🏠 Why Facebook is still your best bet for social media marketing

And a roundup of the latest news.

Author

Phil Jackson
February 10, 2024

It has been fun pulling this weeks newsletter together and finding a mix of news, informative material and generally useful stuff for you. How’s your week been?

With the newsletter now being over 2 months old, it would be great to hear from you. Just hit reply and let me know:

  • What you would like to see more of?

  • What you would like to see less of?

  • What’s been the most useful article, link or news update you have seen to date?

If you have recently joined our community - welcome! Did you know that you can read all of our previous weekly newsletters here.

See you next Saturday at 5pm?

Phil

Founder, My Holiday Guide

IN THE NEWS

Here’s a great story of how a mum has built up a Airbnb portfolio over 2 years by using her interior design skills and hard work.

Travalyst, a not-for-profit organisation founded by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, has launched an initiative to recognise sustainability certification bodies within the accommodation sector.

Glamping Hideaways and Lantern & Larks join forces, offering the ultimate UK glamping getaway marketplace.

If you take direct bookings via your website both Google and Yahoo have brought in stricter measures on emails. Here’s an article that provides further detail on if you are affected and what you need to do.

The Short Stay Summit returns to London on the 24th of April with talks and exhibitors from the short term rental industry.

According to this study, Chinese Tourists Plan Fewer Trips to Europe in 2024.

For hosts that utilise Airbnb here’s a nice article highlighting the platform’s latest design changes.

NYC's Airbnb Ban Looked Like Trouble for the Travel Stock. Instead, It's Proving Its Market Power | The Motley Fool

New York banned Airbnbs, but there's been a surprising upside for the company.

www.fool.com/investing/2024/01/31/nycs-airbnb-ban-looked-like-trouble-for-the-travel

Couple win fight to use Midlothian home as holiday let while they work abroad

The owners of the home had argued that being told they had to rent out their home to long term tenants could leave them 'homeless' when they returned

www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinburgh-news/couple-win-fight-use-midlothian-28580230

Airbnb host's hell as renters come 'with movers and all household belongings'

Airbnb hosting can be a tricky business and one has detailed a struggle when a couple turned up with a fridge, sofa and 50 boxes for a three-week stay - and it ended up costing £1,028 ($1,300)

www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/airbnb-hosts-nightmare-renters-come-32045644

LISTING PERFORMANCE & GROWTH
Tips and strategies to enhance the visibility and attractiveness of your holiday let.

Social Media - Is it worth it?

Alongside having a listing on one or more platforms and even your own website, is having an active social media platform worth it? And if so, which one?

The general opinion (with some hard evidence below!) is that having an active social media channel can only have a positive impact on your bookings. A social media platform can be used to increase visibility, build guest trust and credibility, highlight unique property features, offer travel tips and inspiration and gather guest feedback.

Based upon a (US) study by Pew Research Center, YouTube and Facebook are the most highly used platforms across a wide age range. For instance around 75% of 30-49 year olds use Facebook. We can only assume that the UK would have a similar list and spread.

Out of YouTube and Facebook, most people would agree that it would make more sense to have a Facebook page rather than a YouTube channel for a holiday let property!

The straw poll below shows a snapshot response from a variety of hosts. It is interesting to see that a good number have not knowingly gained bookings via Facebook, but after that Facebook is highlighted as the most useful platform for gaining bookings.

To add to this, Kate from Sunny Corner in Padstow has shared a snapshot of the traffic sources to her website; clearly showing Facebook as the key source driving traffic.

The above highlights that having an active, curated social media channel can drive traffic to your website or listing.

In next weeks newsletter we will provide more detail on how to approach setting up and running a successful Facebook page for your property; but it will be no surprise that consistency is important and the best time to start is now!

SAVINGS
Here's a quick round up of discounts and deals we are aware of from providers to the holiday let industry.

  • Mitre Linen’s winter sale continues with up to 30% off and free delivery

  • Dunelm have savings with up to 50% off. You can check out their sale items here

INTERIOR DESIGN
Interior design inspiration and decor tips.

A seasonal refresh with National Trust Papers IV | Little Greene

Explore how you can use historic wallpapers from our National Trust Papers IV collection for a seasonal update that will bring joy to your home this year.

www.littlegreene.com/blog/a-seasonal-refresh-with-national-trust-papers-iv

7 design rules for small bedrooms that experts use to create tiny spaces packed with style

Design rules for small bedrooms are the perfect starting point for working out how to make sure your little bedroom looks like a bijou gem

www.idealhome.co.uk/bedroom/bedroom-decor/design-rules-for-small-bedrooms

PROPERTIES OF THE NEWSLETTER
We all love looking at and getting inspiration from other properties so here’s our top pick for this edition.

The Sheep Station

The Sheep Station is available to rent from Cool Cottages Scotland, Scotland's best selection of unique holiday cottages

www.coolcottagesscotland.com/the-sheep-stations-luxury-stays-for-couples-on-isle-of-harris

The ‘vintage train carriage’ Airbnb you can stay in two hours from Manchester

Surrounded by stunning countryside, this Airbnb feels like a Pullman train carriage and it's full of quirky features

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/vintage-train-carriage-airbnb-you-28461847

FUN FACTS

Skip the jetlag, fly Scottish! The world's quickest hop is from Westray to Papa Westray - at 2 miles in 1 minute.

[AI image generate with Leonardo]