Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. If you’ve still got availability in the month of February and are looking to increase your occupancy rate, there’s no better time to exploit a holiday to get a few more bookings.
We’ve got a few tricks up our sleeve to recommend but whatever you do, don’t delay! The holiday will come and go before you know it. The longer you make your stand-out deal available, the better.
Here are 3 foolproof tips for using Valentine’s Day for your booking advantage.
1. Update your listing to include some V-Day bonuses all month long.
Before you go changing things in your listing, we recommend that you copy and paste your current, “everyday” listing information somewhere where you can access it and bring it back later, like a Google doc. That way, when your special is over, you can easily revert your listing back to the way it was.
Start by changing your listing header to include something about Valentine’s Day. If you’re throwing in a little something extra, like a bottle of wine or romantic add-ons, mention it in your headline.
Be sure to describe these things more specifically in your listing, too, so you can bait and hook guests who click on your listing.
We recommend running these specials all month long and here’s why: Valentine’s falls on a Thursday this year and, as always, couples don’t always celebrate on the actual day or weekend. February is a month-long love fest, so don’t take away your special offer too soon.
2. Advertise your place on Facebook and Instagram.
You don’t have to have a vacation rental website to advertise on Facebook. While you do need a Facebook page or, in the case of Instagram, an Instagram account, to advertise on each platform, both are quick and easy to set up and don’t need to be flashy to get your point across.
When it comes to advertising on these two social media giants, Facebook and Instagram are now one entity so you can prepare for two things at one time if you’re vying to advertise on both platforms. The best part is that marketing your Airbnb listing through Facebook is incredibly affordable and you don’t need to be a social media or marketing whiz.
That said, if you’re not familiar with Facebook ads, diving in can be overwhelming. There are so many choices and options for where to place your ad and how to set it up – but don’t let it scare you! Dive into some solid how-to articles (get started on your new Facebook page by following steps from this Buffer article and get tips for ads from this article by Hootsuite) and dip your toes into the social marketing game.
3. Get in touch with your “best” previous guests.
We always recommend ringing up your previous guests and offering them another great stay. If they were happy before, chances are they’d love to visit you again.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when running through your guest Rolodex:
- If your guests live far away, they’re less likely to take you up on your offer. However, if your guests live close, they’re better candidates to whom you can reach out.
- If you have guests that have stayed with you multiple times already, add them to the top of your list.
- Offer all your guests a special bonus for referring new friends of theirs to your place in the month of February. Don’t forget to follow through with whatever you promise.
Don’t let a great opportunity pass you by this month. February is a great time to try out a few new things for a short period and track the benefits.
