How to build a strong brand for your Airbnb

A strong brand for your Airbnb will help with your recognition and bookings

When it comes to launching an Airbnb having a great property in an amazing location with beautiful decor seems like it should be a winning formula. However, if I were to do a search today for an Airbnb in Palm Springs, I would easily find no shortage of equally amazing properties that are not maximizing their bookings. So how as a host do you stand out from all of the other similar properties out there. In this guide we’re going to talk about why your Airbnb’s brand is important and how you can create a strong brand for your property.

What is a brand and why is it important for your Airbnb

Let’s start by talking about why a strong brand for your Airbnb is so important. Let’s revisit our Palm Springs example. If I have ten beautiful midcentury modern properties to choose from in Palm Springs, how would I go about choosing which one to stay at. The first thing I could do is look at reviews, but what if all of them have five star reviews. I could then compare prices, but what if all of the prices are the same. If all else is equal, how would people really distinguish your Airbnb from others and why would they want to book a stay at your property. This is where creating a brand for your Airbnb comes in.

What is a brand? Is it a logo? Not really. Is it a trendy color palette? Not quite. So what is a brand if it’s not a logo or colors? A brand is the feelings or emotions that people associate with your property. While logos and colors influence your brand, it is a combination of many things that go into creating that overall feeling that people get when they see or interact with your property. We’re going to talk to you about the elements that help build your brand.

What goes into creating your Airbnb’s brand

Airbnb property name

While you may just want to quickly pick out a name to get your property listed, your property name is a big influence on your brand. If I want people to think of my Airbnb cabin as a fun place to stay and relax, a name like Yay Frame Cabin will convey that better than a name like Smiths Cabin. Think about what feeling or emotion you want people to have with your property and use that to help develop the name for your property.

Airbnb property logo

A property logo is also an important piece to building your brand. A logo helps to create a visual identity for your property that can build recognition over time. Having a property logo also creates a more professional look for your property that can help to create trust. By creating a sense of trust you can influence whether your property is chosen over others. A logo can also help to influence your brand personality. If you want to convey a fun atmosphere with your Airbnb cabin, you will likely choose a more playful and approachable font for your logo. Think of your logo like a signature that is personal and unique.

Brand voice

It’s important to think about the way you communicate because it helps to build your Airbnb’s brand. This is why creating a brand voice for your property is important. Going back to our example of a fun Airbnb cabin, think about how your cabin would sound if it could talk to you. Would it be monotone and serious, or would it be bubbly and friendly? Naturally, it would be bubbly and friendly. To create a brand voice, you need to translate that fun personality into how you write so that your audience hears that voice come through whenever they read anything about your Airbnb. The words you choose and how you say them matter in building your brand. Make sure your brand voice is present in all communication pieces like your Airbnb listing, social media, emails, text messages, welcome book, house rules, and more.

Airbnb color palette

We said in the beginning that a color palette is not a brand, but your color palette does influence how people think about your brand. If I want to convey a more high end feel for my Airbnb, I may choose a color palette for my marketing that is primarily black to convey the overall elegance. Likewise if I want to make my Airbnb feel more hip, I may choose a color palette that is bright and trendy for my promotional pieces. And if I want to create a color palette for my fun Airbnb cabin, I will likely want to use colors that are inspired by nature for that outdoor feel. I would then combine this with a pop of color to create a bit of contrast that is reflective of the fun. Colors are an important component in creating the mood that you want people to associate with your property.

Airbnb decor

Think about the way you decorate your Airbnb as an extension of how you want people to feel about your brand. For your fun Airbnb cabin, you may want to decorate with wall art that has funny or witty quotes on them. You could also include pops of color in your furniture or artwork for something fun and unexpected. You might want to highlight the outdoors and an active lifestyle by including decoration that celebrates nature and activities like hiking, fishing, biking, skiing, and other outdoor sports. Make your decor fit the mood and the experience that you want your guests to have.

Social media for your Airbnb

Social media is another important way to build your Airbnb’s brand over time. With social media you are using a combination of your name, logo, brand voice, and color palette to promote your property. Together these elements help to tell a story about your property and how you want people to feel. Don’t forget that using photos, videos, and music in social media also plays an important role in how you want people to think and feel about your property.

Airbnb welcome book and signage

Building your Airbnb’s brand doesn’t stop after someone books their stay. It continues on throughout their stay and even after their stay. Don’t ignore the small details in building your brand while guests are staying at your Airbnb. The first part is creating a professional Airbnb welcome book. Your Airbnb welcome book helps to answer questions before your guests even have them. Improving their experience and overall peace of mind generates positive feelings about your Airbnb. This eventually can influence their review and how they share their experience on social media or with others.

Your Airbnb signage should also reflect your brand’s personality. Don’t overlook the importance of adding a bit of fun to your welcome sign or other short term rental signage. For your Airbnb cabin, a coffee sign could simply read, “coffee is on us.” But why not add a little fun and personality to your cabin coffee sign and say, “enjoy some warm jitters to help with the cold jitters.” Creating those small moments that make guests smile will build your brand over time.

You also want to create consistency when it comes to your Airbnb welcome book, welcome sign, signage, and other materials. Matching the look of your materials shows guests that you care and want to create a professional experience throughout their stay.

If you build it (your brand) they will come

Building your Airbnb’s brand will help you differentiate your property from others. Over time it can help you to compete without having to lower your prices. When you are able to build a vision of what it feels like to stay at your property before someone even stays, that is the essence of a strong brand. And that becomes a more powerful way to differentiate your Airbnb from the others out there.

Building your brand doesn’t need to be difficult. With Canva templates and tools you can create many of the items listed in this guide. All you need is a free Canva account. If you are looking for some of the tools and templates that can help you grow your brand we offer Airbnb welcome books, welcome signs, wall art, social media templates, and more. All of our Airbnb templates are made using Canva and are easy to customize to match your Airbnb’s style. To learn more visit our Etsy shop.