As the global appetite for customized travel experiences grows, the vacation rental market continues to move toward unprecedented levels of saturation. Though opportunities for growth remain, standing out from your competitors is now more important than ever.

Not too long ago, having a competitive edge meant not only offering great service and travel amenities but also making sure that these value propositions were well communicated through high-quality photos, stellar guest testimonials, and compelling, search engine-friendly descriptions on all your online channels. However, the way vacationers consume media today means that even doing just these things is no longer enough. With people now consuming around 17 hours of video content per week on average, you may need to readjust your promotional strategies to meet your future guests where they are most likely to be.

Why Shoot Videos?

Good videos offer today’s guests the trust and transparency that they need to make informed booking decisions. Whether you offer simple expository videos or more in-depth explorations of your properties and their surroundings, visual content can serve to engage potential guests and increase their chances of committing to bookings. What’s more, particularly engaging videos are likely to be shared over social media, spreading your brand further afield.

Another less-discussed but potentially more important benefit of videos is that they have immense SEO (search engine optimization) potential. Search engines like Google favor websites with rich media content like videos, often pushing them higher on search rankings. Fortunately, with a quality vacation rental website builder, incorporating visual content into your site will be as straightforward as it can be.

How to Produce Shareable Videos for Your Vacation Rental Business

Now that we understand the benefits, let’s dive into some practical tips for shooting video content meant to promote vacation rental businesses:

1. Plan Shots Around Your Properties’ Key Features

Before you start filming, create a shot list. It should prioritize what guests want to see as well as the key features you want to highlight. For instance, if your main value proposition is spacious rooms, plan out shots that adequately bring their spaciousness to light. Anything notable like a luxurious pool or a breathtaking view should also be prominently featured in your videos in a flattering way. With planning, you can cover all important details and make the filming process smoother.

2. Use a High-Quality Camera

While smartphones can take good videos, using a high-quality DSLR or mirrorless camera can provide your productions with a professional sheen and lend credibility to your online branding. The superior image quality, depth of field, and control over settings can also give you more ways to influence the feel of your videos.

3. Include a Quick Walkthrough

Consider shooting at least one walkthrough video for each of your properties. Walkthrough videos give potential guests a sense of the layout and flow of a given rental, helping to build their trust in your business. Start from the entrance and move through each room, highlighting important features along the way.

4. Shoot in Natural Light

Natural light can make your property look much more inviting compared to typical house lights. Aim to schedule your shoots during the day when rooms are well-lit by sunlight. Even if they’re normally closed, open curtains and blinds to let in as much light as possible. If you need to do night shots, use as much light as possible. Consider investing in camera or studio lights if you plan to do frequent indoor or nighttime shots.

5. Keep Your Videos Short and Sweet

Unless your rental property happens to be historically or culturally important, there’s little reason to offer long-form videos, especially on social media platforms that emphasize short videos like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook Reels, and YouTube Shorts. Unless you have a legitimate reason to post a long video, keep your videos under the 60-second maximum offered by most platforms. Use editing best practices to better share the information you need within that short amount of time.

6. Invest in Professional Editing

Good editing can make a huge difference in tightening your footage and strengthening your messaging. If you’re not comfortable doing the editing yourself, hire an editor who understands how to make strong marketing shorts.

7. Use a Voiceover

A voiceover can guide viewers through the video, providing additional context and information about the property. Whether you choose a text-to-speech app or hire a professional reader, make sure the voiceover is clear, concise, and matches the tone of your brand.

8. Consider Hardcoded Subs

A lot of editors and videographers dislike hardcoded subtitles for aesthetic reasons. Regardless, hardcoded subs are a highly effective way to drive engagement on videos, guaranteeing that your video’s messaging remains clear regardless of where it appears.

9. Add Appropriate Background Music

Adding background music can enhance the mood and messaging of your video. For better-engaged audiences, use licensed music that matches the vibe of your property and the general preferences of the guests you’re trying to draw in.

10. Optimize for Mobile

Lastly, many people are probably going to watch your videos on their smartphones, so make sure they look good on smaller screens. Shoot in landscape mode, and make sure that whatever you’re highlighting is easily visible on mobile devices. Again, you may want to consider hardcoding subs so that viewers can be engaged even when their phones are on silent.

Build Trust, Connection, and Business Resilience through Professional Videos

Quality videos on your site and other online channels put your business up to speed with the prevailing direction of vacation marketing. If you want to build trust and connect with potential guests, quality videos are now all but mandatory. With the vacation rental market continuing to saturate, a video content strategy may be one of the ways you can guarantee your business’s long-term viability.