Social Media Marketing for Timeshare Resales and Rentals: Is it Worth Your Bandwidth?

In the digital age, social media marketing (SMM) is an important part of any marketer’s toolbox. Companies can use social media to engage directly with their customers, reach new customers through electronic word of mouth, and gather data that allows them to better serve their customers’ needs. And with recent advances in AI, social media is becoming an ever more powerful marketing tool.

In the world of timeshare resales and rentals, however, social media marketing isn’t just important; it’s indispensable. From reputation management to effectively communicating the benefits of timeshare, social media is uniquely well-suited to the needs of timeshare resale companies. Of course, as with any kind of marketing, social media marketing isn’t without its risks. But in the right hands, it can yield big rewards.

What is Social Media Marketing?

Social media marketing utilizes platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, X, etc., to promote products and services, engage with existing consumers, and connect with new customers. Different social media platforms offer different types of marketing opportunities. For example, image- and video-sharing platforms like Instagram let customers visualize products before they buy. Meanwhile, with more than 3 billion monthly users, Facebook gives companies unparalleled reach.

How Does SMM Work?

Social media marketing is uniquely powerful in three core areas of marketing: connection, interaction, and consumer data.

How Social Media Helps Resale Companies Connect With Customers

Over half the world’s population (4.76 billion users) is on social media. According to Linkedin, that number is expected to surpass 5.5 billion by 2030, tying the projected number of TV viewers by that time. But while TV, especially streaming TV, isn’t going anywhere any time soon, TV advertising can’t match SMM for precision of ad targeting. Not to mention, social media ads offer opportunities for direct engagement and virality, two advantages that are impossible with TV ads. Long story short, social media marketing is giving timeshare resale and rental companies the kind of reach previously only attainable through TV, while making sure the content that reaches consumers sticks.

While there aren’t a ton of popular social media platforms out there, the diversity of social media formats makes it possible to reach audiences through a variety of avenues. These include videos (YouTube and TikTok), photos (Instagram), social posts (Facebook), and microblogs (X). Meanwhile, this diversity lets marketers tailor their content to the demographics associated with each platform.

How SMM Content Can Take On a Life of Its Own

In addition to direct marketing on social sites, resale companies can leverage electronic word of mouth (EWOM) for free advertising. When users interact with or share the resale company’s content, their followers can interact with it in turn. Meanwhile, as social content receives more interaction, algorithms make it more visible, which in turn leads to more interaction. Put simply, social media marketing content can take on a life of its own.

Another advantage of this kind of indirect marketing is trust. Content that comes from social media friends instead of directly from the resale company may be seen as more trustworthy. This increases the likelihood of engagement and, ultimately, conversion, while boosting the company’s reputability.

Using Consumer Data to Make Targeted Ads More Precise

Targeted advertising has been around for much longer than social media. Take televised football, for example. It’s no secret that many football fans like to crack open a cold one while they watch the game. Thus, when a beer company runs an ad during a football game, this is an example of targeted advertising. But while the concept is nothing new, social media has made targeted marketing more precise than ever before.

We’ve all been there. You shop online for a particular brand or item, only to find your social accounts flooded with ads for that same brand or item. This is because social media websites track the activity of their users, convert it into data, and sell that data to companies seeking to target interested consumers. However you feel about the strategy, there’s no denying its effectiveness. And timeshare companies can use it, too. Whether users are looking up pictures of travel destinations, talking about going on vacation, or looking into buying or renting a timeshare specifically, resale and rental companies can use this information to target them with germane content.

Why SMM is Particularly Effective For Timeshare Resale Companies

If you want to get ahead in today’s marketplace, social media marketing is a must. But its unique attributes make it especially effective for timeshare resale and rental companies. Here’s how.

Social Media Marketing and Reputation Management

Reputation management has always been an issue for the timeshare industry. Timeshare resale and rental companies have had to work particularly hard to rehab their image and regain trust, as the resale market was once plagued with scam companies. Social media marketing can make reputation management more, well, manageable. In addition to the aforementioned trustworthiness generated by indirect EWOM, many social media platforms feature rating systems such as thumbs up and thumbs down buttons, star ratings, etc. A high like-to-dislike ratio or a high star rating can engender trust in the resale company.

Additionally, SMM comes across as a more human way of marketing than traditional avenues. An off-the-cuff Facebook or X post is often more relatable than an ad orchestrated by a group of marketers. Companies can even interact directly with customers through comments. As with reviews, this engenders trust in the company. It can also help to build lasting relationships with customers.

“Building a trustworthy online presence is at the forefront of everything we do within our marketing, including social media,” says Lauren Reid, Social Media Strategist at Timeshares Only. “So, hopefully through our marketing efforts, we can continue to be a dependable resource for our customers.”

Brand Recognizability

Similar to how social media can help customers trust a resale outlet, it can also help them remember the company. For Reid, it’s one of social media’s biggest assets. “My objective with social media marketing is creating brand recognizability,” she says. “I want someone to remember our brand because they saw a really great video online showcasing our product. I aim to be the first company that people think of when they think of timeshare resales.”

Keeping Up With Change

Timeshare is an ever changing landscape. Brand mergers, policy changes, price changes year to year and even season to season – the industry is in constant flux. Social media makes a great way to keep customers apprised of these changes. The high frequency of user engagement, as well as the ability (and expectation) to rapidly disseminate social content, allows resale and rental companies to immediately inform customers about the latest timeshare news, as well as promotions and time-sensitive opportunities with the company.

Image and Video Sharing

Social media platforms like Instagram are all about sharing experiences. That’s why they’re so popular. In short, people like to see other people having fun. And what’s more fun than a vacation?

The reason image and video sharing platforms are such effective marketing outlets for timeshare resale and rental companies is because they allow prospective customers to envision themselves using the products available in their marketplace. After all, what better way to preview a resort’s accommodations and amenities than looking at pool-side selfies or POV reels from inside the units?

Timeshares Only’s Lauren Reid is an ardent believer in the power of Instagram to turn prospective customers into buyers and renters. “I like to create reels that truly capture the fun energy of being on vacation,” she says. “From showing off the amenities on site to exploring nearby attractions, my goal is to kick-start the excitement of being on vacation and help guests plan their must-do activities ahead of time.”

Pros and Cons of Social Media Marketing

For all its rewards, social media marketing does feature a few risks. Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of social media marketing.

Pros

• Reach – Social media allows resale companies to reach billions of potential customers.
• Direct Connection – Through social media, resale outlets can connect directly with their audience to deliver more personal content and resolve disputes faster.
• Data – Data collected by social platforms allows resale and rental companies to more precisely calibrate their marketing to their intended audience
  Trust, Loyalty, and Recognizability – Social media offers a more human way to advertise, building trust, loyalty, and recognizability in the customer base.
• Feedback – Social media platforms allow timeshare resale and rental companies to get feedback directly from customers.
• Free EWOM Advertising – Through electronic word of mouth (EWOM), content propagates organically, without the need to pay for extra exposure. EWOM is also seen as more trustworthy than direct marketing.
• Competitor Tracking – The accessible nature of social media also allows resale companies to easily see what their competitors are doing and how it’s driving business.

Cons

• Time Consuming – Social media marketing can be time-consuming. It can also take time to build an online presence.
• Bad Reviews – Just as good reviews can make a company more reputable, bad reviews can sink their reputation.
• Frequent Algorithm Changes – Algorithms are changing all the time. This can be hard to keep up with.
• Information Overload – With so many companies using social media marketing, customers can get “information overload” as they are bombarded with hundreds of ads a day.
• Security Breaches – Having a presence on social media makes companies vulnerable to security breaches.

The Future of SMM

Like so many types of marketing, the future of social media marketing is AI. AI is making SMM more effective and efficient than ever. According to Ryan Pittman, CTO at Timeshares Only, “AI integration is transforming the landscape of social media marketing. From content generation to social listening and personalized user experiences, AI tools are enabling brands to operate more efficiently and connect with their audiences in meaningful ways. This technological shift is not just a trend but a fundamental change in how we approach digital marketing.”

The future of the timeshare industry is bright. In fact, half of today’s timeshare owners identify as Millennial or Gen-Z. As future generations become ever more dependent on social media for information, SMM will become an ever more effective means of marketing timeshare resales and rentals.