Beginner's Guide to Instagram for Vacation Rentals

Discover how to leverage Instagram for vacation rentals. Essential tips & strategies for vacation rental owners. Boost your rental bookings today!

As a vacation rental business, you should always search for ways to attract guests and increase bookings. You might've heard about Instagram for vacation rentals or even used it for a while without much success.

Boasting over 1.4 billion users, Instagram is one of the largest social media platforms and an online playground for businesses wanting to generate visibility. The platform is deeply influential, with 40% of users claiming they made purchases they wouldn't have considered without it.

Whether you're a novice host or an expert in the field, Instagram should be on top of your marketing strategy. In this guide, we'll share our top tips to make the most of it and promote your vacation rentals.

How to Use Instagram for Vacation Rentals

1. Post Amazing Photos of Your Properties

Instagram is a highly visual platform. Investing in professional photos is the first step to a successful strategy. Your posts should be a mix of well-staged house pictures as well as things to do in the area.

Providing a 360-degree experience for guests will be highly appreciated and will elevate you as an authority in their eyes. Here are a few post ideas to use with beautiful imagery:

• Photos of entire rooms to convey the atmosphere of staying in your home
• Images of small details, such as a relaxing bath or a hot cup of coffee with a view
• Local attractions
• Activities guests can do in the area
• House exterior in different seasons

Social media platforms for vacation rental property

2. Write a Compelling Instagram Bio

Your Instagram Bio sums up what your vacation rental business is all about. Include a profile picture or a logo, your name, and what your business does. Shape your description to reflect who you're helping and your ideal audience, and use relevant keywords to appear in searches.

Here are a few more tips for the perfect Instagram Bio:

• Add a branded hashtag
• Use emojis to make your content more appealing
• Add your location
• Add your contact details (email address, phone number)
• Link to your direct-booking website
• Include a call to action

Instagram marketing strategy for vacation rental

3. Show the Behind-the-scenes

Preparing your rentals to welcome guests takes a lot of work. Help visitors feel part of the action by sharing behind the scenes. Mowing the lawn in preparation for summer? Take a few snapshots and post them in your Instagram Stories.

Stocking up on winter essentials such as blankets, Christmas decorations, and hot cocoa? Let potential guests know! This will help them understand how much effort it takes to run a vacation rental business and will directly reflect on their reviews.

4. Use Hashtags and Geotags

Using hashtags on your Instagram account can boost your visibility to new audiences. For example, by using relevant hashtags like #vacationrental, #airbnb, or #houfyhost, you can attract audiences who already follow them and ultimately grow your engagement and bookings.

In the meantime, geotags are location tags that help you appear on Instagram's location-based feed. Location tags can achieve higher impressions if you want to attract staycationers or visitors looking for rentals in specific areas.

Instagram for short-term rental business

5. Repost User-generated Content

User-generated content (UCG) is content guests create and post online regarding your vacation rental. This is an Instagram trend you don't want to skip since 76% of people trust UGC more than branded or influencer content. That's because they think it comes from "real people", so it must be accurate.

For example, if a visitor posts your vacation home online and describes how perfect their stay was, you can repost it to your account after securing their permission. That's why you should make your home as "Instagrammable" as possible. As a result, you'll increase potential guests' trust and secure more bookings.

6. Interact With Potential Guests

The best vacation rental Instagram accounts engage with users frequently to build great rapport. Here are a few things vacation rental owners should do for their online community:

• Answer all comments under posts
• Comment on other users' feeds
• Comment under posts within relevant hashtags
• Follow past guests
• Like other users' posts and Stories
• Reply to people's direct messages
• Provide value regarding their local community, attractions, and things to do in the area
• Create interactive Stories with quizzes, polls, and reactions

Instagram for vacation rentals

7. Post Consistently

Before jumping on Instagram for your vacation rental business, ensure you have a clear strategy. Don't just post once and disappear from the face of the earth. Decide on a posting schedule and stick to it. Social media platforms take consistency to see results.

It's vital to decide on your content pillars beforehand. Your content should be educational, inspiring, and entertaining at the same time. For example, create educational Instagram posts to guide guests on local restaurants, nearby museums, and your city's history.

Or post an aesthetically pleasing photo from a sunset at your rental and how peaceful nature is in the background. Make people drool over your home, and keep reminding them about it.

8. Advertise on Instagram

An Instagram business account isn't just for organic content. Vacation rental hosts can also use Instagram ads for faster results. An easy way to do that is by connecting your Facebook to your Instagram page and running ads on both platforms.

You can run advertising campaigns for as low as $5 and reach audiences you wouldn't otherwise. Remember that Instagram is highly visual, so your photos and graphics should be scroll-stopping. Use calls-to-action like "Book Now" to encourage guests to convert, and always link to your website.

Other social media platforms for vacation rentals

Ready to Grow Your Instagram for Vacation Rentals?

With these tips, you're now ready to conquer the Instagram world! Although Instagram marketing isn't easy, it's vital in the digital era. At the end of the day, it's a powerful, free online tool that can help you build relationships with guests and communicate your brand values.

To level up your vacation rental game, make sure you create your own direct-booking website where you'll send Instagram users to book. At Houfy, we make it easy to build your website and connect directly with guests.

If you're tired of the huge profit cuts from OTAs, join our community of 15,000 hosts and list your property today!