Designing Your Airbnb Marketing Strategy

Getting off on a good foot is half the battle with platforms like Airbnb. If you get your listing off the ground well with a flawless Airbnb marketing strategy and secure yourself a few five-star reviews in the first two months of being active, you’ll be well on your way to a successful vacation rental business. Why is a good start for your Airbnb business so important to sustained success in the future?

Firstly, Airbnb likes to promote listings that it thinks are considered to be better. Airbnb decides this search ranking by a secret rating system which we know includes reply rate, whether Instant Book is enabled or not, security deposits, amenities, and more. You’ll also need to develop a varied marketing mix in order to keep your marketing campaigns fresh and attracting attention on the Airbnb website.

Your rental property needs to stay out. Your marketing mix is the best way to differentiate your listing from the rest of the pack. As an online platform, Airbnb is designed to give its users the best experience possible. That means promoting the best rental properties available on their business platform.

What is Airbnb Marketing?

Airbnb’s platform gives preferential treatment to higher-rated properties. It’s part of their promotion strategy to ensure that the Airbnb host who owns the property is using Airbnb SEO and search engine ranking to their advantage, replying to messages quickly, and getting good reviews.

This means that getting a few five-star ratings straight off the bat is critical. If you can secure these reviews, Airbnb will consistently keep you higher in the results from search engines. Combine that with a fast response time, Instant Book, no cancellations, and no complaints, and you should be in for relatively smooth sailing if you use our marketing strategy!

We should probably explain our Airbnb marketing strategy a little before we dive in. This strategy is based on the idea that your first 30 or 40 days should be spent getting as many five-star reviews as possible. Airbnb rewards successful hosts and by getting these early reviews, you’re starting your Airbnb journey on the best foot possible!

Types of Airbnb Marketing

There are at least 15 different ways to build your marketing strategy. The best approach is to apply Airbnb marketing mix and to hit as many types of marketing strategies aspects as you can in one dedicated marketing campaign. Most marketers agree that a content marketing strategy is the most effective marketing tactic.

However, when it comes to your Airbnb listing, you will likely want to vary the type of marketing strategy for your vacation rental business. Airbnb’s marketing mix includes most of the below, including a very strong content marketing strategy.

1. Online Advertising & Digital Marketing

Search Engine Advertising: By targeting specific keywords related to vacation rentals, travel tips, and destination guides, Airbnb ensures that its ads appear to the most relevant audience. Such marketing strategies not only increase visibility but also drive more targeted traffic to Airbnb’s website, enhancing the likelihood of booking conversions.

Social Media Channels Advertising: Promoting Airbnb listings and the brand itself is also a crucial strategy, implemented across various social media platforms including Facebook Business, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. These platforms offer powerful targeting tools that allow Airbnb to reach potential guests based on their interests, behaviors, and previous interactions with the brand.

Display Advertising: In addition to targeted search and social media advertising, Airbnb employs display advertising to reach potential travelers. These banner ads are placed across a network of websites and apps frequented by likely Airbnb users. Display ads are visually appealing and crafted to capture attention quickly.

2. Content Marketing

Blogging: By creating informative and engaging blog posts about various travel destinations, hosting tips, and guest experiences, Airbnb can educate and inspire its audience. These blog posts not only serve to enhance SEO but also help establish Airbnb as a thought leader in the travel industry.

Video Content: Video content is another vital component of Airbnb’s digital marketing strategies. Airbnb produces a variety of videos, including virtual tours of listings, testimonials from hosts and guests, and features on local attractions and experiences. Videos help to bring the travel experience to life, showcasing the real-world charm of Airbnb’s offerings and the unique opportunities available in different locales.

Infographics: To complement its blogging and video strategies, Airbnb uses infographics to distill complex data into visually appealing, easy-to-understand formats. These might include infographics on travel trends, statistical insights on host earnings, benefits of hosting, or how different amenities affect booking rates.

3. Social Media Marketing

Organic Posting: Airbnb leverages its official social media accounts to engage audiences with compelling content that highlights the unique aspects of Airbnb experiences. Regular posting helps keep the platform top-of-mind for potential guests and maintains an active, vibrant brand presence online.

User-Generated Content: A cornerstone of Airbnb’s marketing strategy is encouraging hosts and guests to share their own stories and images. This user-generated content serves as a powerful tool for viral promotion and enhances the authenticity of the Airbnb brand. Guests and hosts posting their real-life experiences help to organically spread the word about the benefits of Airbnb, creating a ripple effect that draws in a broader audience.

4. Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing is a key component of Airbnb’s marketing strategy, leveraging the reach and credibility of social media influencers, travel bloggers, and content creators to promote Airbnb listings and experiences. This approach allows Airbnb to tap into the established audiences of these influencers, utilizing their content to showcase unique accommodations and authentic travel experiences offered through the platform.

5. Email Marketing

This approach is about sending targeted emails to subscribers with promotions, travel tips, and personalized recommendations, featuring a mix of promotions, travel tips, and personalized recommendations. This digital marketing strategy allows to maintain ongoing engagement with the guests.

6. Referral Programs

Airbnb’s referral programs are designed to leverage the network effects of its existing user base by incentivizing hosts and guests to bring new users onto the platform. When existing users refer new hosts or guests, they receive benefits such as discounts on future bookings or rewards that can be used towards Airbnb experiences.

7. Public Relations (PR)

Public relations play a crucial role in shaping the public perception of Airbnb. By releasing timely press releases, engaging in interviews, and forming strategic partnerships, Airbnb can effectively communicate key messages, highlight new features, or address any concerns.

8. Partnerships and Alliances

Partnering with travel agencies, airlines, credit card companies, and other relevant businesses to offer exclusive deals. These collaborations often result in exclusive deals that can attract more users to Airbnb by offering bundled travel packages or rewards programs.

9. Local Marketing

Hosting or sponsoring local events and workshops to engage with the local community. Events might include cultural festivals, local hospitality training sessions, or tourism development workshops that align Airbnb’s interests with those of the community, thereby reinforcing its commitment to local economic growth and cultural exchange.

10. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Optimizing listings and website content to rank higher in search engine results for relevant keywords. This involves crafting descriptive, keyword-rich titles and descriptions for listings, improving the usability of the website, and ensuring that content is informative and relevant to potential guests’ searches. Better SEO helps to appear more prominently when users search for vacation rentals or travel accommodations, which drives more organic traffic to the site.

11. Paid Promotions

Offering limited-time discounts or special offers to attract potential guests. These promotions might be tied to specific holidays, last-minute deals, or new listing promotions, helping to boost occupancy rates and visibility for new or under-booked properties.

12. Retargeting and Remarketing

Retargeting and remarketing strategies help to reach users who have visited the website or app but did not complete a booking.

13. Mobile App Marketing

Promoting Airbnb’s mobile app through app stores, in-app advertisements, and exclusive mobile-only deals. This mobile-first approach caters to the growing number of users who prefer using smartphones for all their travel planning and booking needs, enhancing user engagement and convenience.

14. Community Engagement

Facilitating online forums and communities where hosts and guests can interact, share tips, and build connections. These platforms help users feel more connected to the Airbnb ecosystem, provide valuable insights and support for new users, and strengthen loyalty to the brand.

15. Data Analytics and Personalization

Utilizing data to understand user behavior and preferences, then tailoring marketing efforts to match individual preferences. By personalizing the user experience, it is possible to increase satisfaction and engagement, driving repeat bookings and positive reviews.

Airbnb Marketing Strategy for Greater Listing Success

1. Complete Your Entire Listing and Host Profile

The first step to a successful Airbnb launch is to ensure that every aspect of both your listing and host profiles is completed. Do not leave a single field empty. Add a profile to your host profile and be sure to add a bio stating why you are such a good host and how excited you are to welcome people into your property!

2. Verify Your Account with a Government-Issued ID

Airbnb rewards trusted hosts and guests. Verify your account to ensure that Airbnb knows you are a real person and if there are any issues, they’ll be able to contact you directly via your verified contact details. You may not think this step is important, but it is very important and we cannot emphasize this enough.

3. List All of Your Amenities

No matter how small, make sure you list everything in your listing on your listing page. And yes, we do mean everything – shampoo, conditioner, dishwashing products, toaster, kettle, coffee maker, and so on.

The more you have, the more there is to appeal to different guests! Once you have your listing off the ground, you can start to specialize your listing to attract your target guests. At the start, however, it’s best to broaden your appeal and try to attract as many bookings as possible.

4. Enable Instant Book

Instant Book is a great invention from Airbnb as it allows things to move faster on the platform. Instead of needing to wait for a host to reply, guests can opt to book a listing that has enabled Instant Book.

This means that if they meet the criteria, they do not need to wait for the host to approve their request. Instead, Airbnb just processes your booking instantly.

5. Utilize the ‘First Three’ Discount

For new listings, Airbnb offers hosts the chance to enable what they call the ‘first three’ discount. This enables the host to allow the first three guests to book their listing and enjoy a discount of 20% on their booking total.

Enabling this discount will push you higher up in Airbnb’s search results. This means more eyes on your listing which is always a good thing.

6. Price Competitively

Pricing is another thing you’ll need to master if you want to successfully launch your new listing. Most of our hosts adopt similar strategies when determining their prices: they use DPGO dynamic pricing. DPGO is designed to find the right price at the right time in the right vacation rental market environment.

If you want to try dynamic pricing, but only once your listing is up and running, then we’d recommend that you search your local area for similar listings and then undercut their prices by 20%.

7. Set Stay Limits and Limit Calendar Opening

For this strategy to work, you’ll need to set stay limits in order to ensure that you can get as many guests into your listing during your 30 or 40-day allocated window. The more guests you can fit in this period, the more reviews you can get and the higher you can rank in Airbnb search results.

Set your minimum stay at 2 nights so you don’t have to deal with one-day bookings. Set your maximum stay to 7 days to ensure that one person doesn’t swoop in and book the entire month for a very discounted price. With this strategy, you’ll be off to a better start than most when initiating your new Airbnb marketing strategy!

How Can DPGO Help?

Your marketing strategy is a complicated thing to manage, which means it may take more time than you have to give. Do you know what the easiest solution for that is? DPGO. We take away the daily stresses of Airbnb pricing and revenue management in one fair swoop.

This gives you more than enough time to build an effective Airbnb marketing strategy and action it across your target marketing channels. Have anything else to add to our list? Send us an email and let us know! You can get in touch with us via Facebook or email us at support@dpgo.com.