Objectives

In 2015, our aim for Instagram was to continue to create and curate wonder and awe in our community. We wanted to not only highlight the beautiful homes and experiences of travel all over the world, but also show the humanity that is found in our community, to normalize hosting to a larger audience, and to further build trust in our community. We wanted to make sure the human stories of our hosts and guests were as prominent as the beautiful places that can be found on Airbnb. These goals were paired against Key Performance Indicators of unique expressions, engagements, NPS, site traffic and actual guest and host conversion rates.

Strategy and Execution

At Airbnb, we strive to host the most compelling content that educates, inspires, and helps our global community to truly Belong Anywhere. Our global Instagram handle (@airbnb) is a platform where we create and curate wonder and awe through storytelling that is rooted in humanity. Specifically, our 2015 Instagram objectives were to showcase the most unique places around the world inside and out – whether it be a unique property or a unique story. Instagram is not only a place to be creative but to showcase the human experience of staying with Airbnb. The use case for traveling with Airbnb is one that someone may only experience a few times a year. But by capturing the "essence" of traveling on Airbnb, we can help people understand what our brand stands for beyond just sharing homes and before they may have a chance to book an actual trip.

To do this, we wanted to highlight what is unique to Airbnb -- the imperfect perfection (or "Wabi Sabi") of images that feel human, real, and authentic. Our aim is to elevate the ordinary as much as we celebrate the extraordinary magic of travel through wanderlust and awe. And most importantly, we are committed to keeping our community at the heart of our Instagram account. More than 75% of the photos we utilize were shared with us by our community -- their travels and experiences inspire us, and we want to share that inspiration with the larger community through the lens of Instagram.

Results

Results from 2015

• Total interactions (likes/comments from the brand handle)
  • 13.3 million
• Organic interactions (#airbnb, @airbnb, other airbnb campaign hashtags, airbnb branded geo-location tags)
  • 10.4 million
• Brand Page interactions
  • 2.9 million
• Total followers end of 2015
  • 796K
    • 341% follower increase from 2014
• Click through on Like2Buy
  • 136.0K click-throughs on Like2buy - visitors
  • 200.1K - visits
  • 300.9K outbound clicks
• Use of #airbnb -- UGC content
  • 342,472 uses of the hashtag

Media