Video Marketing for Vacation Rentals | Expert Tips

Using video content to market your Airbnb vacation rental can pay big dividends, increasing the number of people you reach and improving conversion. As video gets easier to produce and increasingly expected by online audiences, including it in your vacation rental marketing efforts just makes good business sense.

Why Should You Use Video to Market Your Vacation Rental?

In the current marketplace, video content is king. According to a survey conducted in November 2022 by market-leading explainer video company Wyzowl, more businesses than ever are recognizing the value of video, with 91% using it as a marketing tool.

With customers nearly 10 times more likely to interact with video than a block of text, it is no wonder that the former survey showed:

• 91% of businesses say video marketing has helped them increase traffic
• 87% of businesses attribute video to increased sales
• 90% of businesses use video to generate leads and 92% say it has a good ROI
• 53% of businesses attribute video marketing to helping reduce support queries

Video has become easier, faster, and more affordable than ever to produce with plenty of tools available and modern smartphones allowing users to shoot high-quality video.

What are the Benefits of Video Marketing for Vacation Rentals?

1. Video Gets More Eyeballs

Vacation rental guests, just like most other users of the internet, enjoy video more than text and photographs alone. According to the Wyzowl survey, people watch an average of 17 hours of online video content per week while 91% of people want to see more online videos from brands in 2023. Video has even been shown to be effective in emails with just the use of the word ‘video’ in an email subject line decreasing the unsubscribe rate by 26% and increasing click-through rates 2-3 times.

2. Video is More Engaging

The combination of audio and moving images supplemented by clickable text creates content that is more engaging than just plain text and still images. In fact, video in social media generates 1,200% more shares than text and image content combined while viewers retain 95% of a message in a video in comparison to just 10% when read in text.

3. Video Allows Guests to Envision their Stay

Seeing is believing and showcasing your property through video allows your audience to envision their stay at your vacation rental property much clearer, builds trust, and makes them more likely to book. Guests are also not disappointed when their expectation of a ‘large bedroom’, for example, as you’ve stated in your description does not match what they pictured in their heads as your video will show them exactly what they will be getting.

4. Video Improves Your SEO

Adding engaging video content to your vacation rental website can only help improve your organic traffic to your website. In fact, a website is 53 times more likely to end up on the first page of Google results if a video is utilized while blog posts that include video attract three times as many inbound links as those without. Meanwhile, the Wyzowl survey showed that video marketing increases the time spent on your website by 87%.

5. Video Helps Build Your Vacation Rental Brand

Savvy vacation rental hosts understand the importance of having a strong brand. A good brand will explain your vacation rental business to your customers, distinguish your vacation rental from your competitors, and help create loyalty. And watching a video has been shown to increase brand association by 139%.

6. Video is Shared More

Because people like, connect, and engage with video content far more, they are also more likely to share video content. According to the Wyzowl survey, 51% of people are more likely to share video content with their friends over any other type.

The more people share your video content, it increases your reach and ultimately, the chances of your property being booked. In fact, adding a video to your landing page can increase your conversion by over 80% while over 74% of users who watched a video about a product bought it.

Types of Videos to Market Your Vacation Rental

There are several types of video content that property managers and hosts can use to effectively market their vacation rentals to potential guests.

1. Property Walkthrough Videos

This is where you give your viewers a tour of the property and is a great introduction to your vacation rental brand, property, and services.

2. Destination Videos

Video content that provides viewers with snapshots of the destination they are arriving at, including what they can expect, what the place offers, and how your property allows them to better enjoy these experiences is content that guests will find very useful and appreciate.

3. Host Introduction Videos

Introducing yourself, your intentions behind starting your vacation rental property business, and your staff can be a great way to build rapport with your viewers and make your listing even more attractive.

4. Welcome Videos

A video welcoming new guests to your property and introducing them to its many offerings can be made to send to guests once they have made a reservation, creating a great first impression and starting off your guest journey with flying colors.

5. Testimonial Videos

These are videos that show your guests’ best reviews about what a great experience it is staying at your vacation rental property, acting as social proof of your offerings.

6. Offer Videos

You can even opt to make a video whenever you have a special offer or discount, providing a much more personal delivery of the message and increasing your chances of getting booked.

Conclusion

In a marketplace where video reigns supreme, it is imperative that vacation rental hosts utilize the medium to market their property. People not only view, engage, and share video content more, but it also helps hosts build their vacation rental brand. There are also several types of video content that property managers can use to promote their listings, from property walkthroughs and welcome videos to testimonials.