Gone are those days when being an Airbnb host simply involved setting up a rental listing, exchanging emails with potential guests, and charging them to stay in your home for a short period. Nowadays, the Airbnb market has become so competitive that you cannot afford to be mediocre. It is almost like embarking on a new career path. Well, it is, actually!
To be able to stand out and build a profitable Airbnb business, you need to understand the most effective Airbnb strategies. In this part of the article, we will reveal the winning formula which comprises all the strategies you need to become a Superhost. But first, you must identify the problems that prevent many Airbnb hosts from getting the results they were expecting.
Avoid these Common Mistakes
Firstly, understanding the most common Airbnb mistakes helps you identify what mistakes you have to look out for or what mistakes you are currently making as an experienced host. When you acknowledge all these potential pitfalls, you will find it easier to understand the best winning strategies that are most appropriate for your situation. So what are these common Airbnb mistakes?
– Uploading bad pictures
One of the easiest ways to create a bad first impression on your guests is to upload photos of your Airbnb listings that were shot in poor lighting and from bad angles. Unfortunately, this mistake is quite common, especially for new Airbnb hosts.
What many don’t know is that photos are one of the most important factors that guests consider when booking a listing. So how do you expect to entice your guests enough to book your listing when the quality of your photos suggests that you lazily shot them while standing in your doorway?
Avoid taking bad pictures so that you do not lose a large segment of your potential client base. Instead, strive to take stunning photos of your Airbnb listing. Luckily for you, we have an entire section in this section where we will discuss how you can take the best pictures of your Airbnb listing. So stick with us!
– Providing incomplete listing information
The idea of starting up your own Airbnb business can be so overwhelming that you may feel tempted to rush your listing process. Truly, we understand your eagerness to get it over with so that you can start booking guests and making your own money. However, such a decision could cost you a lot in the end. While choosing an Airbnb, your guests need to have a complete picture so they can visualize what kind of experience your space can offer. Thus, the title, description, and every other necessary information about your listing must be carefully and efficiently drafted.
– Not communicating effectively with your guests
In the Airbnb business, the importance of effective communication between you and your guests cannot be overemphasized. Thus, it would be a big mistake if you did not acknowledge this fact.
From the very moment your potential guests contact you to the point when they leave a review after their vacation, the way you handle every step of the communication process matters. The amount of time it takes you to respond, how you respond, and the completeness of your responses can have a great impact on both your guests’ experiences and your listing rankings
As an Airbnb host, avoid the first basic communication error—don’t take too long to respond to your potential guests’ requests, both before and after they check in. Instead, show them that they are in safe hands and that you care about their experiences by responding quickly to any requests. Remain consistent when communicating with them. Keep in touch when they check in, during their stay, and after they check out.
– Failure to clean your property thoroughly
The cleanliness of your Airbnb listing is the first thing your guests are likely to notice when they arrive. It is also one of the major factors that will determine if your guests leave positive or negative reviews. Thus, failing to maintain the cleanliness of your home is a costly mistake that you must avoid, as it could destroy your business, especially when the business is in its infancy.
Poor reviews in the Airbnb market are mostly the result of uncleanliness. Such negative reviews strongly dissuade potential guests from booking your listing before you even get the chance to interact with them. How do you avoid this particular mistake? Keep every area of your Airbnb listing—especially the bedrooms, bathrooms, and kitchens—spotless.
– No dynamic Pricing Strategy
In the previous part, we explained how your pricing strategy is an integral part of your Airbnb business. The biggest pricing mistake you can make is to use a single price for an entire year. Making such a decision could cost you a whole lot of money, especially during spikes in demand.
To prevent this error, take advantage of the dynamic pricing strategy. By using this scheme, you will become more responsive and more competitive. And, as we said before, you could always automate the prices by using smart pricing tools, like Wheelhouse and Beyond. Now that we have successfully identified the common mistakes, let’s go straight into the different strategies that make up the winning formula.
