We’ve covered the importance of engaging with your audience via social media channels before. However it isn’t always as simple as setting up a quick Twitter page and tweeting about your holiday rental property. If you want to stand out from the crowd you need to take things to the next level.
Create a unique background
When you sign into your Twitter account, you’ll see a ‘settings and help’ button at the top right of the page. Clicking on this allows you to choose the design option. You can customise the background of your page and include images of your holiday let.
It’s worth remembering the entire image will not be shown. Only the left and right hand edges will be seen. However if you’re creative with your photography you can take a photo that will still look appealing when used in this way. It may be wise to use a landscape image that represents where your rental is located rather than one of your accommodation, this makes it easier for you as there won’t be too much need for any editing to get it looking good on your Twitter profile. Experiment and take your time in creating a background that represents your holiday let in an eye catching way.
Use your profile wisely
You have room to add a picture that represents you when tweeting, a sentence or two about your holiday rental and a smaller background image as part of your profile. This is displayed at the top of your Twitter page, so anyone who visits your profile will see it first.
Since you’re promoting your holiday rental property it makes sense to pick a photo that looks good when seen as a small square thumbnail image. Make it colourful to catch the eye, if you can. Alternatively you may have a logo that you could use, or perhaps a name plaque that’s hanging on your holiday let or at the gate, take a picture of that ensuring it’s clear enough to be read.
Then it’s time to choose the smaller background image. Here’s a perfect place to include an image of your property. The unique selling point. Perhaps you have an infinity pool, hot tub, beautiful decked area for late night summer BBQ’s. Or you have a showcase master bedroom. Whatever it is, you could use it as the profile background image.
Below your profile icon, you can add a sentence or two about your property. Choose these words wisely – you only have room for a few and they will show up in relevant Google Searches next to your Twitter user name as well.
As such it’s worth describing your property in an unusual and engaging way. Here’s an example of how not to do it, followed by a more appealing alternative:
• Two bed holiday rental in Cornwall available to rent now!
This is much better:
• Explore St Ives in Cornwall and use our two bed holiday rental as your base. Now booking for 2014 breaks.
Of course this just gives you an idea, you can use something more specific to your accommodation if you like, but you get the point. For example perhaps it has sea views, or is near to a big attraction like The Eden Project. The point is to give information and encourage people to find out more. If you use a date within your profile information, as in the above example, be sure to check it and change it when the time comes!
A final point to make, is don’t forget to include your website URL in your profile. It acts as a link to your site, which in the eyes of Google counts as a vote and can help your website with search engine rankings.
Of course, it goes without saying that there’s no point having a Twitter account if you don’t maintain it. So if you decide to use Twitter don’t forget to tweet! Provide information on the local area, insights into local events and reasons to come and stay in your holiday rental. Also get involved in conversations. It’s called social media for a reason. Don’t let your feed be completed one-sided.
Leave a Reply