Even if you've done ALL THE THINGS to make your property perfect, how you present it online can have a huge impact on your booking. Follow these tips to ensure that your listing is scroll stopping:
Are you familiar with the term "hero image"? This is the first photo of your property that shows up in your listing (aka cover image), and the one that should make potential clients stop and click. This photo should be the absolute strongest photo you have of your property. Your house may have an amazing lake view, but likely many of the other listings in the same area do too, so using JUST a lake view as your hero image doesn't make you stand out. Instead, use a high quality image of that exquisitely designed living room with the giant windows that showcase the view. I did NOT design the property below and am in no way affiliated with it, but I just thought it's a great example of how to execute the interior/view balance.
Don't use image collages. If you have a well designed property it can be tempting to try to show browsers everything at once, but this will backfire. Remember, many/ most people are scrolling on their phone. The images are small anyway, and by the time you make them smaller to fit several together even the most impactful image gets lost. Stick to using ONE for your hero image. You can add unlimited other photos to continue to impress clients after they click.
NO TEXT OR MANAGEMENT COMPANY LOGOS!!!! This one makes me crazy. Nobody scrolls through Air BnB and says "Ohhhhhhhh, I'm going to click on this one because it is managed by Acme Properties LLC!" or "I LOVE that they named this property that!" If your management company uses their logo as the hero image on your listing, they are promoting themselves, not your property. And a clever property name in the title is great in the description, but don't detract from your hero image with it. It's a huge missed opportunity.
Limit the filler photos. You've seen these before- the close up shot of the glass of champagne with a rose beside it, a plant sitting on the counter, or a photo of a landmark in the city (not from your property's window). None of these are selling your property, and they may make it seem like you are reaching for material because your property itself is not that appealing. It's better to have less images than to add in junk images just to fill space.
Avoid too many close-ups. This is somewhat related to #4 above, but not exactly the same. If you stock your property with really stellar bath products then yes, by all means include a photo of them, but be concise about it. One photo with everything grouped together will do it (bonus if you can capture a hint of your trendy faucet or handmade tile in the background!). Same applies to games. If your property is in a region where people go for low key family time, then it may appeal to them that you have board games. But arrange them so that you can get everything in one shot and move on. Nobody wants to click through a photo of Jenga, another of Sorry, and another of Candyland. But think about your demographic. If you're courting partiers then you could skip this altogether. I promise you that no Nashville bachelorette parties are trying to find a property that has a Monopoly board.
Last but certainly not least, PHOTOGRAPHY STYLE is absolutely critical in representing your property. If you have a beach house, then you will want the photography style to be light and airy. But if your property is a colorful and eclectic condo downtown, you will want to make sure your photographs have saturated color and play into the style of the interior. If the vibe of your property is dark and moody like the one below, lean into that. I love how the photographer captured this (again, I'm in no way affiliated with this property). Likewise, if the view from your back deck is a forest and is pitch black at night, then it makes sense to only shoot it in the daytime. But if you are marketing a downtown high rise unit with an incredible skyline view, you will benefit from capturing both day and night images. (Again, these images should always be predominantly of the property itself and offer a glimpse of the view beyond).
If you feel like your property is on point, but you're not getting the bookings you want then it may be time to take an objective look at your online presence. Small changes such as these can have a big impact.
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