Airbnb Connects the World Through their Social Platforms
Airbnb, with its ambitious vision of fostering a world where anyone can feel like they belong anywhere, has established a powerful social media presence that transcends language and culture. With over 22 million followers across various platforms, it is evident that Airbnb resonates with both travelers seeking unique experiences and homeowners eager to share their spaces. This immense reach is a testament to the company's exceptional marketing and branding prowess.
Beyond simply showcasing listings, Airbnb utilizes its social media channels to produce a captivating narrative around the concept of "home away from home." Through stunning visuals, heartwarming stories, and engaging content, they inspire and connect individuals with diverse experiences they might not otherwise encounter. Whether it's a cozy cabin nestled amidst a mountain range or a charming apartment overlooking a bustling city square, Airbnb's social media presence transports viewers to a world of possibilities, fostering a sense of connection and belonging that transcends geographical boundaries.
As soon as you open than instagram page of Airbnb, it is as if you have traveled to another land. They showcase some of their most unique and beautiful destinations to their 5.6 million followers.
This is the most recent post on their instagram. A very beautiful image capturing a “Winter Wonderland.” hence the title, in Quebec. As you can see by the comments this beautiful post captured the positive attention of many.
As talked about in the textbook, aesthetic is a very important part to social media. In terms of Airbnb’s instagram, they hit the nail on the head. This aesthetic appeals directly to travelers, and may even inspire home owners in unique locations to rent their home.
One Thing that they could improve on is their engagement rate. Even with such a large following, their are not that many people liking and commenting on their posts. Although the page looks very nice, I feel that it is laking some personality to keep driving people back to their page.
In terms of content, Facebook takes a completely different turn. They show their large audience of 16 million followers activist style posts. They focus on world issues such as covid-19, hate crimes, etc. This shows some personality as a brand as many people can relate to these unfortunate circumstances, and they have a brand that supports them and backs up their ideals. Focusing on global issues can create groups of people who share similar interests or passions, creating that family type vibe that Airbnb strives for.
The engagement rate is sadly very low due to their lack of posting and new content. They have not posted since covid was a prevalent issue. I think even reusing TikTok content and turning it into facebook reels would be benificial to the company. The most beneficial thing would be to create shorts prevalent to the issues if that is how they would like to use their platform. Reels are a new way to create exposure to the group, and even form a new audience which would consistently engage.
X
Airbnb’s X platform falls on the shorter end of the stick in terms of following with still a decent number of 880k. They use this platform to repost exciting things, people, or experiences that have tagged them in a post. Through the use of collaboration, they are able to Crete high engagement even if it is not their page. They also have an @airbnb help page, which is a direct page for customer service, or questions that shows up when you click anywhere on the page, making help very accessible for all users.
In this post, reposted by Airbnb, Christina Aguilera was able to promote her tour, alongside promoting airbnb with a very lavish style home.
Although I think that their page is done very well, they are lacking in the follower section. Maybe creating some original content that will connect immediately to their page would be beneficial to gaining more followers.
TikTok
Although you can tell this is a newer account of airbnb’s with a following of 273k, they are doing a lot of interesting things with their content. Their engagement seems to be the highest on this account. This is because a number of factors. They are showcasing the more unique and exciting houses such as the Shrek house. They are doing a very good job of appealing to the younger audience on TikTok. They also host contest to win a night in a place, making people want to follow, like, view, etc. which puts them at an advantage in the algorithm.
When they do get on a spree of posting, it is very consistent. When they stop it becomes very inconsistent. Their last post is themed Christmas, and the only thing I think that they can do better is post more.
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
It is very easy to see that Airbnb is #1 out of their competition. With the amount of following they have it is difficult to compete. On their platforms for the most part they are able to create entertaining, aesthetic, or powerful content that really resonates with their target audience. They also have a very great support team, and can get back to customers in a very timely manner, upholding their reputation as a brand.
Weaknesses
A weakness that they possess is that certain platforms can come across and bland. They can also strive to achieve better engagement rates on certain platforms.
Opportunities
Very similar to their strengths, they are the leader of their competition. They uphold their very strong values and make people appreciate their brand.
Threats
Although they are at the top, that does not mean their competitors do not have a large following. Certain ones have over a million followers, and they have a lot of competitors. Their business model, aesthetic, and more are very easy to replicate because it is so simple.
