How to promote your listings

[Stephan23]

Hi there, I'm a newbie to leasing my property so Airbnb naturally came first its been a week and haven't heard anything!?

How can I promote myself? Will it help to copy a URL and stick it on Craiglist in US, something similar in UK, maybe Australia and try to attrack an International interest to my property here in Cape Town, South Africa? Also how can I use Twitter & Facebook to get people onto my Airbnb page???

Thank,

Stephan aka Steff

[Linda108]

@Stephan23  Your listing is beautiful!  Welcome to hosting with Air BNB.  The pictures are well done, although I would remove duplicate pictures.  Yes, you can add to your Facebook page and list with other websites, even other booking websites but you do have to managed meshing the calendars.  Most newbie hosts will set their rate a bit below the market just to get a few reviews on the books.  I don't know how your rate compares with others in your area.

[Ryan79]

Hello,

I'm new to hosting and I was wondering how to get more views on my page. I played with pricing and descriptions for awhile but I still have only 2 views.  What else can I do?

Ryan

[Susan151]

I see two issues with your posting, well, make that three; now four.

1. There are only two verifications, and none of them are a government issued ID.

2. Your profile pictures highlight a very attractive young woman but your head is missing. You are the host. Your pictures should be clearly of you.

3. You have no personal profile besides that picture. As a potential guest I would have no idea who you are, what your personality is like, your interests, what makes you an interesting person, or what you would be like to have as a host.

4. Is this apartment walking distance to a grocery store, restaurants, clubs, coffee shops? What experience would I expect in your neighborhood?

The place is gorgeous [though I find the beds hard to imagine crawling into] but that view might make crawling across the bed worth it!

[Safia2]

I tried everbooked.com trial period and I cannot imagine the difference it brought to my listing. It is a life saver. I wasn't getting view, not ranking high even after being a superhost I was struggling to get booking since our city is very saturated with lot of listings. I am planning to upgrade it for my listings. Please check my listing.

[Link hidden - to view listing, hover over host image next to post and click 'view profile']

[Marnie13]

I'd love help with this as well! How do I get my Airbnb on Google?

[Helen3]

Set it up as a verified business on Google.

Put together a marketing plan to promote your listing to your target market - blogs, social media, google ads, content on relevant third party sites, working with local toursim board, getting your place featured on travel sites ....are all activities to consider.

[Cathy83]

Thank you.  Great suggestion.

[Anna1218]

Hi

Have the same question. Is there any airbnb-embeded capability to promote brandnew listings? I published one in Feb and got 1 booking on August(!) so far... On help there is an article saying that airbnb gives a sort of promo for new listings to help people without rating to grow. Realy?! It was only 54 views during 30 days before Easter hollidays - one of the hotest period in Prague!

Meanwhile I used promotions on booking-dot-com and I must admit it works - we have already welcomed multiple guests and have more to come.

Would airbnb suggest something to change the situation?

(except price reduction below hostels, which does not make any sense to us) 

[Linda108]

There are some platforms that are more popular for different regions, @Anna1218 but I am not educated about your area.  I do know that Air BNB provides a temporary boost in the Air BNB search but it is up to the host to take advantage of that.  Most hosts will offer a lower than competition rate so they can get some reviews.  I think the opportunity for the boost may have past.

You have a nice, clean listing in a popular area but it is also a very competitive area.   Looking at your competition, how can you distinguish your listing?  If the other platform works for you for short term reservations, maybe you should just stay with them.

[Umesh9]

How do i put a promotional discount on the price of my listing ?  I am a new host and so far i have only hosted 2 guests from Airbnb. Any suggestions to improve the number of views of my listing and adding promotional price ?

[Helen3]

hey @Umesh9 

Welcome to airbnb @Umesh9 

Having looked at your listing can I suggest that you spend some time updating it to including more information about your listing. What amenities do the guests have i.e. can they cook in    the kitchen? What is the town or city like where you are situated? are there restaurants and shops nearby? What are your local attractions? Is it easier to get to by public transport?

Include photos of your local area and local landmarks/attractions.

Tell people what sort of travellers your property would suit i.e. travellers, families etc

In terms of views you can send a link to your family and friends and post it on your social media and ask them to share it. You can also talk to your local tourism office about ideas to promote your listing.

good luck.

[Kat84]

Hi Umesh, 

Did you accept the offer from Airbnb to give 20% discount, when you started your listing? If so, you should see the discount on the price for your 3rd guest.

If you want to create a discount on your own, you can't do it. There is no feature on Airbnb for creating discounts. However, you can simply add to your title "20% OFF" or "Sale". It will drive attention to your listing and most probably people will click and eventually book. Just be cautious about giving discounts, because cheap price can attract cheap people as well.

As for improving your views, it should be an easiest part for you, if you are located in India. Just go to public groups, where link posting is allowed and promote your listing there. 

Hope this information helps you!