Following other Airbnbs on Social Media

[Colber0]

Hello,

We are new hosts. We have a luxury Airbnb in Wales. We have set up social media accounts for our home.

Is it a good idea to follow other Airbnb properties? If so, is it better to follow properties outside your immediate area?

[Ann72]

Hi @Colber0  Sometimes following other Airbnbs is just a gesture of goodwill, and that's never a bad thing.  But almost nothing you do on Instagram will result in instant noticeable increase in bookings.  Airbnb has a much bigger reach than most individual Instagram accounts ever will! 

On my Instagram, I follow as many local businesses as possible - restaurants, shops, galleries - as well as the accounts of all the small towns around, the chambers of commerce, and the land trusts (they administer all the hiking trails).  I also follow Instagrammers who take wonderful photos of the region.  They usually have a lot of followers and you'll get more followers through interacting with them.

[Colber0]

Hi @Ann72,

That's really helpful. Thank you.

We are doing most of that. Have you tried collaborating on social media?

[Ann72]

Yes @Colber0 I have done it for one reason only - to get great photographs!  I've had a couple of Instagrammers whose photography I like come and stay for two free nights in exchange for 25 high resolution photographs of the house.  I liked them both and will have them each come back.  Any other collaborations are not of interest.  For instance, someone who calls themselves an influencer who wants to stay for free in exchange for more followers?  No.  Only an "in-kind" exchange.  I drew up a simple one-page agreement for these visits outlining how I would be able to use the photos as well.  

Overall you do better by interacting with other accounts - not only liking their posts but sharing to your stories and commenting.

[Colber0]

That's interesting too. We're lucky in that I have a friend who is as professional photographer. He's helped us. 

There's a few influencers offering to promote us. One works for tourist boards, do we could be tempted. 🤔

[Dimitar27]

I've never used "social media" for something more then a storage space for photos.

There was another debate not so long ago- to include your activity as a host in your CV or not. 🙂

It depends on your local market and you targets, but in most of the cases, it's useless-just losing your time.