Super low conversion rate!

[Carey106]

Hello there friends!

I have a lake house that is a 5 minute walk to the beach.  It can sleep about 16-20 people comfortably and has tons of fun amenities.  We have been hosting for about a year now and still have a very low conversion rate.  Tons of impressions and views but like a 2% conversion rate.  I would love any advice for increasing conversions and happily listen to any critiques about our listing.  Thank you a ton in advance!

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/685481254941564828?adults=8&children=2&enable_m3_private_room=true&infa...

[John7474]

@Carey106 

Hello Carey! 

What a wonderful place you have!   I think you have done a great job with your listing!  What a place for a family or a group of people!

I am new to hosting, and I assume a conversation rate is the Booking Rate? Percentage of people who book after viewing. 

We host our 2 bedroom home in Oaxaca, Mexico. Our Booking rate is 0%.  Yet,  we are booked solid, as we book by the month or at times a 3 month minimum.   We have a lot of people look but our place is only right for some.   

Your home  like ours is VERY unique, they are different yet the same in someways.  

You host for large groups - up to 16 people.  We have 2 bedrooms but only host for months at a time.  

Booking your property, I would assume, it's a matter of having a big group of people wanting to be on holiday in your area.  

The same holds true for our property, when there is someone wanting to stay in Oaxaca for a month or so.. and our place meets their price point and they like our quirky home.. we get booked.

With your situation, and with ours, a lot of people look, but only when the timing, price, size is right, does a potential guest book.  

Also you have to take into account that your home may be seasonal.  Are there many bookings in the winter? And a ton of bookings in the summer? 

I don't really pay much attention to the stats.  I focus on the bookings, and lucky for us there is a year round demand for properties in Oaxaca  for remote workers and retirees. 

So you may ask..."How do I increase my  bookings?" Maybe consider a price drop for slower periods?  A free night after 3 days during slow periods. Or other promotional tools. 

In your case, I  am not exactly sure what might drive an increase in bookings... I do know your home is beautiful, well priced and ready for the next group!

Wishing you continued success!

John 

This is our place in Oaxaca, Mexico:

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/650711786712532742?guests=1&adults=1&s=67&unique_share_id=6c375887-3d9e...

[Bettye6]

Hi John7474,

I could not agree with you more for @Carey106 !

Great advice & the place is beautiful. 
Large spaces are not on everyone’s agenda nor like yours long term stays. 
Carey, hang tight they will come. 
Other thoughts add a promotion & see if listings come plus rely on social media & networking with in your community. That helps. 
The best of luck. Your place looks awesome!

kind regards,

Bettyeo6

[Carey106]

Hi Betty!

Thank you so much for your feedback.  Can you tell me in what ways you use social media to optimize bookings?  Thank you again, I really appreciate you!

[Joe3719]

Hi @Carey106 , I don't know if you are still following this but in regards to social media:

1: Instagram is everything. Have great pictures here and there but focus on reels (15 seconds, showcasing various aspects of property, include trending audio)

2:Leverage influencers. This is huge for marketing. Essentially offer them a free night in exchange for them making a quick reel and posting to their page. A lot of influencers charge but supposedly the return on investment is like 5-10X. Experiment with people who have smaller followings then climb the ladder to bigger accounts (needs to be travel focused accounts ideally that focus on your state). 

Hope this helps!

[Carey106]

Thank you for your help @Joe3719 

[Carey106]

Thank you John!  We are somewhat seasonal.  We are booked almost solid in the summer but usually have 2 bookings most other months with the exception of the dreaded August and September.  We use pricelabs to adjust our pricing seasonally and make manual adjustments from time to time when bookings are scarce.  

Are there promotional tools that you use that seem to work?  When it comes to giving someone the 3rd night free how do you make that happen in Airbnb?  Thank you so much for your help!!!!

[Inna22]

@Carey106 my conversion rate is about 1.5% on average and I am fully booked in high season, comfortably booked in shoulder seasons and can pay my bills off season. Your conversion rate is fine. What is not fine is your occupancy rate. What you need to increase is your position in search. There are multiple posts in this group outlining best practices for that so take a look. Also consider diversifying on other platforms if you have not already. Good luck!

[Carey106]

Hi again!  I am on VRBO and we have our own website too.  Is there any other sites that you would suggest?  Thanks again!

[Inna22]

@Carey106 as for your listing, your guests, depending on the device, see the first five pictures. Your first three pictures are the building. Put in five most exciting pictures instead, for example bedroom, living room, kitchen water view, building, outdoor space. Are you able to add greenery around the perimeter of the facade? Right now the building does not look very vacationy

[Carey106]

Inna thank you so much for your feedback.  Our sprinkler system at this time doesn't include the flowerbeds in front so I'm trying to figure out what to plant there in the spring that is drought tolerant since it gets super hot and we live super far away and can't get there often to water. 

If you have any suggestions I am all ears!  Thank you so so much again.  

[Marie8425]

Just FYI on the plants.  I am in Arizona so even though I have sprinklers I am dealing with the  full sun and I  don't want  my sprinklers running all day haha.  I discovered a few things I can't just look at succulents and cactus surprisingly they  don't automatically  want full  sun.  Also I found out with succulents many are animal toxic.  Not  good if the neighbors dog gets in my front  yard.  So I  changed my searches   now to desert  landscaping ideas, full sun and minimum watering  so I don't deal with cold  weather  like you,.  But searching for plants based on the  environment has opened a lot of  ideas for  me that weren't on my mind  I love the internet haha

[Harmony42]

@Carey106 Pictures 7, 8, and 30 should definitely be in your 1st photos!