Airbnb Advice,

3rd February 2020

With over 1 billion monthly users, 63% of which use this app daily, Instagram has become an incredible platform to see and be seen. People of every age, ethnicity, walk of life, and almost every country use this service, so this exposure could mean more real-world traffic to your Airbnb property. 

So whether you are an Instagram novice, or have the uncapped Instagram expertise of Kim Kardashian, here’s a look at how to use an Instagram business account to draw in more guests to your Airbnb property.        

Instagram-worthy Airbnb photos:

How to capture the best Airbnb photos for Instagram:

Instagram is first and foremost a photo-sharing app, so this is the perfect place to share beautiful photos of your property, the views, and your hospitality. Every photo that you share should be of great quality, but it does not necessarily have to be perfect. For example, artistic photos of an unmade bed with a loose-knit blanket and a cup of coffee may get a better response than a photo of a perfectly made bed. This is because guests want to be able to imagine themselves in your property. You must remember that not only are you selling your property, but you are also selling the experience your property can offer to guests. So this means you should use your property’s selling points to market your property. For example, if you have a family-friendly batch, then why not share a picture of the kids enjoying a day at the local beach? Or if your house has a beautiful patio, then show that off with a photo of beautiful furniture adorned with plumped pillows and fresh cocktails placed on the table. To learn how to create an Instagram business account for your Airbnb property click here.

Editing:

Regardless of whether you take these photos on your phone, or a professional camera, make sure to capture good quality images and edit them for better results. It’s surprising what difference additional light and saturation can make. Instagram also allows you to add filters, or even multiple photos, in a single post. These tools can be useful for different reasons, but just remember to use them sparingly. Natural photos are always best for marketing your property, so try to avoid those colourful filters, however tempting they may be.

Image-size:

Another thing to bear in mind is that Instagram prefers images with an aspect ratio of 1.91:1- 16:9 and a horizontal height of at least 1080px. Because of this, you should attempt to shoot images in this size or shoot an image with a wider background so you can re-size the image easily. 

Regular posting:

However, the key thing to remember with these photos is to post regularly (as a minimum you should post once a week, but you could also post daily if you would like). Regular posting will mean you will receive more likes, and this engagement will allow you to grow followers faster.

Inspiration:

If you need more help with creating an Instagram-worthy Airbnb account, then you can always follow popular Airbnb accounts such as @thebeachlodge and use her photos as inspiration.

Biography:

Along with amazing photos, another important thing to include in your Instagram business account is a brilliant description that shows off the charm and personality of your property. As well as this, remember to include a link to your property listing because after all, the point of this account is to attract more guests. 

Hashtags and locations:

Another way to get more exposure, and more followers, is to hashtag or geo-tag your photos. For those that are unfamiliar, hashtags are things that people can search up on Instagram to find certain things. So hashtags are a great tool to allow people who want what you are offering, to discover you. Effective hashtags are ones that are relevant to your property, local, or popular. Using multiple hashtags on each post will also increase your rate of exposure. For those of you who are still unsure, here are some examples that could be useful to add to your property photos: #airbnbnz, #airbnb, #airbnbhost, #nzbatch, #nzholidayhome, #holidayhome, #nzbeachhouse, #beachhouse. Geo-tags are also useful when marketing your property because they can attract people who want to spend time in the area, to your property.

Guest experiences:

Sharing photos of you being hospitable towards guests (with flowers or drinks), as well as sharing comments and reviews, and re-posting pictures of your property that guests have tagged you in, can help build a great brand and lead to additional bookings/re-bookings. You can also follow these guests on Instagram, and they will most likely follow you back.

Followers: 

 An important aspect of Instagram is the number of followers you have. The more followers you have generally means the more exposure you have, but at the same time, you want to attract followers who regularly travel. To begin with, it can be very difficult to get followers, but if you start to follow people that live/travel in Zealand or use similar hashtags, then this can lead to more followers if you have a beautiful feed. Remember to link your IG to everything that you use to market your Airbnb. You can also link your FB account to your IG account and follow people that are your FB friends, to get more of a follow-base. 

Conclusion:

In conclusion, in this day and age, Instagram can be a key platform to market your Airbnb property. Using fantastic photographs, an amazing biography, hashtags and locations, guest experiences, and also gaining followers can lead to more guests and a better chance of re-booking.