5 Ways to Promote Your Vacation Rental on TikTok

Vacation rental on Tiktok, is it possible?

The TikTok craze has been going on for 2 years now, and it appears to be here to stay. The application has generated a lot of hype, and the marketing world is still figuring out how to use it in its campaigns. The vacation rental industry is one of the industries where TikTok has yet to be employed. This post will go over all of the basic features of the TikTok app and how you can use them to expand your vacation rental business.

Video might be a marketer’s most potent tool, yet it cannot be easy to use successfully.

Video is one of the most effective online rental house marketing strategies currently available. According to a Bitable analysis, video accounts for around 82 percent of all web traffic, 15 times higher than in 2017. However, putting it to good use might be difficult.

Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Snapchat are examples of social media apps that blur the lines between entertainment and social media. According to App Annie, we spend 3.7 hours on our mobile devices every day, which explains why. Because the divisions are blurring, there is greater competition for your residents’ time.

Reels and TikTok vs. YouTube

YouTube has long reigned supreme in the world of online video. According to the platform, more than 2 billion active users upload more than 500 hours of video every minute. TikTok and Instagram/Facebook Reels are two new competitors in the clubhouse grabbing a bigger slice of the video pie.

Facebook and Instagram have restructured their newsfeed algorithms to favor their video content, which is smart. A Reel shared directly on Facebook, for example, has more weight in the newsfeed than a link shared on YouTube. Furthermore, only Facebook videos benefit from autoplay.

Furthermore, films submitted on company pages on Facebook include a “view counter.” It’s no surprise that Facebook has acquired a big portion of the online video business by utilizing its massive user base (2.9 billion monthly active users).

What does this signify for multifamily real estate marketers? Marketers have various chances in the present social media ecosystem.

Following is a closer look at several apartment marketing examples.

Real Estate Video Marketing

What are the locations of these opportunities? In a nutshell, Facebook and YouTube both enable several video messaging that complement one other.

Take a look at the differences between the two platforms first. Facebook is, at its core, a social network (with built-in video hosting), whereas YouTube is a video-hosting platform (which has integrated characteristics of a social network). The content’s nature alters as a result of this. 

Rule No. 1 — Cater to the Platform

On the other hand, YouTube videos are more permanent, topically specialized, and tailored for search-engine reach than Facebook videos, which are supposed to be timely, temporary, and rapidly absorbed.

Consider how people interact with each platform. Users flock to YouTube to watch videos, whereas videos on Facebook are consumed fast via a scrolling newsfeed. As a result, YouTube is best used for “meat and potatoes” content, such as apartment tours.

Instagram and Facebook videos Less emphasis should be placed on “informing,” and more emphasis should be placed on “catching attention.” These reels and films must be captivating. Do you have any content suggestions? For a “quick tour” of your property, combine 30 seconds of pictures and send your viewers to YouTube for the full-length version.

Another thought? Create a short how-to film (e.g., “DIY picture frame”). To get people’s attention, put your most compelling visuals towards the opening of the video.

Rule No. 2–Don’t Ignore Titles. 

Spending time on your video material and ignoring your titles or captions is a common mistake. Even if you have the best video material in the world, no one will click if the title isn’t fascinating. Similarly, if your video doesn’t include a captivating title and relevant hashtags, it’s unlikely that your audience will watch it more than once. The following should be included in video titles and social media messages:

Interesting Descriptive Convey value (i.e., what will the viewer learn if they watch?)

The brevity of Facebook titles should be emphasized. “Industrial chic meets the greatest views in Nigeria,” for example. “Take a 60-second tour of Lagos with us.”

Optimize YouTube messaging for Search Engine Optimization (SEO). It’s common to include the apartment’s location (for example, Lekki Nigeria) in the title, description, and tags. People looking for apartments in “Lekki, Nigeria” on the internet are more likely to come across your five-minute video tour this way.

Vacation Rental Industry Marketing: Using Videos to Get the Best Results

Multifamily marketers can use both types of video to enhance results as the competition amongst social platforms heats up. Keep these two rules in mind while developing video content: Keep the platform in mind when writing your title, and put some effort into it!

Is TikTok a fad or a marketing opportunity for vacation rental industry?

TikTok’s organic reach will go much further than other platforms in reaching these important consumers, with significantly more chance for virality, for property management marketers with limited paid media expenditures.

TikTok is still a largely unexplored prospect for travel businesses, and travel content is still in its infancy due to slow uptake from the travel sector. While some exceptional producers use trip material to expand their creative powers, you’ll notice many reposting from other social platforms.

On TikTok, the #travel hashtag currently has over 42.3 billion views. The site “has become increasingly popular for showing authentic vacation moments,” according to a TikTok statement.

Take advantage of the potential to lead and form long-lasting relationships with a new audience by becoming an early adopter of TikTok.

TikTok’s Basic Features

Let’s go over some of TikTok’s basic features before looking at how vacation rental companies can use them.

1. Video Uploading and Video Editing

You may post your videos to TikTok, crop them, and add other effects, noises, and music to them. You can also use specific filters to adjust the video’s properties (speed) and your traits (hair color, eyes, etc.), just like Snapchat.

2. Streaming Live

You must have at least 1.000 followers on your account to use this app feature. There are many rumors concerning the “Live Streaming” option, but let’s stick to the facts. To use this function, you must have at least 1.000 followers.

It would be best to touch into the “Cross” middle icon to go “live,” and the option should appear. However, even if they match the requirements, this option has been reported to be unavailable in some circumstances.

3. Use of Social Media

You may keep your films on the TikTok social network and share them on other social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. When you save or share your video on other social media platforms, your TikTok username account is included in the video, allowing viewers to follow you immediately.

4: Duet (Collaboration)

Originally intended for two users to sing songs together, this function has proven an excellent collaboration tool.

TikTok users increasingly use this feature to collaborate on films with their pals. Not only for duets but also comedy videos, magic tricks, amusing memes, and challenges.

First, find the video you want to duet with to create duets. Then tap the “Share” option on the right. The original video is on one side, and the video you’re shooting is on the other.

When recording, you have access to all of the choices on the screen. You can alter the video’s speed, apply beauty effects, filters, and use the timer option on the right side.

The “Sounds” icon, located on the upper right side of the screen, contains the most recent song and viral video trends.

5. Additional Features

The TikTok app allows you to create your QR code, which you can share with other users so they can find you and subscribe. It has a built-in library with a wide range of songs that you can use in your videos, and, most importantly, it has a geolocation feature that promotes live broadcasters in specific areas.

Vacation Rental on TikTok

What does TikTok signify for vacation rentals now that we know about it? Certain hotels are already using it!

And we understand. Putting time into making TikTok videos can be costly, and there’s no way to know how much money you’re making. You can’t tell if your new views will result in increased reservations.

TikTok, on the other hand, could be a fun approach to boost your brand visibility and market your vacation rental business if you’re trying to reach a younger audience.

So, what are your options as a vacation rental owner? Based on what other companies are doing, here are some actionable suggestions:

1. Participate in Hashtag Challenges

TikTok’s algorithm is its primary benefit. We can only be certain that the algorithm is based on “virality” because no one knows what it is about.

The challenges, accompanied by a hashtag and inspiring viewers to contribute their video, are the most popular component of TikTok’s virality.

Brands can use TikTok to establish a challenge with a custom-sponsored hashtag. Users can then use this hashtag to submit and share their material (responding to the brand’s challenge). A page will be built with the challenge from TikTok Ads, where all of the content made by users will be saved.

Most TikTok users trademark their hashtags by inserting their name or a specific phrase in the challenge.

Although Booking.com has a large audience, you can tailor your campaign to fit their needs. Consider your target audience, how you can relate to them, and what would be a single, straightforward topic for them to post about. During the holidays, how about Saturday night vs. Sunday morning looks?

2. Make the most of brand collaborations

It might be your enchantment. Make use of brand advocates. Consider working with brand ambassadors if you don’t currently have a social media marketing strategy in place.

You should take three basic steps for your vacation rental firm.

To begin, learn about and understand the qualities of your current customers (or desired customers, if you wish to change them). Know their gender, age, preferences, and origins.

Second, knowing your target audience and their origins allows you to look for micro-influencers in their countries’ travel markets. Examine who is actively active, whether they have already partnered with certain businesses, their attitude toward their followers, and the types of content they produce.

Third, go out to the micro-influencers who made you feel at ease and ask them to be brand ambassadors for you. Set up an e-meeting, explain your plan, and allow them to market your company on TikTok.

By collaborating with TikTok users, your vacation rental homes and business are promoted on other accounts with followers you might not have otherwise reached out to.

3. Make a Social Media Funnel

While TikTok is an exciting new social networking tool, it does have one serious flaw. It doesn’t provide useful statistics, metrics, or tools to evaluate the effectiveness of your marketing plan.

Rather than waiting for the app to give you information about your sales figures, you may start guiding your fans to your other social media sites. This will place them in a “new” marketing funnel to influence them.

4. Referrals from Affiliate Marketing

As a result, the procedure is comparable to that used in brand collaborations. However, to develop effective affiliate programs, you must do things differently. Find everyone who fits your company and audience, regardless of their fan base size, and send them each a different promo code and a pitch. You offer them a portion of every coupon acquired in their name for your vacation rental.

This will not provide a lot of traffic to your website or business, but if an influencer is smart enough to profit from your offer, you’ll both benefit.

5. Encourage guests to share their experiences with your rental on TikTok.

Encourage guests to write about your rentals on TikTok as another strategy to improve your property management brand’s profile without actually running your TikTok account.

You can ask customers to contribute their movies about their stay at your hotel and share them with others by creating a unique hashtag. In exchange, you might provide little incentives such as a discount on their next stay.

The property management company Sonder, for example, does not have a TikTok account. Guests staying at Sonder hotels, on the other hand, have recorded hundreds of movies and shared them on social media with the hashtag #Sonderstay, which has garnered 281.7k views.

TikTok is an excellent approach to increase brand recognition. However, you must first figure out how to fully utilize its capabilities. Some property management organizations have used it to generate new interest in their homes.

Building a following on TikTok may take less time than on other platforms if you can generate content that your target audience instantly interacts with.3

Gen Z: The Next Generation of Tenants

Although they weren’t born with a smartphone in their hands, the Gen Z generation has grown up entirely in the digital world.

While many of their Millennial predecessors had similar habits as renters, Gen Z’s tendencies are substantially different. The generation has its quirks. These include search behavior, a penchant for video clips, occasional frugality, and a preference for simplicity over flashy.

Their attention spans may be shorter than average because they grew up with social media. That isn’t to say that capturing their attention is impossible. As a result, front-end interaction is a priority for multifamily marketing teams.

What comes next?

The TikTok obsession will only grow as it expands its sponsored advertising and reporting options. It is excellent news for advertisers who want to reach a younger audience.

Whether you think TikTok is a good idea or a waste of time for marketing your vacation rentals, it’s evident that this platform has a lot of promise. We’re excited to see how travel businesses develop organic presences on this fast-growing platform in the coming years.

Are you prepared to develop a technology-driven distribution strategy? Learn how our enterprise-level Channel Manager can help you obtain more reservations. Partner with us today!