Influencer Marketing for Vacation Rental Managers: How to Build a Scalable Program

Social media has reshaped the travel industry, and influencer marketing is one of the biggest reasons why. Today, creators don’t just inspire wanderlust; they drive real travel decisions. 78% of Americans say influencers inspire them to visit new places, and 88% of travelers trust their recommendations.

When done right, influencer programs go far beyond brand awareness. They deliver measurable results. 41% of travelers have booked directly from an influencer post, a powerful channel for driving direct bookings and revenue, and a key priority for Wander.

If you’re serious about growing your property management business, this is one marketing strategy you can’t afford to ignore.

Why Influencer Marketing Works

• Storytelling Power: Influencers are natural storytellers who can showcase your rental in an immersive, engaging way. Rather than generic promotional images, their content often captures real moments, arriving at the property, enjoying local attractions, dining out, or simply relaxing. This narrative approach allows their audience to imagine themselves in your space.
  
  

• Multiple Formats: Influencers use various formats, high-quality photos, candid Instagram Stories, TikTok videos, YouTube vlogs, and blog posts. For example, TikTok’s short videos are great for quick, captivating tours or local experience highlights, while blogs allow for in-depth storytelling and SEO benefits.

Past Wander campaigns, including collaborations with Madi Nelson, Krista Horton, and Katie Brueckner, have delivered incredible results, such as:

• 100% increase in property views

• 35% boost in checkouts

• 50% growth in Wander account creations

Why Influencer Marketing matters in travel

Travel content is inherently visual and experiential — two traits that align perfectly with influencer marketing. According to recent industry reports:

• 89% of marketers say influencer marketing ROI is comparable to or better than other marketing channels.

• 76% of travelers have been influenced by social media when booking trips.

• 50% of marketers are increasing their investment in influencer marketing. This trend indicates that businesses recognize the value of influencers in driving engagement and sales. Increased investment allows for more extensive and impactful collaborations, leading to higher returns on marketing efforts.

• 72% of brands are planning to dedicate a significant portion of their marketing budget to influencer collaborations. This allocation underscores the importance of influencer marketing in overall marketing strategies.

• Content created by influencers receives higher engagement rates than branded content on platforms like Instagram and TikTok, particularly in the lifestyle and travel sectors.

These figures show that when travelers see beautiful, authentic experiences shared by trusted creators, they are more likely to consider similar experiences for themselves.

Building the right foundation

Before launching or scaling an influencer program, it’s essential to put the right structure in place. A successful strategy starts with clear goals, the right partners, and systems that allow you to track performance, optimize over time, and drive both awareness and bookings.

Step 1: Define clear goals and KPIs

Start by identifying what you want to achieve with your influencer program:

• Brand awareness?

• Bookings and conversions?

• Content creation and long-term assets?
  
  

The clearer your goals, the easier it is to choose the right influencers and measure success. Typical KPIs include:

• Impressions and reach

• Engagement rates

• Content performance

• Click-throughs and referral traffic

• Bookings generated
  
  

Tracking bookings as a KPI is especially critical — it shows direct business impact rather than just visibility.

Step 2: Choose the Right Influencers

Influencers can be categorized broadly into:

• Nano-influencers (1K–10K followers): highly engaged, niche audiences

• Micro-influencers (10K–100K): strong trust within specific communities

• Macro-influencers (100K–1M): broader reach, good for awareness

• Mega-influencers/Celebrities (1M+): massive visibility
  
  

For travel and lifestyle brands, micro and macro influencers deliver strong results. Studies show that micro-influencers often generate higher engagement rates and more authentic traffic than mega influencers.

When evaluating potential partners, consider:

• Audience demographics 

• Engagement quality

• Content style and aesthetic

• Past performance with travel collaborations
  
  

Step 3: Build Scalable Workflows

To scale your program effectively, you need systems in place:

Tracking and Attribution

Use affiliate tracking links or promo codes assigned to each influencer to measure bookings and ROI. This ensures you can track:

• Who drove the booking

• Which content performed best

• What audiences convert
  
  

Platforms like Impact, Partnerize, or bespoke tracking systems are often used to automate this at scale.

Clear guidelines and contracts

Define deliverables, timelines, content rights, and usage terms upfront. This protects your property and gives influencers clarity on expectations.

A typical agreement might include:

• Number and format of posts (IG feed, stories, Reels, TikToks)

• Usage rights 

• Timing and approvals 

Content Repurposing

One of the biggest advantages of influencer collaborations is the content you receive. Repurposing influencer content across your own channels — website, social ads, email — multiplies the value of each partnership.

Step 4: Keep Relationships Strong

Influencers are creators, not vendors. Building lasting relationships increases loyalty and leads to higher-quality content over time. Some best practices include:

• Personalized onboarding and welcome packs

• Consistent communication

• Bonus incentives for high performance

• Long-term partnerships instead of one-time campaigns

According to industry data, brands that work with influencers long-term see improved performance and deeper audience trust.

Step 5: Optimize and Grow

Continuously evaluate performance:

• What content drove the most bookings?

• Which influencers generated the highest engagement?

• Which platforms delivered the best results?

At Wander, we apply these principles every day to continuously refine our influencer marketing strategy. With clear goals, the right partners, and a focus on tracking bookings and building long-term relationships, influencer collaborations can become a consistent and reliable growth channel for your properties.

One final piece matters more than many realize: your booking site. Influencers care deeply about where they send their audience. It needs to feel credible, on-brand, and aligned with their own content. If you’re looking to elevate your direct booking experience, and get more value from every influencer campaign, Wander Sites is built to help you do exactly that.