

EP198: How to Use Facebook to Enhance Your Airbnb Business
Oct 23, 2017
23:13
Perhaps the greatest challenge of being a remote host is building a relationship with your guests when you can’t be there face to face. Airbnb was founded on the principal of personal connection, but when your listing is in the rural village of Dudeldorf, Germany, and you are a thousand miles away in Spain, how do you go about making the guests feel at home? Or providing personal recommendations for seasonal things to do?
Niels Becker has designed a truly genius approach to remote hosting through a listing Facebook page. The page functions as a sort of interactive, continually updated guidebook, providing guests with timely information around events in the area, like the popular Christmas market. In addition, the Facebook page promotes Niels’ listing as his satisfied guests like and share the page with their contacts.
Beyond his experience in the short-term rental market, Niels also manages several long-term rentals in Dudeldorf. Today on the podcast, he compares the revenue earned via Airbnb guests versus tenants. Niels explains how he secured public funds to restore his properties, why he chose to try Airbnb in one of those investment units, and how he finds information for his Facebook page. Listen in and learn his unique approach to remote hosting and why investing in rural communities is your safest bet.
Topics Covered
Niels’ decision to try Airbnb
•Rents several units long-term (near US airbase)
•Had trouble renting small studio
•Listed studio on Airbnb six months ago
The particulars of Niels’ investment property
•Beautiful area near border with Luxembourg
•Area losing residents to large cities
•Working to preserve heritage
•Provides funding to restore historic buildings (to modern standards)
Niels’ Facebook page
•Solves problem of being remote host
•Shares interesting things going on in area, nearby villages to visit
•Entries mined from local Facebook groups
•Provides most current, updated info
How the Facebook page promotes Niels’ listing
•Guests ‘like’ the Facebook page
•Guests contribute their own photos, reviews
•Guests’ contacts exposed to listing
•Book Now button links to Airbnb
Long-term rental vs. Airbnb
•Niels currently making 2X for studio
•Going into low season, but bookings still coming
•Comparable to long-term units (location, furnishings, architecture)
How Niels manages his units from home in Spain
•Relies on local cleaning, management services
•Rest is automated (e.g.: lock box for entry)
•Sends handwritten note as photo through Airbnb to welcome
•Always available to guests through Airbnb messaging
The Airbnb-friendly regulations in rural Germany
•Short-term rentals, tourism encouraged
•Many empty units (opposite problem of cities)
•Earns less revenue than cities, but property more affordable
•Niels receiving very good ROI
Connect with Niels
Living in History—Dudeldorf/Eifel
Niels’ Airbnb Listing
Connect with Jasper
Email: jasper@getpaidforyourpad.com
Twitter: @GetPaidForUrPad
Instagram: @GetPaidForYourPad
Facebook: www.facebook.com/getpaidforyourpad
This episode is sponsored by Hostfully.com where you can create a custom digital guidebook for your guests!
Niels Becker has designed a truly genius approach to remote hosting through a listing Facebook page. The page functions as a sort of interactive, continually updated guidebook, providing guests with timely information around events in the area, like the popular Christmas market. In addition, the Facebook page promotes Niels’ listing as his satisfied guests like and share the page with their contacts.
Beyond his experience in the short-term rental market, Niels also manages several long-term rentals in Dudeldorf. Today on the podcast, he compares the revenue earned via Airbnb guests versus tenants. Niels explains how he secured public funds to restore his properties, why he chose to try Airbnb in one of those investment units, and how he finds information for his Facebook page. Listen in and learn his unique approach to remote hosting and why investing in rural communities is your safest bet.
Topics Covered
Niels’ decision to try Airbnb
•Rents several units long-term (near US airbase)
•Had trouble renting small studio
•Listed studio on Airbnb six months ago
The particulars of Niels’ investment property
•Beautiful area near border with Luxembourg
•Area losing residents to large cities
•Working to preserve heritage
•Provides funding to restore historic buildings (to modern standards)
Niels’ Facebook page
•Solves problem of being remote host
•Shares interesting things going on in area, nearby villages to visit
•Entries mined from local Facebook groups
•Provides most current, updated info
How the Facebook page promotes Niels’ listing
•Guests ‘like’ the Facebook page
•Guests contribute their own photos, reviews
•Guests’ contacts exposed to listing
•Book Now button links to Airbnb
Long-term rental vs. Airbnb
•Niels currently making 2X for studio
•Going into low season, but bookings still coming
•Comparable to long-term units (location, furnishings, architecture)
How Niels manages his units from home in Spain
•Relies on local cleaning, management services
•Rest is automated (e.g.: lock box for entry)
•Sends handwritten note as photo through Airbnb to welcome
•Always available to guests through Airbnb messaging
The Airbnb-friendly regulations in rural Germany
•Short-term rentals, tourism encouraged
•Many empty units (opposite problem of cities)
•Earns less revenue than cities, but property more affordable
•Niels receiving very good ROI
Connect with Niels
Living in History—Dudeldorf/Eifel
Niels’ Airbnb Listing
Connect with Jasper
Email: jasper@getpaidforyourpad.com
Twitter: @GetPaidForUrPad
Instagram: @GetPaidForYourPad
Facebook: www.facebook.com/getpaidforyourpad
This episode is sponsored by Hostfully.com where you can create a custom digital guidebook for your guests!
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