Social Media audit for airbnb
By: Xavier Rice
Audit Link:
Screenshot of Audit
An example of a house you are able to rent on Airbnb
SECTION 1: AUDIT OF BRAND ACCOUNTS
Airbnb is a popular company that lets people rent out different kinds of houses for a short or long time. They use many social media apps like Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn. I made a list that shows the good and bad things about how they use social media.
Instagram
Followers: 6.2 million
Top Content: They post really pretty pictures and videos of cool places people can stay at. Sometimes they share stories about the people who own the homes or give travel tips.
Engagement Trends: People like posts that show treehouses or tiny homes the most. Airbnb also shares pictures that customers take, and those get a lot of likes too.
Facebook
Followers: 16 million
Top Content: They post photos and videos of places you can travel to and stay at.
Ways of Engagement: Their pictures and videos are interesting and that’s why lots of people follow them.
Negatives: They haven’t posted anything new on Facebook in almost four years.
X
Followers: 866.1K
Top Content: They mostly share posts that other people wrote about them. They don’t post their own stuff that much.
Ways of Engagement: When they do post, it’s about places to go, travel deals, or help for customers. I thought it was cool that they have a special account just for helping people.
TikTok
Followers: 365.2K
Top Content: They make videos showing off fun and different homes, talk about people who rent their houses, and work with famous people sometimes.
Negatives: Their competitor, Vrbo, has more followers than they do.
YouTube
Subscribers: 656K
Top Content: They post longer videos like travel stories, vlogs, and clips about Airbnb Experiences.
Negatives: You can’t leave comments on their videos, so people can’t ask questions or give feedback.
Ways of Engagement: They give tips for people who want to rent out their homes, which is helpful.
LinkedIn
Followers: 3 million
Top Content: They talk about what kind of company they are and share job openings.
Negatives: They only answer the nice comments, not the ones where people need help.
Airbnb’s best posts are the ones that show off cool and pretty houses. They’re doing great on some apps but could do better on others. They usually reply to people and are easy to use.
SECTION 2: OBSERVATION OF SOCIAL MEDIA CARE
Airbnb isn’t the same on every app when it comes to helping customers. I looked at each one more closely:
X:
They have a help account just for answering people’s questions. They usually reply in a few hours. Their answers are kind and helpful, and they really try to fix the problem.
Instagram & Facebook Comments:
Airbnb answers a lot of comments here. They say thanks to people who say nice things and help people who have problems by sending them to the support team. They are pretty good at this.
TikTok & YouTube Comments:
On YouTube, no one can comment because Airbnb turned the comments off. On TikTok, they get lots of questions and complaints, but they usually only answer the happy comments.
Personalized Responses:
Sometimes they use people’s names and write nice, full replies. Other times they just use emojis or very short answers.
Redirecting to Proper Channels:
When they do write a longer message, they usually ask the person to message them directly or go to the help website.
Encouraging Engagement:
They ask people to share their own travel photos and videos. This helps them have lots of posts from real customers.
SECTION 3: OBSERVATION AND ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL MEDIA COMMENTS
I read comments on X, Facebook, and YouTube to learn what people think. Here’s what I found:
Top Qualities Mentioned:
• Unique Stays: People love that Airbnb has fun and different houses to stay in—like the house from the movie Up!
• Affordability vs. Hotels: Some people think the prices are fair, but others think the cleaning fees make it too expensive.
• Host Experience: Some people said their host was rude, but others said the host was really nice.
• Ease of Booking: A lot of people said it’s easy to use Airbnb, even easier than Vrbo.
Content Ideas Generated from Comments:
• “Hidden Gems” Series: Videos or blogs about fun, less-known places you can stay.
• Host Spotlights: Show off the best hosts and tell their stories.
• Budgeting Tips: Make guides that help people know if a listing is a good deal or not—kind of like how Seatgeek does with tickets.
• Customer Videos: Ask guests to share fun videos from their trips.
• Behind-the-Scenes Content: Show how Airbnb keeps things safe and clean.
Other Trends Noticed:
• Some people want Airbnb to be more clear about the prices and extra fees.
• Others wish it was easier to find pet-friendly places.
SECTION 4: CLOSING ANALYSIS AND LEARNINGS
Summary
Airbnb is good at using some apps but needs to do better with others. Instagram and Facebook are the best, even though they don’t post on Facebook anymore. LinkedIn and YouTube aren’t as helpful for customers. But Airbnb does a good job showing pretty travel pictures and real customer experiences. They should try to fix problems with prices and service.
Learnings & Recommendations for Airbnb:
• Keep posting pictures of awesome houses and get hosts to post too.
• Make a video that explains why prices include cleaning or service fees so people can understand better.
Learnings & Recommendations for a Competitor:
• Vrbo is good at offering full homes, which is nice for families.
Recommendation: Airbnb should talk more about full-home listings too.
• Vrbo takes longer to reply to customers.
Recommendation: Airbnb should keep answering fast to stay ahead.
Final Thoughts:
Airbnb is doing a good job on social media and lots of people like them. But they can still get better. No company is perfect, but if they keep working hard, Airbnb can stay one of the best.