So, Airbnb have launched ‘AirbnbServices’, which they have described as “offered by locals and vetted for quality. Now you can Airbnb more than an Airbnb. Book chefs, photographers, massages, and more.”
As someone who used to run a local directory, and has worked with a lot of service providers (myself included), I wanted to share my thoughts on this.
It might surprise a few people, but I actually think this is a smart move on Airbnb’s part, because it actually makes a lot of sense.
Scroll around Facebook groups, and you are bombarded with people looking for plumbers, window cleaners, and various other service providers. Back in the day, it used to be as simple as looking in the Yellow Pages, however, with the boom of the internet, those huge books that made excellent steps when we were too short to reach things, have become obsolete.
Having a website is great (and you absolutely should have one, to some degree, as a brain for your business), however, the internet has become oversaturated with information that it can become difficult to siphon through all the noise.
This is becoming even more difficult, when trying to find people locally, because there are a lot of definitely not local websites deliberately tricking the search engines, so that they show up in areas that they don’t even operate (despite what Google insists, this is absolutely happening everywhere!)
So what is the solution? How do service providers make sure customers find them?
Directories are surely the answer, right?
I used to agree, and to a certain extent still do, however the problem is that people are tired. They are bored of downloading yet another app, having to remember yet another website, signing up for yet another subscription service.
It has become overwhelming.
Airbnb is positioned in a way that they have something that most other directories don’t have: They are already installed on everyone’s phone. It isn’t another app to download, because most of us already have it.
They have essentially removed one of the biggest barriers other directories have: They already have stage presence.
Should Airbnb have created this as part of a holiday let business? That’s questionable, however from a business perspective, I completely get it. It makes sense even if, on the surface, it feels disjointed.