Developing a strong social presence can make all the difference to your short-term rental business. You have an opportunity to reach a wider audience, build trust with your brand, and ultimately drive more direct bookings.
Without a well-defined plan, it’s easy to fall into the trap of posting random and disjointed content. These inconsistencies can work against your business by making you look unprofessional and deterring potential future guests.
The trick is to develop a comprehensive social media strategy that aligns with your goals and resonates with your target market.
Our article walks you through all the steps you need to take to build a consistent and compelling brand presence. Want to make your vacation rental business truly stand out? We’ve also included insights from top social media marketing experts, Sarah Karakaian and Maura Wall.
Why social media matters for vacation rentals
When you’re already on all the major listing sites like Airbnb and VRBO and have a dedicated vacation rental website, is it really necessary to maintain a social media presence?
Building a brand on these platforms allows you to tap into a vast audience beyond what traditional listing sites can offer. Facebook now has over two billion users which is basically a quarter of the global population. Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn aren’t far behind with around one billion users each.
As Maura Wall of Sky Run Vacation Rentals points out, social media is also a natural fit for the hospitality industry. “Users on all platforms are already sharing their holiday experiences with their followers.
She continues, “Having a social media presence not only allows you to connect with current customers, but it also helps you build brand awareness for potential guests who may not know about you yet. It’s a way to get the word out about your business organically.”
Sarah Karakaian of hospitality firm, Thanks For Visiting, adds that travelers will already be on the lookout for companies like yours. “Social media is where modern travelers get inspiration for their trips. They’re using hashtags and SEO keywords related to their destination, and hosts need to show up in those searches, especially on platforms like Instagram.”
Besides helping people find you, Karakaian says social media is the best way to build trust. “People expect businesses to have a presence. It’s a great way to engage with potential travelers and showcase community involvement. Plus, it’s a fun way to show your brand’s personality and connect directly with your audience.”
Provided you have the right strategy, social media can become a powerful tool for growing your vacation rental business. You can reach new audiences, engage with potential visitors, and turn casual followers into loyal guests.
Which social media platforms work best
When deciding which social media sites to use, consider your business setup and long-term goals. They all cater to different audiences and have unique features and benefits you can leverage.
- Facebook: As the site has a range of interactive features, Facebook is best for community building. You can respond to comments on posts, chat to followers via the built-in messenger, and host live-streaming events. Facebook also has broad appeal as it has a significant number of users in each age demographic.
- Instagram: Great vacation rentals have a lot of visual appeal. That makes Instagram a perfect fit for any business with its photo and video-sharing capabilities.
- TikTok: The platform’s short videos give you more opportunities to showcase your unique brand identity. You can give users a fun behind-the-scenes look at your business or participate in trending challenges to climb higher up the algorithm. TikTok has a high ratio of 18 to 24-year-old users, giving you a chance to target the next core generation.
- LinkedIn: Property managers can use this professional networking site to connect with peers, investors, and potential clients. It’s also a good opportunity to showcase your expertise and demonstrate that you’re on top of industry trends.
Karakaian suggests the visual discovery platform, Pinterest. “While often overlooked, it’s a great place for travelers planning trips, and content there has a longer lifespan compared to Instagram or TikTok. Sharing blog content from your website on Pinterest can drive bookings and create lasting value.”
Tips on developing an STR social media strategy
We’ve compiled essential tips to help you develop an effective social media strategy for your vacation rental business. Follow these tips to make sure your marketing efforts get results.
1. Define your target audience
Before you start posting content, research your target audience and understand their motivations. These insights should guide every aspect of your social media strategy.
Look for the following information:
- Demographic data like age, gender, and nationality
- Disposable income and spending habits
- Travel needs and preferences
- Which platforms they use and how they interact with them
- Where they’re likely to travel from
Then tailor your content to this specific audience. Show how your vacation homes can fill their requirements and solve any of their problems.
Wall talks us through what this looks like in practice. “Whenever we feature properties on social media, our first thought is what kind of trip is the property most suited for?” She says, “Does it have lots of Instagrammable spaces like pools, patios, and rooftops that’d be good for bachelorette parties? Is it a home with two primary suites and adjacent rooms for kids that would work well for multi-family getaways?”
“Whatever the selling points may be, we focus on those elements in our post to attract those types of guests. We want them to immediately see what the property is perfect for and get inspired.”
Although broad appeal gets more eyes on your content, it doesn’t guarantee results. A tailored approach means you save your efforts for people who are likely to either use or recommend your business.
2. Use eye-catching visuals
Visuals can literally make or break your vacation rental business. A recent study found a direct correlation between image quality and direct bookings.
Follow the same best practices for social media as you do for listing sites. Make sure you only use high-quality visuals that make your business look professional and capture the best aspects of your properties. If you don’t have the marketing budget for a photographer, it’s worth learning the skills yourself and investing in a good camera.
However, social media gives you more freedom over images than listing sites. You can explore your properties in more detail and from different angles. One idea could be to take point-of-view photos from around one rental to help prospective guests visualize their stay. Another is to show how your properties look during specific times of day or seasons.
The key is consistency. Decide early on the theme and formatting for your photos so they’re cohesive and easily recognizable. You want followers to make an immediate association with your business when your images pop up in their feeds. If you already have a direct booking site, try to make elements like the colors and fonts align with that.
Read our article on vacation rental photo optimization for more specifics about visuals.
3. Engage with the community
Social media is great for building relationships on lots of different levels. Vacation rental businesses can interact with users in the following ways:
- Responding to comments and messages
- Offering exclusive deals or promotions
- Providing important updates on your business
- Sharing user-generated content, for example, guest reviews and photos
- Hosting live Q&A sessions
- Giving video tours of your properties
- Running competitions, polls, and surveys
- Promoting local businesses (who can exchange the favor)
Wall says that responding is the most important aspect of community engagement. She says, “It shows users that you care about what they have to say and encourages others to leave their own thoughts.”
Social media management doesn’t have to fill your work schedule, though. Wall adds, “We always find it best to keep it simple. That might just mean reacting with an emoji to acknowledge and share our excitement over their comment. Of course, if someone asks a direct question about the properties, we work to provide an answer quickly.”
Not all engagement will be positive as past guests may use social media to complain. Wall has a simple strategy for dealing with this. “In the rare case that something negative is said, we do our best to move the conversation off the platform and into private messages. We usually offer our email address so the person can provide further context about their issues.”
4. Create a social media calendar
Decide what you want to post across your platforms in the coming weeks and months. You should include various types of content to keep users engaged. Here’s some quick inspiration for social media posts:
- Guest testimonials (both images and video)
- Travel tips and insights
- Before-and-after shots of property renovations
- Local attraction highlights
- New community or sustainability initiatives
- Announcements for upcoming events
Vary the format as well to cater to users with different social media habits. Most platforms go beyond the obvious image and video content to offer stories, carousels, and reels. Make the most of what’s available to capture the attention of your diverse audience. For example, short-form videos may appeal more to younger generations while text-based posts may resonate more with Boomers.
Most platforms let you schedule posts for specific days and times. That means you can create content in batches instead of spreading the task over your work week. If you operate alone, you can also schedule posts for when you’re not at the office.
5. Partner with social media influencers
You don’t have to limit your online presence to your own platforms. Many businesses collaborate with influencers to expand their reach and boost their credibility. If you’re a new business struggling to get traction, a recommendation from someone with a wide following could see a surge in bookings.
All you have to do is offer the influencer your services in exchange for a feature on their platform. That might be a free upgrade or the entire stay free.
While the arrangement is simple, finding the right influencer for your vacation rental business poses more of a challenge. There are a variety out there, charging from as little as $500 a post to upwards of $5000. Some have broad appeal and others focus on niches, such as traveling and hospitality.
When deciding, consider your target market, budget, and goals. A small business that serves the nearby towns is unlikely to benefit from a mega influencer. They’d probably generate more engagement from a nearby travel blogger who’s well-known among the community.
6. Stay focused and keep it consistent
Social media doesn’t always get fast results. After posting content for a few weeks or months, you might not notice a significant impact. It’s tempting to then change tactics or focus on other areas of the business.
Karakaian says, “The number one thing to remember when launching a social media strategy is to stay consistent. At first, it might feel like no one is paying attention, but consistency builds trust and engagement over time. Make sure you’re creating content that your audience cares about—ask them what they find interesting, and tailor your posts accordingly. Consistency, combined with relevant content, will help you grow.”
Some vacation rental operators may create more pages in the hopes of building a larger presence. Karakaian says it’s best to stick to a single page wherever possible. “We recommend keeping all your properties under one handle. You can categorize them with Instagram highlights or rotate through them in your content.”
The main concern is that you’re adding to your workload without necessarily getting results. She says, “As hosts, we’re already busy, and trying to manage multiple accounts can lead to burnout and inconsistency. Start small, keep it simple, and stay consistent. If you find you’re great at social media and love it, you can always scale up later—but simplicity and consistency are key to long-term success.”
Struggling to find time to manage social media campaigns? Automating property management can free up more of your time to focus on your guest experience and vacation rental marketing. Hostfully PMS takes care of everything from listings and payments and guest messaging.
How to measure your social media impact
Once you’ve built some momentum on social media, it’s important to measure your performance. You can see how well your strategy is working and where you can make improvements.
It can be challenging to directly link your social media activity to bookings. However, tracking the right metrics can indicate whether your business is gaining traction.
Regularly check the following data to look for trends:
- Volume of traffic
- Follower count
- Number of likes, comments, and shares
- Clickthrough rates on links
- Conversion rates
- Ratings
Most social media platforms have built-in analytics where you can find these metrics. You may have to pay a subscription to access some data for business accounts.
While you can’t quantify comments, analyzing them can help you gauge overall sentiment. For example, if you notice that followers often ask for more details about your business, it might suggest that your posts are too vague. Or if there are complaints that the vacation rental property didn’t look as expected, that’s a sign your images aren’t a fair representation.
Keeping your marketing strategy focused for top results
Developing a successful social media strategy for your business calls for careful planning and consistent effort. While that might sound daunting, nobody needs to become an expert. You only need to apply a few simple principles to see results from your activities.
Even if you do make mistakes in the early stages, social media tends to be forgiving. The fast turnaround means that posts and comments disappear quickly under a pile of new engaging content. You can just learn from the experience and keep fine-tuning your approach.
If you stay focused on your strategy, you’re bound to attract users and build a following around your properties in no time.
