How to use Instagram for a short-term rental?

Today, a large number of short-term rentals are launching themselves on social networks, and in particular Instagram, in order to promote their housing (s).

As Cédric Génin said very well to us in our last interview on live rental : “I only recommend social networks if you are passionate about it and if you have time because it can become time-consuming”. Obviously, each person has their point of view on the subject and nothing prevents you from doing social media communication.

You may be reading this article to get started with Instagram or simply to get all the advice from Yaago.

The question you're going to ask yourself first: why should I use Instagram for my vacation rentals? The answer is simple:

• In order to make you known and gain visibility
• Keep in touch with regular customers and therefore retain them
• Redirect people to your Airbnb listing or website if you book directly
• Use Instagram passionately through your seasonal accommodation

Bayonne Cathedral

If you don't have Instagram yet, the main steps to take are as follows:

• The first and not the least, to start and create an account: to do the right thing, we advise you to start by creating your “bio”
• Post your first publications by showing the first photos of your property and why not tell the story of your home or how you got started
• If you want to track your statistics, switch your account to “professional mode”

Note that you are not going to have 1000 likes at once and thousands of subscribers. It is something that takes time and your fame will gradually take place. The Yaago advice is that you can share your account with those around you to get your first likes and comments. It's all a matter of time and personal investment in creating content to attract subscribers!

Your bio is your identity!

We saw that in the main steps of creating your account, creating your “bio” is the first step.

Your bio is your identity, put all the odds on your side

We advise you to add a profile photo either with the logo of your accommodation, we think in particular of people who have a website and rent directly or simply the photo of your rental.

Then, in the description, add the most relevant information with the name of your accommodation/cottage, followed by a short descriptive sentence that makes you want to come (“Our pool will delight you” or “We would be delighted to welcome you to our charming cottage”).

And the most important thing: add the link to your accommodation, whether it's the URL of your site or your Airbnb ad or other OTAs (see “Online Tourism Agency” in French: online travel agencies). The aim is for people to be able to book your accommodation easily.

We have selected a few Instagram accounts that we like and that have a qualitative description: @gitesdubulz / @lagrangebruyeres / @loftcornelius / @lecozygite

And mainly the account @lesdagoureaux who for us uses all the right methods to have a description to give a beautiful image of their cottage!

Post photographs of your property

Once your bio is complete, you will publish the first photos of your accommodation or accommodations. Note that the quality of the photos represents the image of your home and your seriousness. It is therefore essential to choose the ones that highlight it the most.

We explain ourselves: if you post low quality photos or a photo of your messy accommodation, there is little chance that the user will make the reservation. However, if your photos are very qualitative, if you highlight the rooms in your rental well, the Internet user will at least say: “I would like to spend my vacation here”. And at best, it will go in your bio to find the link to your ad to make a reservation. Hence the importance of the redirection link or to indicate the possibility of booking directly in your description!

We have written you a complete article with all our secrets for successful photos and boost your bookings throughout the year. A goldmine of advice!

What should I put under my posts?

When you start on this social network, you don't know all the codes to gain visibility or simply the basics of publishing Instagram.

• Under your posts, Instagram gives you the possibility to add a description: this is therefore where you will illustrate your visual and promote your property. You can therefore write a short text and redirect the user to your bio where there is the link to your ad.
• An important step: remember to use relevant hashtags that users would be able to type into the search bar. By using relevant hashtags, you can help travelers discover your vacation rental listing. Internet users are often looking for inspiration for their vacation destination, which is where hashtags come into their own.

If your accommodation is a cottage in Ramatuelle then you can add the following hashtags to boost your Instagram publications: #airbnb #airbnbfrance #maisondevacances #locationvacances #gite #gitedecharme #chambredhote #ramatuelle #ramatuelletourisme #vacancesIci we can see that hashtags make it easy to locate your accommodation in relation to the market!

• Finally, we recommend that you add the location of your home. This will allow you to appear in the search results for the city you have chosen and you will target the right people. Let me explain: if a person is looking for a vacation spot in Ramatuelle and goes to the Ramatuelle position on Instagram, there is a much greater chance that they will find your accommodation than someone who has put France in.

All these little tips will allow you to boost your ad and gain visibility.

Provide a photo location in your home

An idea that we like and that we highly recommend is to provide a place in your accommodation where travelers can take selfies with the hashtag that refers to your Instagram account. This allows you to be visible in the networks of your travelers and therefore to gain visibility.

Share your good addresses

In the previous tips, we covered your property posts, but it's important to share more content with your community. Make posts with your good addresses, especially with photographs of the dishes in the restaurants you recommend or, if you are a host, make a photo of the dinner you offer to your travelers. So don't forget to take a photo of your meal and post it with a comment in the description explaining why you like this place so much (by adding the place and the hashtags). Moreover, take the opportunity to also put them in Yaago, they will appear the same way in your digital welcome booklet! It is this type of content that will bring diversity to your Instagram feed (cf. grid or all of your photos published on your account and visible on your profile)! If you have the Yaago welcome booklet, we recommend that you highlight it on your publications. It can attract the attention of people who want to go on vacation. A real way to make a difference among other accounts!

Make a difference by featuring your Yaago welcome booklet in your publications!

Share the opinions of your travelers

On online booking sites, travelers can give their opinion on the stay. Post these opinions, they will bring you real added value. In particular, you can use the Canva tool to create a beautiful visual by writing them in order to highlight them in your Instagram feed in order to maintain a beautiful graphic charter (visual identity) .Share your visuals for awarding Superhost status on Airbnb, the Booking.com Award or Premium Partner rating for VRBO! And above all, don't forget to encourage your travelers to leave their opinions on the Yaago welcome booklet and to share it again on your Instagram account!

Publish real

Use real ones (a feature that allows you to make short videos) to make dynamic videos of your home. At the moment, this tool allows you to gain visibility. You can make several reals of your home, then of the different rooms in your home, show the behind the scenes of your activity, share the good times if you are a cottage!

Make your travelers dream with your most beautiful videos!

Vary your content

Do not always post the same thing on your account, your community may get tired and learn nothing more about your rental. It is then necessary to vary your content:

• Both in terms of content: photo of your indoor and outdoor accommodation, your good addresses, the opinions of your travelers, your hospitality products, etc.
• Both in terms of format: photographs, visuals, videos, real, carousels, etc.

This allows travelers to better project themselves and make them dream. They can be in front of their breakfast or in transport and get away thanks to a nice simulation of these contents!

When to publish?

Now that you know more about how and what to publish, you should probably ask yourself the question of when to publish? In terms of publication rate, the ideal for the Instagram algorithm is one post every day. Instagram refers to “publishing” posts, stories, real stories, etc. On the other hand, in terms of posts, we advise you to start with 2 posts per week and if you are comfortable increasing the rhythm.When we talk about publishing, we are also talking about the best hours and the best days: generally speaking, the best time is 6 pm because it is the time when Internet users are the most connected, however, this varies according to your community, it is therefore for That is why it is important to switch your account to “professional mode” in order to have access to all the statistics of your audience. You will therefore be able to adjust yourself according to the latter.

There are plenty of bars to try in Bayonne. For the most part, they are located on the banks of the Nive between Petit and Grand Bayonne. For you, here is a list of the best bars where you can enjoy wines, spirits, cocktails, craft beers and other drinks with friends or lovers:

• Koubata & Kukubat: an excellent beer bar ideally located on the Nive. Installed on the terrace on old barrels, you can enjoy the view.
• La Karafe: an introduction to wine tasting led by a sommelier, this bar also offers tastings on request. Attention, you have to book in advance.
• Ginja's: its beer and cocktail menu and its theme evenings will make you feel the atmosphere of the Basque Country and its culture. Numerous gourmet tapas to order. To test? The “Ginja”, a Spanish-Portuguese liqueur that is drunk in a dark chocolate shot glass.
• Le Patio: a tapas pub to try in Petit-Bayonne. Tailor-made cocktails and shooters to dehydrate you in a festive atmosphere until 2 am.
• La Pétrolette: a busy bar where you must test the “kamikaze” shooter while singing the Peña Baiona Anthem loud and clear.

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