So you posted that reel to attract customers to your Air bnb and it flopped. Or you followed everything the gurus said, finally launched your TikTok, to promote your vacation rental, but you’re barely getting any views.
Luckily for you there’s still time to attract and convert your followers to book your vacation rental. It just takes understanding the Instagram and TikTok platform. In this blog, I’m going to walk you through 6 social media strategies for vacation rentals for Instagram and TikTok.
Each strategy is proven to work as I have used it and seen a difference in my bookings and my clients have also used the strategies to increase their visibility and book more customers.
If you’re not up for reading the blog, just hit play to watch the video instead.
When I first started posting on social media I did it cause God told me it’s time to start telling my story. Now, at the time, I was a TV Producer, so the only thing I wanted to do was tell the stories that I wrote. However, God meant something else. He wanted me to start creating content on Instagram and engage my audience as I told stories of healing and overcoming trauma.
That was a big step for me, because posting pics and writing captions wasn’t my thing. Plus, I hated the thought of complete strangers commenting on my life. I’m so glad I no longer think like that. Because that way of thinking is so limiting. Once you understand the benefits of Instagram and TikTok then you’ll see why it’s an important tool to reach your audience.
I cover this in part 1 of this blog that you can read HERE.
The first half of the blog I’m going to walk you through three social media strategies specific to Instagram. If you want to skip this part then feel free to scroll to the second half of the blog to get 3 social media strategies for TikTok.
3 Instagram Strategies for Vacation Rentals
Strategy 1: Post Reels.
Video marketing has taken over almost every social media platform. And that’s because video content is the most shared and easiest way to digest information. Since Instagram’s announcement, in 2021, saying that they’re not just a photo sharing app, their platform has made way for thousands of small creator accounts to blow up from using video content. Many businesses has already incorporated reels into their marketing efforts, and to be honest, if you haven’t already you’re a bit behind.
But it’s not too late to get with the times. You just gotta get started now. And reels is the best place to start.
The Power of Reels
Reels will increase your reach much faster than a photo or a carousel. This is important because it’ll help you increase your visibility. The more eye balls on your content, the more likely you are to book more customers to your vacation rental.
Plus the life line of a reel is much longer than the life line of a carousel or a photo. A photo or a carousel’s life line is 48 hours. So once it flops it’s flopped and that’s it. But the life line of a reel is 14 days. So if it flops on day 1 it can go viral on day 13. This happened to me when I posted this reel below.
It flopped on day 1 and on day 16 it went viral. My following significantly increased.
But, I get it! There are people still posting carousels today and seeing amazing numbers. If that’s you then continue to do it. However, keep in mind, Instagram is a very visual platform. Videos give you an advantage helping your ideal clients envision themselves in your space.
It’s what we all do. Whenever, we’re looking for a vacation spot or an Air bnb, the first thing we do is check out the video to see if the space is small, clean, and looks good. So help your audience out and post reels of your vacation rental.
Strategy 2: Post Call to Actions (CTAs) in your videos
IG is no longer prioritizing captions. I can tell because they’ve changed its format to look similar to TikTok’s. And everyone who’s a serious TikToker knows that no one reads the captions.
With that said, you can still use your captions because keyword rich captions will help you pop up in the search. But I want you to treat your captions as if no one will ever read it. So, strategically place your titles and CTAs in your videos.
Strategically placing your captions in your videos, means placing it where your viewers can easily see and read it. It also means posting it numerous times through out the video, so your viewers don’t miss it. Check out a screen shot of my reel to see how I placed my text.
I started using this strategy and noticed a difference in my engagement because people are watching my videos and then doing what I tell them to all because of the text on the screen. Now, I shared this content strategy with my Email list back in June 2021, so that they would be ahead of the curve. So if you’d like exclusive access to information like this, then feel free to join my email list HERE, and access this month’s Content Calendar.
Strategy 3: Post original content on your IG page
What is original content and why is it so important? Because Instagram, once again, made an announcement that they’re pushing original content and smaller creator accounts. Original content is content that doesn’t include trending audio. So it’s the music you create or talking videos with your voice on it.
It’s actually super simple to create and the best part is that you get to build a deep relationship with your audience. They get to know more about you which makes them want to book your space over your competitor’s.
Before I started posting original content, I was doing a lot of trending audio, which worked for growing my following. But my audience didn’t get a feel of my personality or teaching style. Original content helps with this because you can share personal stories or share educational content which will help your audience connect with you more.
Now, here’s the thing, trending audio is still good.
So you can still post it. In fact, at first you’ll notice that your trending audio is performing better than your original content. But over time, you’ll see that the original content is what boosts engagement and brings in your customers. So I recommend doing a strategy that includes both original and trending content
Now what does that mean? It means that content without trending audio, that is your voice, will get pushed over other types of content.
Here’s the thing, it does take time for the original content to pick up, but remember the life line of a reel is 14 days. So it’s worth it.
So that’s what we have for your social media strategy for vacation rentals for Instagram. Let me know in the comments if you’ll try any of these strategies or if you’re already doing it how is it working for you.
Let’s move on to TikTok.
3 TikTok Strategies for Vacation Rentals
Maybe Instagram isn’t your thing cause you’re tired of them suppressing your content. Believe me, this has been a complaint of many creators. I’ve also experienced them suppressing my content and I can say that it’s not fun. However, even with suppressed content I was still able to book clients. Because the reality is despite the algorithm changes, if you have an ever green content strategy you will always reach your ideal customers.
With that said, TikTok is a great platform to grow your business and reach more of your customers. Unlike Instagram, TikTok is more chill and down to earth. With the right content strategy you can either grow quickly or grow moderately. But the more you post on TikTok, the more they favor your content. Which brings me to the first strategy.
Strategy 1: Post at least 2 times a day
TikTok is way different from IG. It’s quantity over quality. So you can post 3-4 times a day or you can do what I do, which is post at minimum 2 times a day. The more content you post the more that TikTok favors your content. Now, let me caution you, because there was a time that you could post anything and get views for it.
But just like with Instagram, back in June 2022, TikTok also changed their algorithm. They are focusing more on keyword rich content that is SEO friendly so the videos can also populate in Google. With this new algorithm, you don’t have to post that many times a day because the algorithm is looking for content just to push directly to your target audience. Similar to Youtube.
Resources to help with SEO & Keywords
So if you haven’t yet learned how to utilize SEO and Keywords for TikTok, then check out my free TikTok Live HERE. I walk you through how to use keywords on TikTok so you can pop up in the search. (This Live is in my FB group so you will have to join just to watch it).
And if you’re familiar with SEO and keywords, but you need some resources in order to find the best keywords for your audience then you can check out my TikTok video here as I share three resources to help you.
Equally important to how many times a day to post is what you’re actually posting. Your content should educate your audience, building deep relationships with them, and then of course encourage your followers to book with you.
Therefore, there are three stories that you should be telling on TikTok in order to accomplish this. I won’t go into a deep dive of this right now because it’ll take too long. Instead, you can check out this video HERE to help you.
Strategy 2: Go Live
TikTok is different from other platforms, you do need to hit 1000 followers before you can go live. BUT if you follow this content strategy you’ll get to 1000 pretty quickly.
Going Live might be scary, but there are perks to it.
- It helps you drive deep relationships with your audience.
- It makes it easy for your audience to see your vacation rental cause you can totally do Live tours.
- ANDDDDD when you make your offer, you give your followers the opportunity to book with you Live. This is where a lot of coaches and business owners make their sales, so you can do it too.
I remember doing this. I went live with my offer. It wasn’t even ready yet. I told my audience don’t head to the link in my bio and don’t purchase cause it’s not ready yet. This wasn’t a reverse Jedi mind trick. I really wasn’t ready to accept payments. But they went and purchased any way.
This taught me a valuable lesson. That people are eager to purchase our stuff. Once you offer value to them the next logical step is for them to purchase.
So go Live, add value, and then let your audience know that they can go ahead and book now.
Strategy 3: Put your offer in your stories
Yes TikTok has stories and it’s been around since Spring 2022. I will caution you because you don’t get a lot of reach with it. But you can still leverage it in your content strategy to reach your ideal customers. Here’s how.
The followers that you have a personal relationship with are most likely the ones watching your stories. So here is where you want to solidify your relationship with them by adding bonus content that leads to your offer.
The best part is, this is super low lift. You can post three times a day, morning, noon and night.
Here’s a simple TikTok stories strategy.
- Morning: Encourage your followers with an inspirational or motivating word.
- Afternoon: Educate your followers with valuable content about your vacation rental
- Evening: Enroll them in your vacation rental by making your offer.
Feel free to switch up this strategy each day so that you’re also making offers during the best times your audience is active.
Conclusion
BAM! That’s 6 social media strategies for vacation rentals. Go ahead and put these strategies into play and let me know in the comments how it worked for you.
Now I know these strategies are proven to work, but it means nothing if you don’t have engaging content to match. So my next blog I’ll share with you 5 content ideas to attract and convert your ideal customers.
If you loved this blog and want to get more content strategies for your business subscribe to my blog. You can also get more social media marketing tips right HERE.
Let’s Chat: What strategy stood out most to you and how can implement today? Comment below.
