How to Host: Making Your Home a Social Media Star

Tom-Feldman0
Level 8
Seattle, WA

How to Host: Making Your Home a Social Media Star

Social media is a powerful tool to get discovered and generate interest in your listing. Learn the secrets on how to build a strong online presence from an expert digital marketer (and Superhost).

 

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Navigating the social media landscape can feel like you’re lost in the woods. Where do you start? How do you create great content? And how can it translate into more bookings? Tom Feldman of Tye Haus in Skykomish, Washington shares his successful (and refreshingly human) approach to building a following and making your home an absolute must-visit. 

 

 

Tom’s Tips to Make Your Home a Social Media Star

  1. Name your space
  2. Start with beautiful photos
  3. Create creative partnerships
  4. Build a following
  5. Be genuine

 

TYE HAUS IS BORN

Tom: Our hosting story began back in 2012 when we bought our first A-frame, Tye Haus. We fixed it up, listed it on Airbnb, and started an Instagram account with pictures of our home alongside cinematic scenes from the area—our hikes, local attractions, what we loved on the grounds. Soon after that, popular photographer Alex Strohl reached out to us and asked about collaborating. We hosted him for two months as a sort of creative retreat in exchange for pics to share on our feed. As we began to post Alex’s photos, that’s when our popularity took off.  It was the first of many collaborations and contests to come. 

 

My family and I now manage three A-frame cabins, and we continue to host influencers from all over the world. In exchange for sharing their credited content on our feed, we provide them with a place to explore, adventure, and relax. This has become one of our primary marketing techniques. We’ve gone from a 30% occupancy rate to close to 100%, filling up weekdays as well as off-season months. We’ve also built an online following of nearly 115K. Here are our tips on how to put your home on the social media map.

 

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01. Name your space

The first step to marketing your home may seem small, but it’s an important one—and that’s to name your space. You want to find a name that’s distinct, memorable, and clever. Then, you can brand your home and register your username on Instagram.

 

Here are a few questions to help you brainstorm a name:

 

  • What kind of home do you have? Is it a chalet, a beachfront property? Is it a tudor home or a loft?
  • Do you have a theme? Do your interiors follow a particular style? Is it pirate-themed (which exists!)?
  • Is there a connection to your location, city, or town? Can it be incorporated into your name?
  • Is there a historical significance? The perfect name may be waiting to be uncovered from the past.

 

Do some research online and find out what other listings are doing, as well as what names are available on social media. For us, we named our first cabin after one of the neighboring rivers, the Tye River. The spelling of the second half, Haus, was inspired by a nearby Bavarian-themed town called Leavenworth. Together, it became Tye Haus. 

 

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02. Start with beautiful photos

Once you’ve got your name and your social media handles, you’ll want to start out the gate with beautiful pictures. Do not, I repeat, do not, start with a bunch of crummy photos. The images on your feed are the first thing that people will see—and you want them to feel inspired! They’re what’s going to sell your listing. Your photos should be:

 

  • Consistent. Maintain a uniform look and aspirational aesthetic.
  • High-quality. Post sharp, vivid, high-caliber images and videos—avoid grainy or blurry photos.
  • Accurate. Content should reflect your property well.

 

Try to capture what sets your home apart. Is it the interiors, character, or location? Find what really makes your property interesting. Remember that you’re not just advertising your space, you’re also sharing the experience people can have if they visit: your location, the sights, and the activities in the area. If you’re not great at taking photos, considering hiring a professional photographer to start.

 

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03. Create creative partnerships

Another way to generate beautiful content for your feed is to collaborate with influencers (e.g. photographers, bloggers, and videographers) and offer discounted stays in exchange for content. We recommend researching and reaching out to local photographers, bloggers, videographers, and content creators in your area.

 

This strategy is one of the primary traffic drivers to our page. As influencers share their posts of your space, new users will come across it and discover your home.

 

When reaching out to influencers to make an ask, it’s important to:

 

  • Be professional. Go in prepared and knowledgeable. Ask the right questions that will help move the partnership forward.
  • Be clear. It really could be as simple as: “Hey, I love your work. I’m just getting my Airbnb off the ground. Would you be interested in a creative exchange: a stay for credited images or a write up?”
  • Outline your expectations. Create a mutual agreement for both parties so that it’s clear what each of you is expecting and what you will receive. This should include details such as delivery dates, image rights, tagging, number of images/videos, and file types, etc.
  • Make it a win-win. Approach it as a collaboration and work to make sure that the partnership is beneficial to both parties.

 

Another related tip is to never have empty inventory. If you have any last minute open dates, take advantage of the downtime and use it for your marketing efforts. Invite a local influencer to stay so that you can use the time to generate additional content for your feed.

 

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04. Build a following

Once you’ve established an online presence and gotten a feed full of great images, it’s time to make yourself known. This can be done a number of different ways:

 

  • Be a local online ambassador in your area. Find your relevant online circles and be present in them. So for Tye Haus, we like to keep up with the social media of local businesses and surrounding location tags. We follow a nearby ski resort, for example, and we might answer questions other people leave, or comment and say “Hey, next time you’re in town, come stay with us.”

 

  • Partner with brands to create contests and giveaways. We’ll also run contests and promotions to up our follower count. Think outside the box to find partnerships that fit your “brand”. We’ve partnered with a blanket, a bedding, and a cutlery company to cross-promote our audiences. We’ve reached out to them and said, “Hey, we’re going to get in some influencers to talk about your product, would you be interested in partnering? I can throw in a free stay.” These are also great opportunities to start an email database.

 

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05. Be genuine

As a rule of thumb, people are generally turned off by self-promotion, whether its online or in person—so it’s important to be authentic in all of your interactions. Don’t just comment on every influencer’s post with the same message just to be seen—or start spamming every account you come across. There’s a fine line, and people can sense when you’re coming in with a hard sell. Be genuine in what you’re saying and you’ll attract the right people.

 

As a personal rule of thumb, I try not to overdo it with the hashtags. We tag a couple of relative feeds in the photo and only include 5-10 hashtags per post. Some people use a whole slew of photo tags and hashtags to get discovered, but I prefer a more subtle, organic approach.

 

Remember that building a following takes time and certainly doesn’t happen overnight. I encourage you to use these tips, get creative, and you’ll surely find yourself with growing a social media community—and your occupancy rates will thank you.

 

Happy hosting!

Tom

 

Not a host yet? Become one today.

 

Check out the full #howtohost series here.

 

Book a stay at one of Tom’s three cabins in Skykomish, Washington. Follow Tye Haus on Instagram.

190 Replies 190

Thank you for the kind words, Helen. Our area is old industry railroad. The Tye River was named after a railroad surveyor. Nearby our cabins is the scene of one of the most deadly avalanches in U.S. History and had to do with a stalled train in the snowy peaks. We actually collect old memorabilia from here and from some local hot springs that used to be a huge draw back in the early 1900's. We keep photo copies of some of the history in our cabin house manual.  

 

Have not heard of the festival, but will check it out online here 😉 And yes, NZ is on our bucket list, no doubt. 

 

Safe travels!

 

-Tom

@Tom-Feldman0  thanks for your reply.

When replying to others you may like to include the @ before the name of person you are replying to so they are notified.

 

I couldn't resist have a browse in New Zealand's newspaper archives to see what I could learn about your location..one should never stop learning!!

 

Here's a couple of links that may interest you to add to your collection @Tom-Feldman0  and @Leo192  and others who live in or wish to enjoy a story in the region relating to an incident in Skykomish 120 years ago - 1899 where there was a random cougar/ mountain lion that must given a few a fright back in the day.

 

A lions leap at a train

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/BH18990214.2.38

 

One has to ask if one would react the same way today when seeing a big cat like this.

Do you still have them in your location?

 

If any of you are in the Lowell region reading this, Are there still descendants of Edward Depew, John Wright and  George Lawrence in the Lowell area in Skykomish?

If so the above story may be of interest to them.

 

There was an avalanche that happened in 1910 -nearly 110 years ago in April -where the families of J O'Neil, John Wentzel,  W R Bailet were involved.

 

Is the Bailet Hotel still there?

 

Great Avalanche

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP19100416.2.130

 

 

Those sage people before us recorded fabulous stories in the newspapers and journals for our betterment.

Looking up ones local history adds another dimension to our contributions in the wider community.

 

Kimberly443
Level 1
Pocono Pines, PA

Thanks, Tom! It's been on my list to start up social meeting for my couple of properties and I enjoyed reading your article.

Mohamed143
Level 3
Muharraq Governorate, Bahrain

Great tips, I have just added them into my marketing plan.

Good tips!

Donna493
Level 2
Flagstaff, AZ

Thank you for sharing these tips!   I just recently started up an Instagram account for my Airbnb, I learned several ideas I'm excited to use!   

That's awesome. Start if off right! Quality over quantity. See what other popular accounts in your area are doing and use them for inspiration. You got this. 

Roos7
Level 1
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Great ideas ... thanks for sharing. 

Roos, Punta Cana, CapCana, Dominican Republic

Hanna-And-Adam0
Level 1
Victoria, Canada

Excellent article!!

One area I'd like to learn more about is which influencers to target and what the agreement looks like.

We actually get a lot of traffic from your neck of the woods in Victoria. You're in a great market. I'd reach out to local travel influencers that have 20k plus followers. This will move the needle for you. If you really want to gain some traction, reach out to influencers that have 100k or more. Once you're established, you can focus on just about anyone that takes great photography to supplement your feed 😉 

Leo192
Level 8
Spartanburg, SC

Hey @Tom-Feldman0 - great promotional video.  You did  great job!   I left Seattle 2 years ago.  Don't really miss it but do miss Skykomish, Leavenworth area a lot.  Great place to camp and explore.  Your place is amazing and a great ABB set up.  You're right about focusing on being unique & creative with your ABB gig.  I got some of those elements down on my listings but for 2020 I'll focus more on the social media aspect.  Should be fun.  Thanks for the video.

Mel3
Level 2
Lambton, Australia

Great information.  Thankyou!

Miloud0
Level 10
Rabat, Morocco

Salute, 

 

Many thanks @Tom-Feldman0  for these so valuable information you shared with us.  

 

Thanks, 

Miloud

 

 

Mark1641
Level 2
Atlanta, GA

@Tom-Feldman0  - excellent information!!   Really enjoyed your article and tons of great ideas!  I need to learn to take high quality photos to start with as our area is gorgeous for sure.  I have a private lake filled with game fish, there's a 15 foot waterfall on the far end and beautiful hiking trails so plenty of areas to capture amazing scenes.  Its funny though as my place - Hickory Lodge stays so full that doing any marketing only points people to a magic place that's hardly ever available!!  So I'm always struggling with whether to promote it more or just enjoy what the airbnb system creates!  Hoping to see your place one day and again thanks for the fantastic information and gorgeous photos.  Actually a friend of mine that owns a cuckoo clock company is looking for someone to help with marketing / social media etc.  Do you do that kind of work professionally?  

Good to hear you guys are already booked up, that means you're doing it right already 😉 I don't do any contract work, unfortunately. These cabins are really just my side job as I work a full-time job in digital marketing and analytics. Cheers!