, you will get lost.
That said, I grew my real estate business to 31.5M + in sales volume by leveraging organic (free) social media. I say this not to brag but to show you, it can be a MAJOR tool in your toolbox.
My goal with this article is to share how to THINK about social media for your short-term-rental which hopefully will point you in the right direction for strategy.
Before you do anything determine how much time you can spend on social and whether you have a monetary budget. Be honest with yourself. If you can only devote an hour per week or less your goals and strategy need to reflect that.
For perspective, I worked with companies that spent $10,000+ per month on social media with a person / team devoted to it.
Understand that without a large investment your chances of “blowing up” are slim. BUT that absolutely does NOT mean it can’t be effective!!!
Too often people get discouraged that social media “isn’t working”. Consumers are on social media daily, hourly, every minute - so that just can’t be. What this tells me is (1) you aren’t being consistent; (2) you don’t know your goals and (3) you don’t have a strategy to support those goals.
Your goals don’t need to be extravagant. It may be:
An Instagram page that is purely an extension of your Airbnb listing, with more photos and videos of guests enjoying your space, local attractions etc. It doesn’t need a ton of likes or followers.
A place Guests go to decide whether they will book with you based on the look, feel and attentiveness of your brand.
A website of sorts to push direct bookings.
A Facebook page for direct booking guests to leave reviews for SEO.
There is no right or wrong. It is YOUR business.
After determining how much time you plan to invest and your goals, consider which platforms you use personally. If you prefer Facebook over Instagram or Twitter over Pinterest, or TikTok, focus on that for your STR. That is the social platform you understand best and if you enjoy it, you will put more time into it.
Pick ONE to start.
If you are like me and don’t have a ton of time to invest in social media for your STR, consider the platform a website to share more about your property. And remember — it is a SOCIAL SHARING community to CONNECT.
No one wants to be sold to all the time. Keep it 80% storytelling and 20% selling. Tell your followers about your Airbnb, why you love it, updates you’re doing, your favorite hike or restaurant nearby, last minute deals etc.
The data:
Just because you have 100 followers doesn’t mean 100 people will see your post. Currently, only 10 % of your audience actually sees your content. Post & Promote vs. Post & Pray will be a future article.
The Rule of 7 is a marketing principle suggesting that customers need to see a brand 7 times before making a purchasing decision. I have heard its way more these days.
In other words, you’re not going to bother people. And if you do, let them unfollow you. Who cares! Social media requires tough skin.
I could ramble on and on but let me try to wrap it up here.
IN SUMMARY:
** Think hard about YOUR goals. Write down 1-3.
** Be REAL with yourself on what you can devote to it.
** Leverage your SPHERE.
** Be CONSISTENT.
** Pick ONE platform you like and have FUN with it!
Lastly, social media is something you need to believe in as the ROI is simply hard to track.
How do you prove someone watched your IG story for the last year and decided to book a week vacation for a five-year anniversary?
If you don’t believe in it or have the time for it, SKIP IT! There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. There are plenty of other marketing strategies with more tangible ROI.
This is just a precursor to help get your brain thinking about social media in a more strategic way.
Coming in future posts -- tactical ideas on how to get leads through social media, encouraging guests to follow you / tagging you on stories.
