How to Make Your Short-Term Rental Stand Out:
7 Powerful ways
Table of Contents
With so many new properties on the market, you have to know how to make your short-term rental stand out. A lot of professional listings are now competing with yours and they are using marketing savvy to get above-average results.
In this article we will take you through the most impactful ways to make your short-term rental stand out and get booked more often than competitors.
Also: Is the Airbnb market over-saturated?
Understand your ideal guest.
You can’t make your property stand out unless you know your target market and more specifically your ideal guest.
Creating a detailed profile of your ideal guest is vital.
You do this by discovering more about the type of guest that appreciates places like yours.
If you have been hosting for a while, you probably know the type of guests that love what you offer. So, start from your current understanding and dig deeper.
For clues, look at your reviews and see what they value most.
Once you have developed an ideal guest persona, it’s time to develop a unique selling proposition.
Identify Your Unique Selling Proposition
Do you offer a stunning view, a luxurious bathroom, or a prime location?
Knowing what makes your place special helps you develop your unique selling proposition.
Optimize Your Listing
Optimizing your listing for SEO makes your property more visible.
Airbnb recently included search features that help guests find listings. Now, when you start to search on Airbnb, autosuggestions pop up. Try our Airbnb Listing Optimization Service to get a professional edge. Ensure that your Airbnb titles and descriptions contain words people use to search for places like yours.
Also: Vacation Rental Copywriting: How to Create a Killer Airbnb Listing
Also: How to Improve Airbnb SEO: 7 Simple Ways
Use Photos that show your strengths.
The best photos show your ideal guests that you have what they want. If your ideal guest is a mom with two kids, show off your kitchen, living room, and play areas. Knowing who the ideal guest helps you choose photos to improve bookings.
Get Professional Photos
Pro photos will give you a significant advantage over your competition.
Most Airbnb listings do not have professional photos. Up to 72% have low-quality photos (according to a Carnegie-Mellon study).
If you can get professional photos done, you will be way ahead of your competitors.
According to Airbnb, you can expect increased earnings and bookings by up to 20% with pro photos. It is well worth the investment and will make your listing stand out. A pro photo shoot can cost anywhere between $100-$400.
See also: Detailed Steps to Use Images to Optimize Your Airbnb Listing: A Visual Enhancement Guide
Provide amenities that are in demand.
Do research and add in-demand amenities that your ideal guest needs.
Pet-friendly accommodations are becoming more popular.
Electric Car chargers are becoming much more common.
Create a Positive Guest Experience
Here are some tips for creating a positive guest experience:
Communicate Clearly and Promptly
Respond to inquiries, and provide clear instructions for check-in and check-out.
Personalize the Guest Experience
Consider adding personal touches to your rental, such as a welcome note or a small gift upon arrival.
Offer local tips to help guests maximize their stay in your area.
Message your guests before arrival with ways to personalize their stay.
Examples are early check-in, late check-out, high chairs, and Cribs.
Allowing guests to personalize their stay will improve the experience for them.
Request Feedback and Use it to Improve
Get feedback from guests during and after their stay to measure your performance.
Use the feedback to improve the guest experience on an ongoing basis.
The more you use feedback to make your place better, the more it will stand out.
Build a Strong Online Presence
Here are some tips for building your online presence:
Leverage Social Media
Use websites like Facebook and Instagram to show off your place and talk to people who might want to stay there.
It’s important to create content tailored for your ideal guest.
Think outside the box.
If your ideal guest is on TikTok, be there.
Pinterest is not only a social media channel but also a search engine.
The Pinterest users are mostly females. So if their audience aligns with yours, go for it.
Short-term rentals often underutilize video.
Use plenty of short-form videos on your social media.
Facebook reels get more engagement than other content forms on Facebook, so go heavy on that.
It may be worth hiring a freelancer on Fiverr to help you manage your social media.
Also: Social media strategy for short-term rental business
Encourage Guest Reviews
Positive guest reviews are among the most effective ways to stand out.
Reviews are your best form of content, and how you respond to reviews influences bookings.
Be sure to respond to reviews as if you are addressing potential guests.
A high rating improves your listing click-through rate.
It will also increase the odds of your visibility on Airbnb or other OTA.
Encourage your guests to leave reviews. The quantity and quality of reviews affects your online visibility.
Create a Website
A website helps your property attract more guests.
Optimizing your website/blog for organic traffic is essential. Keyword research and SEO best practices are non-negotiable.
Contact us if you need help, and we will guide you.
Also: How to get more bookings on Airbnb
Conclusion
Every property is unique in its own way. Understand your ideal guest and what makes your property special.
Once you appreciate both, you can create a unique selling proposition.
Then by leveraging your unique selling proposition with effective marketing, your listing will shine bright like a diamond.