Using Instagram to Get More Direct Bookings with Katie Bessant

Are you struggling to turn Instagram likes into direct bookings? In this episode, we're unlocking the secrets to using Instagram as a booking driving powerhouse for your vacation rental. Stay tuned for insider tips on what to post and how to make sure your content reaches the right audience. If you're ready to stop them from scrolling and start booking, this episode is for you.

You are listening to the Direct Booking Success Podcast, bringing you all the information you need for your short term rental to stand out from the crowd. I'm your host, Jenn Boyles. As an owner and manager myself, I know how hard it can be to navigate the hospitality industry. I'm here to help so you too can have direct booking success.

Hello and welcome to another episode of the Direct Booking Success Podcast. I'm Jenn Boyles, your host. Thank you so much for having me as part of your day today. I'm thrilled to welcome Katie Bessant. Now, Katie is the founder of The Holiday Hive. Katie is a social media expert with years of experience in the tourism industry. From running her own successful Airbnb to working with one of the UK's largest holiday lettings agencies. She's here to share her top tips for using Instagram to boost your visibility, connect with potential guests and most importantly, drive more bookings. Welcome, Katie.

Hello, Jenn. Thanks for having me on the podcast.

Oh, it's wonderful to have you here. Let's start with who you are, where you are and how you started The Holiday Hive.

Yeah, sure. So I've grown up in South Devon in the UK, which is a really, really touristy area. So whether I liked it or not, I've kind of been involved in this industry from quite a young age. Growing up, my family had a bed and breakfast which I helped, you know, run the toast out to guests and saw them taking bookings on the phone and changing over the no vacancy sign and all those little things that they did to run their bed and breakfast. And then growing up, I was doing waitressing, I was cleaning holiday homes. And then I got involved in marketing, which was for a property investing training company. So we did lots of courses teaching people how to invest in property. And one of the ways to invest in property was through service to accommodation and holiday cottages. So I've got a bit of experience in that area, knowing that this is actually an investment for a lot of you and you're running this. And then I also went on to work for one of the UK's largest holiday cottage letting agencies. I managed the marketing for the Devon and Dorset brands as well as working quite a lot with the head office up in Norfolk and I was involved in sort of TV campaigns, big website projects and all kinds of things. And yeah, I also had an Airbnb myself and worked myself up to an Airbnb super host status and I wanted to go self employed and I kind of thought, well, I know so much about this industry and I've been helping people for a long, long time in one way or another or another with their marketing. So The Holiday Hive was born. And, yeah, I help holiday cottage owners from across the world with their marketing and their social media. Giving them tips or managing it for them. Yeah, in a nutshell, that's. That's my experience and what I do.

Yeah. If anyone knows the uk, South Devon, Cornwall area, in the summer, it feels like the whole UK drains out and they head down to that T of the uk. So it's a great place to start out. And I can see your parents having a B&B there. That would be the place to start. Definitely. And your life comes full circle. Right. How you started and what you ended up doing.

Absolutely, yeah. I was like, I don't want to be involved in this. And then right back where I started.

That's it, that's it. I hear you. I grew up in hotels because my dad's a retired hotel manager and it's the same thing. My first jobs were in hospitality and I was like, man, this industry is hard. I don't want to do this. Well, guess what? Back in hospitality. So we're here to talk about Instagram and I want to start by asking you, why is Instagram such? Or I guess why can Instagram be such a powerful tool for holiday cottage owners and tourism businesses to increase bookings?

Yeah, well, I see it as a way to really spread your risk to achieve more direct bookings, which I know you talk a lot about, Jenn, not having all your eggs in one basket and not relying on these big OTAs and actually having your own sort of ecosystem to support your. Your business. And Instagram is a really, really great way to get in front of more people, in front of your target guest. And getting your property more visible should equal more bookings if you do it right. And it's a really good way as well to showcase more of the real life experience of you and your property, what your guests can experience in your local area, which your website and listings just can't quite do. In the same way, no matter how hard you try, Instagram is a really, really good way to do that. There are other platforms too. Like Facebook and TikTok. But I just found Instagram has the. Is the best for interacting with potential guests and converting them as well into newsletter subscribers and paying guests. It's free as well, which is another great thing about Instagram. But you do need to know what you're doing to get the best results from it.

Well, I want to ask you, can using Instagram lead to more bookings?

Yeah, absolutely. But you do need to know how to go about that. A lot of people get excited about Instagram and they're posting, they're like, why aren't I seeing any bookings? And a lot of people are getting it wrong because they're not quite sure how to, how to go about it. But once you know how. Yeah, absolutely. You can generate lots of direct bookings from Instagram.

Great. Okay, so let's help people know what to do and the right way of using it. What kind of content should we be looking at and what is content? We throw this word around all the time. What kind of content and what is it? What should we be looking to attract? Bookings on Instagram?

Yeah. So when it comes to content, there's a couple of different types of content that you need to be posting on your property's Instagram profile. So the first thing that you want to do is to get more eyes onto your property. So you want to post content that gets in front of lots of people. So this is really wow stuff. This is the content that you're posting to reach a large amount of people. And to do this, reels have the best reach on Instagram. So this is a really, really good way if you, if that's your first step, create a reel that you're aiming to get more people to know about your property. Carousels now also appear in the reels tab if you add music to them. So they're kind of like reels as well now. So reels have been a really hot topic over the past few years, but carousels are now being treated the same way. So if you're not quite confident with reels and how to edit and do the things, the fun things that you can do with reels, perhaps have a look at carousels, but make sure you add the music to it so that it appears in the reels tab and gets the same. So then once you get the eyes on your property and hopefully you get lots of following from that, those kinds of from that content. Once you get your followers, you then want to warm them up and nurture them by engaging with them. Because if you, if you go straight from this Reach content to your converting content, they're going to be like, oh, my gosh, who's. Who's this? Katie? She's just, you know, gone a bit quick for me. We don't even know what this is about. I haven't built that relationship with her. So it's really important to do, then do sort of engaging content. And to do this kind of content throughout your posting and not just focus on Reach content, you need to be doing these three types of content, which I'll talk about in tandem with each other. So this engaging content is talking about your area and the experience of your property, getting people to like to comment. So perhaps asking them a question. What's your favorite ice cream flavor? What do you take to a barbecue? Big one here on the Devon and Cornwall border is cream or jam on your scones first. And that always gets loads and loads of comments and engagement. So engaging your audience through stories and your content. And then the final kind of content that you want to be posting is of course, your converting content, which a lot of people miss out on. And it's so, so important if you actually want to get bookings for your property through Instagram. And as I said at the beginning, it's all about knowing how to do that. So to get them to book, you really need to focus your efforts on Instagram stories, because the people that see your Instagram stories are your warm leads. These are people that already follow you, who have already engaged with you. They've come through one of your reels where you've reached lots of people. They followed your account, they're engaging and commenting on your posts, and they're also watching your stories. So they're really warm leads. They know exactly who you are and what you offer. But also on stories, you can put links directly to your website, which on a normal Instagram post, you can't do. You can say, go to the link in my bio, click there. But it's an extra step for people to get there, so a lot of them don't do it. Whereas on actual stories, you can put the link right there. People can click right through. They're hot leads. Stories are where you do the most of your conversions and hopefully get lots of bookings. It's also really important to have your profile optimized as well. Talking about all this different kind of content is if your profile isn't optimized, then people aren't even going to follow you from the amazing reels that you're doing. So have a little look at your Instagram profile, make sure it's optimized. Instagram is the new business card nowadays. People. I don't know about you, Jenn. If I'm out and about, people are like, oh, what's your Instagram? They don't ask for my business card, they ask for my Instagram. Because people can find so much more out about you and what you offer and what your property offers. So that is really, really important. And also on your Instagram profile, sorry, the final thing is making sure you have your direct booking link. There is a link to your website and you have not got your Airbnb booking link. I see this all the time. People who have invested thousands and thousands of pounds in an amazing website, but on their Instagram that they're working so hard to get people to book with them, they've still got their Airbnb link. So making sure that you've got your direct booking link on your Instagram profile as well is really, really important.

Yeah, when you say optimizing your profile, I guess, yeah, having that website link, making sure. That's right. But what are the other ways that you can optimize your profile?

Yeah, so all of the social media platforms now are becoming mini search engines, especially TikTok, but Instagram as well. So people are using Instagram to search for places to stay, for travel inspiration. So one of the first things you need to look at is your name, making sure that you have that optimized with your keywords that people are searching for, to come across your property. Also making sure that your, you know, your unique selling points for your property are really clear in your bio. So whether you've got a hot tub or an EV charger or whatever that might be, make sure that you're talking to your target guest as well. So they know that your property is for them and you're not just attracting followers who your property isn't for. So say you have this huge hen party house and you don't really quite mention it everywhere, then you're going to get the wrong followers. So no one's going to book them through your Instagram because you're attracting the wrong people. You can also pin up to three posts to your profile. So making sure that those three posts are talking about you, who you are, putting your name on your profile is another big one. So people know exactly who they're talking to when they directly message you, when they're commenting, they know who you are. Another pinned post about your property with whether that's a reel or a carousel, talking about all your amazing features and how people can book. And the final pin post should be about your area and what it has to offer for your target guest. So that's some ways that people can optimize their profile to get people to follow them, but also to book.

Great. Those are wonderful tips. Really great tips. I'm learning so much from you. So when we're talking about organic posts, that's what we're really talking about is things that we can do on Instagram for free. We're not talking about ads or anything like that, but what's the best balance? You know, with posts, get carousels and stories and reels. Like, what's the best balance that we should be aiming for?

Okay, so I mentioned the three different types of content that you should be posting. So that's your sort of growth content where you're getting lots of eyes on your property. We're talking about the engagement content where you're nurturing your audience and your followers, and then you're converting content where you're getting people to book your property. So in terms of. I think what you're asking, Jenn, is how often should I be posting, what should I be posting, and when? So really, the main thing is consistency when it comes to posting on Instagram so that the algorithm knows what to expect from you. So if you can only do one post a week, but you're consistent with that, you'll still grow your account and get more eyes on your property. So really, to get the best results, I would say to post three to four times a week, definitely focusing on reels and carousels because they do get the best reach and engagement. So many people are watching videos nowadays on social media, so that's definitely the kind of content that you want to be focusing on and trying to do your stories because they're, as I say, they're less polished. You don't need to spend quite as much time on them, trying to do them if you can, every day or at least five times a week. Yeah, it's one of those. It all depends. And I know as owners, we're so, so busy trying to do absolutely everything from our accounts to guest management to being maintenance people and. And a marketing manager as well. Now, it's. It's a lot. So trying to pick something that you could be consistent with is probably the most important thing.

Yeah, no, I agree with you. The consistency with the right content, I think that's it. If you're being consistent with crap, then it's not going to do much for you, but if you're consistent with that. Right content, definitely. Now, I want to pick your brains on something else about hashtags. I remember when Instagram, way back when, when Instagram started, hashtags was everything and we saw them everywhere and you wanted to have your own hashtag and you wanted to follow all these hashtags. Are they still relevant? And if so, how can they be used effectively to reach more potential guests?

People are searching and the algorithms are picking out posts based on the captions and the keywords within the captions rather than the hashtags. Hashtags still do have a place, but I would Recommend using between 5 and 6 of really targeted hashtags. So thinking about your town and your area and any other big hashtags which you can use, but gone are the days where you're posting hashtag, see hashtag, beach hashtag, you know, all these kind of ice cream, all these, all these things. So I'd definitely do, for example, if I was doing one about my property, it'd be Salcomb, South Devon, Southwest coast path. Talking about your target guest as well, and how they're going to find you. So five to six hashtags. Now the emphasis is much more on your actual caption to get visible.

Yeah, yeah, no, I remember using all those 30 hashtags. And you had a range, didn't you have sort of real broad ones up to really tight niche ones. It's interesting how Instagram is evolving over time, like we all are. You know, our businesses are evolving, but the platform is evolving as well. What about trends, things that are coming out on Instagram? Shiny object syndrome. We want to jump on these latest Instagram trends. Are there any that are worth jumping on to gain that traction?

Yeah, I think I've got a bit of a controversial opinion around this because although I mentioned at the start that you want lots of eyes on your property, by jumping on some of these trends, you can get huge. You know, your videos can go viral and you can get loads of eyes on your property, loads and loads of eyes. But actually so many of them can be the wrong eyes. So if they do end up following you, they're not your target guests, they're not going to engage in your posts. So Instagram thinks, oh, Jenn, you're not being engaging. I'm not going to put your post out anymore. It can actually really, really damage your account by jumping on trends. If you, if you're not really thinking about it, if it's not for your target guest, if it is for your target guests, then perfect, you know, jump on them. There's been one on TikTok recently where it's like the Gen Z daughter writes the marketing script for the videos and, and, and they're going really viral and it's really quite funny saying all this slang and stuff. And for some properties it has really worked because they're attracting the right people. Other properties, they've had this huge success and you know, the numbers and figures are incredible, but actually they're attracting the completely wrong people and it will really hurt their engagement and their account down the line. So I tend to stay away from these big trends. It's about being creative as well with some of the trends. So I've had a client who's got a house in Saltburn by sea, and I don't know if you've seen the film Saltburn, which was big over Christmas last year and they did a really fun video, dancing around the House. You know, this is Saltburn by the sea, dancing around to Murder on the Dance Floor. So you can definitely have some fun. And it's. Yeah, it's about being creative but not jumping, not feeling like you have to jump on all these big trends.

Yeah, that's it. I think that's it. You have to be true to yourself. Right. And that's where stories come into it. You can really be authentic there, show a little bit about the behind the scenes. And it's not so polished, it's not edited. It's just you're going live and you're having, you only have like a minute, right, to talk anyways. So it's just a nice little clip. I think stories are a place that a lot of people over, you know, they, they forget about, you know, they think, well, I've done my post. I don't need to do anything else. And it's that, it's that personal touch that needs to come through. Another thing that I see that is either heavily overused or totally underused. And that's a call to action. First off, what is a call to action and how should we be using it to encourage those direct bookings?

Yeah, so a call to action is when you're telling people what you want them to do, giving them an action. So yeah, this is, this is a big one. A lot of people don't know that they should be doing this, but you should have a call to action on every single post. So whether that is, you know, you need, you just need to be clear about what you want people to do. So Whether it's you head to the link in the bio to book your stay, or maybe it doesn't have to be as sort of direct as that. You can DM me if you want to know what availability we've got left, or if you want to know about the special deal we've got. Another one which is really, really good at the moment, is asking people to comment with a keyword. So, for example, you could say something like, comment on summer if you want my availability next summer. And you can trigger an automatic direct message to those people. You don't have to do anything. Obviously, you've got to set it up initially, but then you don't have to do anything and you can send them a direct message saying, right, we got these dates available. What do you think? And that's quite a good way because Instagram sees lots of people commenting and it knows that you're being engaging. So it's having a bit of fun with these calls to actions as well, and not just saying, click, click the link in the bio to book now. Having a bit of fun and changing them up. Also, your call to actions doesn't always have to be to book now. They could be to save this post for later or to share with a friend or tag a friend in the comments who you'd like to bring along. Or it could be, let us know what your favorite ice cream flavor is. As I said, I don't know why I've got ice cream in my mind, but it doesn't have to be these, these big calls to actions. A call to action can be quite small. Just a little snippet of telling people what you want them to do.

Yeah, no, I love it. Some great ideas there. Some great ideas. So if someone comes to you and they've got their place, they've got their property, they've been hosting, they've been using Airbnb and they're getting into direct bookings. They're in that mindset, they want to drive their own direct bookings, but they're just stepping into the Instagram world. What would be your advice for them? How should they get started? What are the things that they should start doing?

Yeah, so obviously getting your profile set up, getting it optimized, getting your three posts, which you'll pin to the top of your profile, following lots of accounts in your area, other tourism businesses, other holiday rentals and hotels as well, you know, where the industry is very friendly and to support each other and help each other out if you're struggling for bookings or you haven't got availability. You can pass them on to someone else. But I think the main thing with Instagram, especially when people are getting started, it could be really, really scary and overwhelming and you can just get stuck in this freezing state and think, oh, my gosh, I don't know what to post. I. It's not going to be good enough. No one's going to see it. This is a real common one as well. People like, no one's going to see my post. I'm terrified of posting it. I'm like, why are you scared of posting it if you're scared that no one's going to see it as well? No one's going to see it, so it's fine. So, yeah, I'd say just to. Don't overthink it. Yeah. Messy action. Actually getting it done and getting something out there. Your first post probably isn't going to be amazing and you'll learn and you'll get traction with it. You'll see what works and what doesn't and just go for it and have fun and be creative and, yeah, just be consistent. Pick something that works for you and spend time on the platform as well, seeing what other people are doing, getting inspiration from the platform itself.

Yeah. And I guess it's also remembering that everyone started from zero. Nobody came onto Instagram with a thousand followers, maybe if they were bought or something like that back in the day. But we've all started with zero. And you've got to get those numbers up and to get the direct bookings you have to start. So, yeah, I love your advice to not overthink it. Just get it done. Just start.

Yeah, just. Yeah. Taking that action every day or every week and just being consistent with it. So much better than not starting a year from now. And you're thinking, oh, gosh, yeah, it's. I really shouldn't have done that a year ago.

Yeah. Because when you think about it, a year from now, you will really have it under your belt. It'll be a great tool to be using in your direct bookings, but you've got to get it going. So I appreciate that, Katie. I think that's really, really great advice. Now, do you have a resource that you want to pass on to those listening?

Yeah, well, I've actually got an Instagram for Holiday Cottage Owners Online course which came out last month, which is perfect for anyone listening that also thinks, oh, gosh, I really need help with Instagram. I don't know what I'm doing, I don't know what a reel is or how to even go about posting it. And I also talk a bit more in there about the different types of content and exactly how it all works together and what you should be posting when so yeah, that's my Instagram online course for holiday cost owners.

Great. Well, we will put that link in the show notes and thank you Katie so much for coming on today.

Thanks, Jenn.

Thank you Katie so much for all those tips on getting more bookings through Instagram. And if you're interested in connecting with Katie, please check out the links in the show notes. Coming up next on the Direct Booking Success Podcast. It's that wonderful time of year and time for me to troll through the archives to bring you a compilation of the best bits of the past year on the Direct Booking Success Podcast. I can't wait to share it with you. This will be like a Cliff Notes version where you can get all the goodness from this past year in one go. Until then, go out and take action for your own direct booking success.

Hey, thanks for listening to the Direct Booking Success Podcast. For more information about this episode and others, head to the website directbookingsuccess.com/podcast. See you next time.