Local businesses need Airbnb Experiences
Social media has opened up a window into new worlds. Travelers no longer flock to run-of-the-mill landmarks or look to dine at restaurant chains. Instead, they clamor for one-of-a-kind, bespoke experiences that truly immerse them in local sights and subcultures. Enter: Airbnb Experiences.
You may be thinking that Airbnb experiences are just for individual expert chefs and single-person pottery tutorials, but that’s not the case. As a champion for local businesses worldwide, we’ve seen how this channel allows local businesses to personalize their services for targeted audiences and reach a very specific demographic. It caters to personalization, which some experts claim is the future of business— a major factor that will set apart businesses that thrive from those that will fall behind. From everything we’ve seen, Airbnb Experiences is the next marketing necessity for your business.
In this article, we’ll discuss what Airbnb Experiences are, where they’re headed, and how you can tap into this marketing channel to raise your bottom line.
What is Airbnb Experiences?
Airbnb experiences is an increasingly popular resource that provides travelers with a way to connect with local experts, artisans, and connoisseurs across the globe. This service benefits everyone in the hospitality, entertainment, and tourism industries. For instance, if you’re a local restaurant with a depth of experience in serving your city’s signature fare, you can offer a culinary workshop where visitors try their hand at cooking cultural delicacies. If you’re a bike rental shop, you can offer a guided tour. You get the picture. If used correctly, Experiences can help you reach a whole new group of high-quality leads and gain rapport as a distinctly “local” experience.
Major trends influencing Airbnb Experiences hosts
Tours and activities are a flourishing $150 billion a year industry, and Airbnb Experiences offer the chance for any business owner or entrepreneur to get in on the action. As we mentioned, Experiences are on the rise due to an increasing hunger for personalization in business. Approximately 80% of consumers are more likely to engage a brand that offers personalized experiences, and this percentage will only grow. Now’s a fantastic time to turn your local business offerings into customized experiences that will broaden your customer base and put you on the map in new, valuable ways.
How do you become an Airbnb Experiences host?
Airbnb isn’t looking to offer its customers any old tourist attraction. Customers demand unique experiences that give them an authentic glimpse into a destination—something special, Instagram-worthy, and tailored to their preferences. So how do you create an experience that appeals to enthusiastic travelers?
1. Identify your niche
Think of ways you can tailor your business’s offering into a customizable experience. Airbnb looks for hosts able to provide a personalized adventure travelers cannot find elsewhere. What local sights and subcultures can you share with travelers? Perhaps you’re a local fitness center that’s mapped innovative running routes around the city. You could offer a running tour that shows off your city’s most fascinating nooks-and-crannies by foot. Or if you’re a local brewery with extensive knowledge of local beverages, you can offer a tour of your facility with a tasting. By leveraging knowledge and strengths your business and employees already have, you can provide a boutique experience that no one else can rival.
2. Create an unforgettable profile
Your profile should showcase how you’ll whisk guests away on the cultural, culinary, or adventure experience of their dreams. How? Imagery. 32% of marketers say visual images are the most important form of content for their business, and Experiences is no exception. Dazzle guests with vivid, high-quality imagery and immersive storytelling language. Craft a creative narrative that explains how your business’s unique perspective will offer guests the one-of-a-kind experience they crave.
Use inviting, personal images to show potential guests who they’ll spend time with. Guests will travel from all over the world, so ease any concerns they might have by communicating a warm, honest persona. The “your host” section should also include details about the expertise of you and your employees: any training, education, or life experiences that make you and your team exciting, go-to masters of your chosen niche
3. Review Airbnb terms and your local policies
You’ll want to familiarize yourself with policies that pertain to Experiences hosts. For example, if your business’s experience includes an extreme sports adventure, you should find out if you need to explore additional insurance policies beyond what Airbnb offers.
You also need to take a look at the policies enacted by your local city and town. If your experience involves handling food, your city may call for a food or health permit. Learn about these policies in advance so you’re not stuck with any last minute surprises.
4. Prepare your application
While it’s relatively easy to start listing your home or spare room on Airbnb, Experiences has a slightly more moderated platform. For one, you have to demonstrate your expertise in your particular area before your experience gets approved. Airbnb wants genuine, unique, participatory activities—not just something guests watch or observe. Your application must also include all of the details about your experience; including the cost, duration, and precisely what you include in the package. Each submission is closely reviewed by the Airbnb team to ensure it provides the kind of handcrafted, tastemaker experience guests expect.
Airbnb Experiences vs. other booking alternatives
With access to well over 150 million users across the globe, the Airbnb Experiences platform is the perfect partner for hosting your offering. It gives you an unparalleled chance to tap into the power of personalization and showcase your creativity as you build your experience from the ground up, allowing your local business the freedom to do what you do best.
At Podium, we empower local businesses of all sizes to win customers online. Learn how Podium can help you stand out and start conversations instantly here.
