It is important to know that Pinterest, Facebook, and Google+ have become even more powerful and popular ways to share content than email. We encourage you to share with your friends, followers, and social circles the link to your property listing. The 5 most prominent social sites – Pinterest, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, and Twitter - are all very accessible for you to link to right from your listing. Choose the social site that feels most comfortable to you, and get social!
Here is information on the three social sites I think are most suited for vacation rental homeowners: Facebook, Pinterest and Google+.
- For Pinterest users: There are 2 ways to share your listing using Pinterest. Go to your listing, and click on the “Pin it” button on the social widget – fancy name for the rectangular box on the right hand side of your listing.
Once you click on the “Pin it” button, the screen will show every picture of your listing.
Click on the best picture on your listing. Up pops the Pinterest page, allowing you to select which board to put the picture on and the ability to edit the caption. Be choosy. Pinterest expects beautiful pictures, so put your best foot/picture forward!
The other way to pin your best picture is to click on the actual picture on your listing. The picture will pop up, and you will see the small “Pin it” button on the upper left of picture. Voilà! Now your picture, with a link to your property listing (Pinterest is smart enough to set this up, you don’t need to do anything) is visible to everyone who follows you on Pinterest.
- Facebook: Did you know that 47% of Facebook users are over the age of 35? The percentage of Facebook users over the age of 55 has grown 80% since 2011. See this report for more.
That demographic just happens to also be our leading homeowner AND vacationer age group. So, one powerful way to reach vacationers is through your friends on Facebook.
Referring back to the social widget on your property listing, all you need to do is click the 
button. A pop-up screen will appear asking you to either login to Facebook, or, if you are already logged in, the screen will allow you to edit your post. You may fill in the “Say something more about this” caption to the post. The post will include the first picture and title of your listing. Get creative, and perhaps offer your friends a deal like “Know someone who wants to vacation on Cape Cod? Send them our way, and we’ll send you a treat from Chatham!” Again, this post will go to your friends on Facebook.
- Google+ - Becoming more popular all the time, and just happens to be the social network for the largest search engine in the world – Google. To use Google+, you need a gmail account. To acquire a gmail account, go to google.com and click the “create an account” link. You will then be asked for your name, desired gmail mail account name, and to set a password. Congratulations! You are now a part of Google (too bad a gmail account doesn’t come with stock options!)
Now that you have a gmail account, you will have a Google+ profile page which you may personalize with pictures, posts, etc. (similar to Facebook). Search around to find your friends, family, or businesses you want to “circle.” You can organize different circles for different clusters of people. Please circle us on Google+ - plus.google.com/weneedavacation - so you can read our posts with articles and pictures about Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha’s Vineyard! Like other social networks, the more people you circle (follow), the more posts you see. AND, the more people who circle (follow) you, the larger an audience you will have when you post.
Read more about using Google+.
Back to your property listing…..On the social widget on your property listing, there is a 
symbol. Click on that. Up will pop either a prompt to login to Google (go ahead and login), or once logged in, you will see this:
The green and blue ovals represent my “circles” and the ways I have distinguished my separate groups of people. With each post on Google+, I can choose who sees it by choosing those circles. So, you might link to your property listing and send it to Friends, Family, Work, and say, “Know someone who needs a vacation? Please send them our way to relax for a long weekend this spring on Cape Cod! $1000/week” Or whatever feels right to you.
I could write for hours on all this social media stuff…
Got questions? Let me know and I’ll do my best to help. You can email me at Becky@weneedavacation.com for quick questions. If you have more in depth questions on social media, marketing your rental, preparing for the season, photography or video, invite me over, and I’ll consult with you. Here’s more info on our personalized consultation service.
Here’s what other homeowners have said about the experience of inviting me over. They were social, and everyone rented, booked, liked, pinned and circled happily ever after.
Share how you use Pinterest, Facebook and Google+ to promote your vacation rental listing!