How to use social media to promote your glamping business

With close to 4 billion social media users worldwide in 2023, using social media to promote your glamping business is important. Glamping business owners or property managers can use our social media marketing tips to increase bookings, attract new audiences, and engage with potential guests.

As the popularity of glamping (glamorous camping) continues to rise, it's more important than ever to promote your glamping business effectively. In this blog post, we'll discuss some tips on how to use social media to promote your glamping business.

Tips to promote a glamping business with social media

1. Identify the target audience

The first step to promoting your glamping business on social media is to identify your target audience. Who are you trying to reach? Is it families with young children, couples looking for a romantic getaway, or adventure seekers? Knowing your target audience will help you tailor your social media posts to their interests and preferences.

2. Choose the right social media platforms for your glamping business

Hundreds of millions of people, many of whom are potential guests, use social media sites like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to find travel deals, get inspired, plan dream getaways, and read vacation rental reviews so they know where to stay.

Once you know your target audience, you can choose the social media platforms that will work best for you. Instagram and Pinterest are popular platforms for visual content and are great for showcasing the beautiful scenery and accommodations at your glamping site. Facebook and Twitter are good for sharing news and updates about your business, as well as engaging with potential guests.  Youtube and TikTok are great for sharing video content, whether that's a tour of your property or a behind-the-scenes of your business. 

Don't feel pressure to stay up to date with all the social media channels out there! Find what works best for you and the audience you're trying to reach. Each platform requires work to maintain a healthy following and feed. 

cell phone with social media apps

 

3. Create engaging content for your social media channels

Once you've figured out the first part of your social media strategy for your glamping business, you can concentrate on your unique content planning. Creating engaging content is key to promoting your glamping business on social media. We know - ways said than done! But remember, anything can be content!

This could include photos and videos of your glamping site, testimonials from happy guests, or behind-the-scenes glimpses of your staff and operations. Use captions and hashtags to provide context and make your posts more discoverable.

  1. Compelling Photos and Videos
    Only use the best photographs and videos. You want your images to conjure up an idea of what a holiday in your short-term rental would be like. Even if you are aware that your home is the most gorgeous in the area, your potential guests are unaware. And nothing will inspire them more than beautiful and appealing images.
  2. Captivating Captions
    You only have a brief moment to make a lasting impression, so write with brevity and enthusiasm—otherwise, your words are merely words. Create some personality, set yourself apart, appeal to the senses, come up with new ideas, and never give up. Our senses are heightened when we travel. The food, the unfamiliar sights, the sounds...we take it all in in a way that we can't do at home. Be sure to transport your followers to your fantastical vacation rental using brief but evocative captions.

Remember that photos don't have to be the only thing you post on social media. You can also use tags to highlight some of the attractions surrounding your glamping site. Users who are looking for inspiration for things to do or places to stay nearby your property will be redirected to your glamping business social media page if you do this. It's a fantastic approach to reach out to a larger audience and convert leads to bookings.

group of friends taking photos at a glamping website for social media

4. Encourage user-generated content from your guests

One effective way to promote your glamping business on social media is to encourage user-generated content. Encourage guests to share their photos and experiences at your glamping site on social media, and repost or share their content on your own accounts. Ask them to tag your account, or tag your location during or after their stay. This not only provides social proof of the quality of your accommodations but also increases your reach by tapping into your guests' social networks.

5. Use paid social media to promote your glamping business

While organic social media posts can be effective, paid social media advertising can help you reach a wider audience. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram offer a variety of advertising options, including targeted ads based on demographics, interests, and behaviors. Consider running a social media advertising campaign to promote special offers, events, or packages at your glamping site. Start with a low budget to find out what works best for you, and build up from there! 

6. Respond to comments and messages and engage with your audience

Engagement is key to building relationships with potential guests on social media. We’re not sure about you, but scrolling through a newsfeed and coming across a beautiful vacation post stops us in our tracks. So, as a glamping business owner, make an effort to interact with your guests in an authentic way. 

Remember to respond to comments and messages promptly and professionally, whether they're positive or negative. This shows that you're attentive to your guests' needs and willing to go above and beyond to provide excellent customer service. 

7. Monitor your social media metrics

Finally, it's important to monitor your social media metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of your social media strategy. Keep track of metrics like follower growth, engagement rates, and click-through rates to see what's working and what's not. Use this information to adjust your social media strategy and optimize your content for maximum impact. 

social-media-metrics-min

 

In conclusion, social media can be a powerful tool for promoting your glamping business. By identifying your target audience, choosing the right social media platforms, creating engaging content, encouraging user-generated content, using paid social media advertising, responding to comments and messages, and monitoring your social media metrics, you can effectively reach potential guests and grow your business.

Whether you love it or hate it, social media is where more and more purchase decisions are made—and weekend or week-long getaways are no exception.

A few final quick tips on how to use social media to promote your glamping business:

  • Concentrate your efforts on the platforms where your visitors are likely to engage and interact. Instagram's user base is predominantly younger, but this seems to be changing. TikTok is even younger so this might not work for promoting your vacation rental. If you want to attract business travelers, LinkedIn is a terrific place to start. And for those with a niche market like female solo travelers and family vacations, Pinterest offers a wonderful platform to inspire.
  • To automate your social media updates, use the various tools out there. You can do a week or a month's worth of social media in one session if you use software like Sprout, Hootsuite or CoSchedule. You can focus on other strategies to promote your vacation rental by planning and establishing your social media calendar ahead of time.

Building your social media marketing strategy is an important part of your overall glamping marketing strategy. However, it can take a lot of work! If you’re just getting started, building an incredible social media strategy to promote your glamping business doesn’t need to be the first thing in your marketing plan, but in order to grow it's something you'll need.  

This is just the beginning of our marketing tips series for glamping hosts and outdoor hospitality owners. There is a reason why many hotel and small business owners outsource their marketing to agencies, but we promise it can be easier than you think!

 As part of our marketing and reservation solutions, we help set up your glamping business on Facebook and Instagram and provide you with training, strategies, and methods for you to build a successful long-term glamping business.  

We help outdoor hospitality and glamping businesses who want to attract more guests and increase their bookings. With our tailor-made marketing, distribution, and rate strategies, account management, and development services, you can increase your revenue and spend more time on the parts of your business that you love. Get started to find out how we can solve your digital marketing needs.