• Facebook in particular is a powerful platform for driving direct bookings. If you don’t have an active social media presence you’re missing out huge opportunities to drive direct bookings (potential and existing guests).
• Ensure that your profile and cover photos represent your brand and are optimized (image dimensions) for every possible outcome.
• Fill out the About Us section (contact data, location etc.). Don’t forget to set a link back to your vacation rental website.
• Enhance your brand recognition by creating a Vanity URL (e.g. https://www.facebook.com/YourVacationRentalBrandName).
• Use your Facebook page to build traffic and links back to your vacation rental website. Share high-quality content (bright imagery as well as video clips uploaded directly to the Facebook platform) and use relevant keywords in your page updates. Social signals can positively influence your SEO.
• Use Interest Targeting for your organic posts to narrow your audience.
• Use the Call To Action Button for direct bookings („Book Now“) or newsletter sign ups.
• Enable reviews (you must have a local business listing).
• Consider using Apps to customize your Facebook page (e.g. sign-up form tab for your newsletter to retarget guests with special offers to book direct on your vacation rental website).
• Add social sharing icons on your website to ensure that your content is easily shareable to various social media platforms.
• Look at your „Facebook Audience Insights“ to learn more about your customers before you invest in paid advertising.
• Because of Facebook’s news feed algorithm accomodation providers can’t rely on organic reach (number of people you can reach for free by posting on your FB page) anymore. Consider paid Facebook advertising to drive direct bookings (e.g. Boosted Posts, Ghost Posts). Facebook’s „Custom Audiences“ allow you to reach customers you already have a relationship with (e.g. „Website custom audience“ – people who have visited specific pages on your website but who haven’t proceeded to the booking stage; „Lookalike Audiences“ – allow you to target and reach new people who are similar to one of your custom audiences).
• Keep the 80/20 rule in mind and don’t oversell on every Facebook post (only 20 % of your content should be about your brand).
• Test and choose those social media channels, that work best for your property (B&B, vacation rental, hotel).

(Source: via @NetAffinity – Get full details at https://blog.netaffinity.com/get-direct-bookings-facebook/ )