Business

Myth Buster #5: If You Build an Airbnb, Guests Will Book

This is not a field of dreams.

Sound Familiar?

Pesky Problem

You thought: If I build an Airbnb, the guests will book.

But…they haven’t. At least not in the numbers you had expected. Before you decided to make the leap into hosting, you had heard magical stories of folks who decided one morning to pop a few pictures of their mother-in-law suite on Airbnb, and by dinner time were welcoming their first guest. “And the traffic’s never stopped!” they say.

Many years ago, these stories were true. And every now and then we still meet a unicorn host who experiences this type of easy on-ramp to a successful business. (Take note: these hosts always have a truly unique space that immediately stands out in the marketplace as a destination in its own right.)

But most hosts are no longer living in an Airbnb field of dreams. Just because you build it, doesn’t mean the Airbnb guests will book. Why? Because the supply of Airbnbs today is just so much greater than the demand. The idea of short term rentals has been completely proven out. And with that business model proof, so many more hosts have jumped on board and the classic economic scale has flipped to favor the guests over the hosts.

Let's Try This

Bite-Size Solution

Marketing matters most in a crowded market. It’s time to level up.

So what’s the solution? Really good marketing. Good marketing can’t save a bad Airbnb. But amazing Airbnbs can be (and many have been) wiped off the map by their subpar marketing.

At its core, marketing is simply identifying which customers are the ideal fit for your offer and then explaining very clearly to those individuals why your solution is the right fit for their needs. Who are your ideal Airbnb guests and why should they book their trip with you?

Fundamentally, Airbnb’s platform is a bustling marketplace connecting guests with the right hosts. And in the sea of options, the listings that stand out and are favored by the search algorithm are leveraging a solid marketing strategy.

To truly compete in today’s crowded market, hosts have to either:

a) have a natural talent for marketing, or

b) (far more common) be willing to learn and implement a few fundamental marketing strategies in order to level the playing field and give their listing the attention it deserves.

5 Minutes

Here's Your First Step

Join our step-by-step course: The Airbnb Bookings Blueprint!.

Now we get it. Telling you to add a marketing hat to your already full plate might sound downright impossible. As a host, you are already balancing hospitality, interior design, property maintenance, travel concierge, and business finances. “For Pete’s sake, isn’t that enough already? I don’t have time to become a marketing expert too!”

Yes, you’re totally right: that’s already plenty of responsibility! The problem is that all of your hosting efforts get undermined if your place isn’t booked. If the revenue doesn’t meet your own financial goals or justify the enormous amount of effort you’re investing, then the whole operation gets undercut by subpar marketing.

As guests who happen to spend a lot of time thinking about marketing, we see this problem clear as day. When we open up the Airbnb app, we see at least half of the listings plagued by mediocre marketing. And we know that each day, these mistakes are affecting these hosts’ bottom line.

That’s why we are about to launch an entire online course dedicated specifically to how to successfully market your Airbnb. It’s called The Airbnb Bookings Blueprint, and…get excited…it’s almost ready! We’re putting the finishing touches on it right now, and in March, we will officially open the doors to join the course. So if your Airbnb listing is in need of a marketing boost in order to truly compete, we hope you’ll consider joining us for this marketing transformation to start earning the revenue you truly deserve.

Are you breaking promises made to your guests?

How long has it been since you looked at the photos in your listing? If you’re racking your brain trying to recall a faraway date,

taconic state parkway with no cars and lots of fall leaves

Online Listing

Do you have a remote Airbnb? Be the destination.

Your Airbnb is not located near a popular destination. Some Airbnb hosts happen to have a primetime location. In tourist hotspots or university towns, waves

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bye-bye blindspots

The Ultimate Airbnb Checklist Collection

The number one question we hear from hosts is “What am I forgetting to put in my Airbnb?” This collection is the definitive answer to that question. In our signature product, we go room-by-room, step-by-step until your Airbnb is perfectly appointed and ready to impress. Bye-bye blindspots and hello happy guests!

free checklist!

Even the best hosts can forget a thing or two

Luckily all 15 of these common mistakes are super easy to fix. Grab your copy of the checklist below and dive on in!

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big heart hosting

we help hosts thrive

You’re an ambitious Airbnb host with a big heart. But on some days, hosting isn’t exactly what you had imagined. Maybe it’s overwhelming. Or isolating. Or just not making the kind of money you had envisioned. At Big Heart Hosting, we’re on a mission to help hosts like you thrive, not just get by. We create step-by-step resources that bring together the best hosting strategies from around the world. We’ll give you the knowledge and community you need to create the joyful, prosperous Airbnb you deserve.