Facebook for tourist apartments: Keys to success

Many professionals decide to use Facebook to promote their tourist apartments. Without a doubt, it is the best way to not only make yourself known among local businesses, but also a way to transmit the vibe of the area and attract new bookings.

Join local groups

Before creating your page, you should research which local groups are most relevant in the area: businesses such as coffee shops or restaurants, tourist attractions or nearby points of interest. Join these groups and start offering them precise and timely information – do not overdo self-promotion! The objective of this phase is to start building relationships with businesses in the area.

Furthermore, this way you will start to obtain resources and content that you can also share on your tourist apartment's Facebook page.

Create a Facebook page for your apartment

This is perhaps the simplest step. Creating your tourist apartment's Facebook page is a matter of three clicks. Upload a name, fill in the basic contact details, upload photos of your property and a link to your Airbnb profile.

If you've done your homework, you should already have several local groups in which you actively participate. These will serve as your main source for sharing their content. Ask the author for permission before doing so – never copy content from the internet!

Use Facebook to promote your tourist apartment

So, you have your shiny new page and have added some resources, but... what else do you need to do? Here are three ways to promote your apartment on Facebook:

• Use your Facebook page as an updated local guide: Some hosts give local recommendations during their guests' check-in. Others prefer to leave a printed guide in the tourist apartment, as recommended to become Airbnb Plus. Isn't it tedious to keep that physical guide updated? We recommend that you use your Facebook page to include the best plans of the season (for example, the best beach bars or Christmas markets) and leave only those that do not vary in the physical guide (for example, the best coves to visit).
• Ask your guests to share their photos on your Facebook page: This is the best option to include unique content and also to make your tourist apartment known among your guests' contacts. With this tactic, you can get some extra bookings.
• Ask your guests to rate you: Be cautious when asking for ratings. First, ask them to rate you on Airbnb – or your main booking source –. Only then, if they have given you five stars, then ask them to rate your Facebook page too!

If you liked this post about Facebook for Airbnb, you can continue reading the keys to attracting more guests and closing more sales on our blog about marketing for tourist flats.