1
Objectives/Measurement
Objectives/Measurement of Airbnb
Wenjia Zhang
Johns Hopkins University
AS.480.637.51.SP24: Using Social and Digital Media
Professor Laura Wilson
March 29, 2024
Part I: Briefly review Airbnb’s mission and activities
Airbnb is a widely known web platform that empowers hosts who want to make a living by offering accommodation. It connects hosts wishing to rent their properties with guests looking for accommodations. Airbnb’s mission is “To create a worldwide community where individuals can feel a sense of belonging no matter where they are.” The key goal is “To create a world where anyone can belong anywhere.” Other goals include: “To increase hosts and guests globally, to promote unique experiences, to encourage property listings and booking, and to enhance community engagement.” Airbnb achieves its mission and goals through different activities on its platform. For instance, Airbnb enables individuals to list their properties, including private rooms, apartments, and vacation homes, globally for short-term rentals (Briel & Dolnicar, 2021). These listings provide travelers with many accommodations to choose from. This allows them to experience destinations like a local.
Furthermore, Airbnb hosts curate unique tourism experiences and activities for guests, such as guided tours, cooking classes, and cultural workshops. These experiences offer travelers authentic local culture and create interaction opportunities between hosts and guests. Moreover, Airbnb fosters community engagement through reviews, messaging, and host-led events, encouraging user communication and connection. Airbnb’s activities aim to create a sense of belonging for hosts and guests.
This paper focuses on a social media campaign to increase the number of new hosts joining Airbnb. This focus aligns with the critical goal of “To create a world where anyone can belong anywhere.” This is because attracting new hosts from various backgrounds and locations expands the Airbnb global network, offering travelers a more comprehensive range of accommodations and fostering greater inclusivity and belonging. As more hosts join Airbnb, the diversity of experiences available to guests is enriched. This allows them to find accommodations that they prefer and are interested in. As a result, travelers feel a sense of belonging anywhere in the world.
Part II Social media objectives, justifications, and measurements
The first objective for the Airbnb client is “To increase targeted Facebook ad campaigns by 20% by June 2024.” The outcome is increased brand awareness, attracting potential hosts to join Airbnb. The objective is justified because Facebook is an effective platform for reaching potential hosts. This is because most travel enthusiasts share their plans on Facebook and Instagram (Gurjar et al., 2022). Hosts are among travel enthusiasts. Therefore, by increasing targeted ad campaigns on Facebook, Airbnb can expand its reach and attract individuals interested in becoming hosts. This will increase the number of hosts joining Airbnb. The measurement for this objective is conversion rates from the targeted ad campaigns. An increase in conversion rates would indicate the ads’ effectiveness in capturing potential hosts’ attention and motivating them to sign up as hosts.
The second objective is “To increase the number of new leads by 15% by August 2024.” The outcome of this objective is lead generation for hosts with previous experience with short-term rentals and who have a passion for travel. This objective is justified because focusing on acquiring leads with specific characteristics, such as individuals who have previous experience with short-term rentals, can help target efforts toward those most likely to become active hosts. Research shows that individuals with prior experience in hospitality or who have a passion for travel are more inclined to engage with the Airbnb platform as hosts. Therefore, increasing the number of leads with these characteristics can help grow the host community. The measurement for this objective is the number of specific leads with previous experience with short-term rentals or a passion for travel.
The third objective is “To increase the number of Instagram followers by 10% by July 2024.” The outcome of this objective is increased brand visibility, which will increase the number of Airbnb hosts. The objective is justified because Instagram has a growing number of users and offers a platform for connecting with individuals interested in travel and exploring new destinations (Schivinski et al., 2020). Research shows that 70% of travel enthusiasts share their travel plans on Instagram. Most Airbnb hosts are travel enthusiasts and are, therefore, among the demographic. Thus, increasing the number of Instagram followers will help Airbnb attract this community of travel enthusiasts, many of whom are potential hosts. In addition, as Airbnb’s Instagram following grows, so does its reach and visibility within the travel community. With each new follower, the likelihood of reaching individuals interested in becoming increases. The measurement for this objective is the number of followers.
The fourth objective is “To increase the frequency of real-time updates on Twitter by 15% by May 2024.” The outcome of this objective is improved engagement and communication with potential hosts on Twitter. The objective is justified because Twitter provides access to over 195 million daily active users worldwide. Therefore, increasing the frequency of real-time updates on promotions and events can make sure Airbnb reaches out to potential hosts worldwide and provides them with timely information and incentives to join the platform. These updates can be in the form of click-through links to include the benefits of hosting with Airbnb, such as support resources available to hosts. This can reach and inspire many prospective hosts to sign up and start their hosting journey. The objective of this study is to assess click-through rates on shared links. An increase in this metric would show the effectiveness of real-time updates.
References
Briel, D., & Dolnicar, S. (2021). The evolution of Airbnb regulation – an International Longitudinal Investigation 2008–2020. Annals of Tourism Research, 87, 102983.
Gurjar, P., Pratap Singh Kaurav, R., & Thakur, K. S. (2022). Digital content marketing practices and implementation in the tourism industry. Handbook on Tourism and Social Media.
Schivinski, B., Langaro, D., Fernandes, T., & Guzmán, F. (2020). Social Media brand engagement in the context of collaborative consumption: The case of Airbnb. Journal of Brand Management, 27(6), 645–661.
