10 Best Tips to Market & Promote Your Vacation Rental
If you want to ensure you’re capitalizing on your vacation home, you need to make sure your marketing is top notch. Forget about sitting back with your feet up and waiting for the bookings to come in, you need to be actively marketing your vacation home to ensure your booking calendar is full and your listing is driving potential guests to your door.
But how do you market and promote your vacation rental to ensure you’re maximizing its potential? The simple answer is marketing!
In this article, we count down the top ten best tips to market your vacation rental to ensure you’re getting more bookings.
#10 – Ensure you create a well-written property description
You’ve probably read plenty of lackluster property descriptions over the years, and it’s important when marketing your property to keep in mind that you’re selling much more than just the rooms in your vacation rental – you’re selling the complete experience from appliances, features of the property, property inclusions such as beach toys and books right through to the plush towels and holiday toiletries.
Take the time to craft a property description that is rich in information and has a storytelling element to it to ensure the readers can visualize themselves in your beautiful vacation home. If you struggle with writing, you can engage the services of a copywriter or marketing expert to ensure you’re showcasing your property in such a way that engages with your potential guests and makes them want to book your home for their next vacation over one of your competitors.
It’s important to for guests to get a ‘big picture’ look of your property and see all the finer details including the arrangement of the beds and number of beds so they can ensure their family or group will be confortable in your property.
By creating a well-written description, your potential guests will get a detailed understanding of your offering and the value you have included in the listing price – building value and boosting the likelihood of your property being rented out to vacation home guests.
#9 - Leverage social media channels to highlight your property
If you’re looking to strengthen your marketing and get noticed by potential guests one of the easiest ways is by tapping into social media. These days, promoting your vacation rental on social media such as Facebook, Instagram or any other medium you’re using to showcase your vacation home is a quick and easy way to reach potential guests. Social media can create more visibility, target potential guests geographically using advertising and can also strengthen your brand, and with pages on social media platforms free to set up, you’d be mad not to get on-board and leverage social media to help increase your bookings. Add professional images of your vacation home, add reviews from past guests and add an extra layer of marketing to your promotions to help boost your vacation home’s presence online. As a quick exercise, check out what social media channels your competitors are using and get an idea of how your successful competitors are leveraging social media to engage with potential guests and past visitors to drive traffic, inquiries and future bookings. |
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#8 - Re-market to past vacation home guests using digital mail
Often in marketing, touching base with previous vacation home guests is a great way to remind them of the amazing experience that had at your vacation home and encourage them to rebook again in the future.
By using EDM programs such as Mail Chimp and Constant Contact you can create a list of previous guests and engage with them to update them on your property, events, festivals and any exciting upcoming events they might wish to be apart of in and around your vacation home.
As well as encouraging previous guests to rebook, remarketing via EDM’s is a great way to get in regular contact and also promote referrals digitally. The process will only cost you the time of setting up the email and sending it, so long as you’re collecting guest data such as names and emails each time they book.
Using an electronic email program will not only allow you to quickly send out communications instantly but will also allow you to see who is opening the emails, the location they are opening the emails and which section of the emails they are clicking on and exploring, providing valuable analytics for your future marketing and promotions efforts.
#7 - List your property EVERYWHERE it should be
You might think you’re doing well to add your vacation home listing to a handful of sites in an aim to reach your guests but are you getting it out to as many sites as it should be.
In a previous article on Plus Vacation Rental we shared our Top 50 Listing Sites every vacation homeowner should be aware of. By being proactive and ensuring you are on plenty of vacation home sites your property has a better chance of reaching the right audience and boosting your bookings.
The key to the successful marketing of your vacation home is to ensure you are continually analyzing different sites to keep up with the market trends and reach your target potential guest audience.
Test a range of platforms and analyze which marketing channels are working and which aren’t. If you are paying for advertising, you should also explore analytics and reports to get a deeper understanding of where your listing is attracting guests and inquiries.
Often in marketing, touching base with previous vacation home guests is a great way to remind them of the amazing experience that had at your vacation home and encourage them to rebook again in the future.
By using EDM programs such as Mail Chimp and Constant Contact you can create a list of previous guests and engage with them to update them on your property, events, festivals and any exciting upcoming events they might wish to be apart of in and around your vacation home.
As well as encouraging previous guests to rebook, remarketing via EDM’s is a great way to get in regular contact and also promote referrals digitally. The process will only cost you the time of setting up the email and sending it, so long as you’re collecting guest data such as names and emails each time they book.
Using an electronic email program will not only allow you to quickly send out communications instantly but will also allow you to see who is opening the emails, the location they are opening the emails and which section of the emails they are clicking on and exploring, providing valuable analytics for your future marketing and promotions efforts.
#7 - List your property EVERYWHERE it should be
You might think you’re doing well to add your vacation home listing to a handful of sites in an aim to reach your guests but are you getting it out to as many sites as it should be.
In a previous article on Plus Vacation Rental we shared our Top 50 Listing Sites every vacation homeowner should be aware of. By being proactive and ensuring you are on plenty of vacation home sites your property has a better chance of reaching the right audience and boosting your bookings.
The key to the successful marketing of your vacation home is to ensure you are continually analyzing different sites to keep up with the market trends and reach your target potential guest audience.
Test a range of platforms and analyze which marketing channels are working and which aren’t. If you are paying for advertising, you should also explore analytics and reports to get a deeper understanding of where your listing is attracting guests and inquiries.
#6 - Go beyond the vacation home listing sites
When you’re trying to promote your vacation home and drive bookings often you do need to go beyond the listing sites and take matters into your own hands. Why not consider creating a website to showcase your property and provide detailed information for your home so potential guests can see the features of the property. Setting up a Wix.com site is simple and within a few hours you could have a website to share with potential guests and add some more marketing channels to your bow. While the booking sites are key, you may need to branch out and find a variety of marketing tools to get the more exposure for your holiday home as possible. It’s also important to include plenty of options for getting in contact such as a cell phone number and email, as guests might want to chat with you in depth before booking your holiday home and may want to remove the digital element out of the booking process to ensure your vacation home suits their needs. #5 - Update your listing site calendar & rates Don’t get lazy and forget to update your vacation home calendar and rates, ensure you are constantly updating the availability calendar to ensure your potential guests know when your property is available. Ensure your calendar is properly synchronized across all of your booking sites to ensure there are no double bookings or issues with guest bookings, which could wind up being an inconvenience and may jeopardize your income. It’s also important to be up to date with the rates based on seasons and create attractive rates for down times for your vacation home to boost the opportunity to rent out your property and generate additional income in traditionally quiet periods. |
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Do your research and ensure you have a clear idea of the prices of your competitors in the area and ensure you are competitively priced based on your offering, while you might have an ‘ideal’ price you want to receive for a booking for your vacation home you should ensure you are keeping in mind the location, quality of the property and prices of other accommodation options in the local area.
#4 - Request reviews from your past traveler guests
We’ve all Googled a property that we are looking to stay in and review the testimonials from past guests and a property with plenty of reviews shows that the vacation home is a reliable option for a holiday.
When you’re planning your marketing ensure you request reviews from guests who have stayed at your property. You can collect reviews using a guest book at the vacation home, ask people to leave a review on your vacation home Facebook page, or you can email them a link for a digital survey once they check out.
A review is not only great for marketing purposes but also a great opportunity to ensure that should there be any issues with a vacation guest, you can rectify the issue before they start complaining or posting comments on your social platforms.
Word of mouth marketing or reviews is a powerful tool and responding to reviews whether they are positive or negative is essential. Don’t bury your head in the sand, ensure you are gathering guest reviews for both your marketing and your customer experience research to ensure your vacation home meets the needs of your guests.
#3 - Use professional high-resolution photos
Whether you like it or not, professionally shot photos are more effective for vacation home rentals than photos that are taken by an amateur. A blurry or poorly constructed photo could mean the difference between a booking and a guest choosing another home over yours that looks more professionally staged and photographed.
Humans are visual creatures, and professional snaps using lighting and experienced composition can ensure your vacation home is showcased in the best possible light.
Photographers understand how to shoot a home from the best angles and can make a great room look like a spectacular space, so if you are toying with the idea of whether to shoot some quick snaps yourself or bring in a professional photographer for your vacation home photography make the call to invest in your photographs and experience the difference.
#2 - Use MANY photos for your vacation home
There is no such thing as too many photos, so when the time comes to create your vacation home listing be sure to add a comprehensive range of photos of the interior, exterior, surrounding area and even the wider community so your potentials guests get a feel for the property before they even step through the door.
Using plenty of photos helps for SEO and will ensure your property stands out on the booking sites, not to mention it will allow potential guests to view the property thoroughly to get a clear understanding of whether the property suits their needs to a tee.
Don’t forget often people require special layouts for a vacation home to suit their needs whether they have small children, disabled or aged family members or a specific layout or requirements for their choice of vacation home, so including plenty of photos including a floor plan will ensure that your guests are up to speed with everything inside and outside of your home.
Take photos of the bed formation in each room so groups get a clear understanding of where guests will be sleeping and where the beds are located. This is important for groups to ensure the sleeping arrangements will suit the number of people staying – particularly if there is a guest who is pedantic about the type of bed or sleeping arrangement that suits them!
If you add too many photos your potential guests have the option of not viewing them, so add many photos and ensure your potential guests have plenty of visuals to ensure they are booking your property above anyone else’s.
#1 - Respond promptly to traveler inquiries
The #1 ranking criteria on the top listing sites is response timeframe, so to ensure you’re marketing and promotion efforts wind up being confirmed vacation home bookings you should always ensure you’re responding quickly to any guest inquiries you receive.
While you might receive inquiries overnight while you are asleep or at work, ensuring you respond within a 12 hour time frame is key to keeping the interest of potential guests and showing that you and your vacation home are the ideal match for their next holiday.
Most vacation homeowners that have a great success rate will answer in a few hours, which allows for a higher chance of a reservation taking place. Keep in mind that responding quickly will provide the inquiring guest with the peace of mind that you are reliable and trustworthy and you are the perfect choice for their potential reservation.
It goes without saying that marketing a vacation rental home requires a great deal of time and energy and ensuring you have the perfect mix in your marketing and promotions can be a fine art.
Following our top ten tips for promoting and marketing your vacation home will give you the confidence that you’re ensuring your property is profitable and your vacation rental is bringing in the returns you’re aiming for.
Marketing your vacation home is a great deal of work, however, if you focus on specific areas outlined above you will ensure you get the most bang for your buck and drive bookings. While there are dozens of marketing and promotions tips out there, by focusing on these ten tips you’ll be utilizing your time to ensure you are putting your effort into the right places.
With a little bit of marketing and promotion your vacation rental could see exciting returns to allow you to get a better result from your investment.
Plus Vacation Rental manage all inquiries for you and increase your quality bookings, ensuring that your guest’s stay is happy and you get the 5 star feedback you crave. Find out more how Plus+ Vacation Rental works here.
Are you looking to bring in additional quality bookings for your vacation rental? Get more income and with premier high ranking listings with help from Plus+ Vacation Rental.
#4 - Request reviews from your past traveler guests
We’ve all Googled a property that we are looking to stay in and review the testimonials from past guests and a property with plenty of reviews shows that the vacation home is a reliable option for a holiday.
When you’re planning your marketing ensure you request reviews from guests who have stayed at your property. You can collect reviews using a guest book at the vacation home, ask people to leave a review on your vacation home Facebook page, or you can email them a link for a digital survey once they check out.
A review is not only great for marketing purposes but also a great opportunity to ensure that should there be any issues with a vacation guest, you can rectify the issue before they start complaining or posting comments on your social platforms.
Word of mouth marketing or reviews is a powerful tool and responding to reviews whether they are positive or negative is essential. Don’t bury your head in the sand, ensure you are gathering guest reviews for both your marketing and your customer experience research to ensure your vacation home meets the needs of your guests.
#3 - Use professional high-resolution photos
Whether you like it or not, professionally shot photos are more effective for vacation home rentals than photos that are taken by an amateur. A blurry or poorly constructed photo could mean the difference between a booking and a guest choosing another home over yours that looks more professionally staged and photographed.
Humans are visual creatures, and professional snaps using lighting and experienced composition can ensure your vacation home is showcased in the best possible light.
Photographers understand how to shoot a home from the best angles and can make a great room look like a spectacular space, so if you are toying with the idea of whether to shoot some quick snaps yourself or bring in a professional photographer for your vacation home photography make the call to invest in your photographs and experience the difference.
#2 - Use MANY photos for your vacation home
There is no such thing as too many photos, so when the time comes to create your vacation home listing be sure to add a comprehensive range of photos of the interior, exterior, surrounding area and even the wider community so your potentials guests get a feel for the property before they even step through the door.
Using plenty of photos helps for SEO and will ensure your property stands out on the booking sites, not to mention it will allow potential guests to view the property thoroughly to get a clear understanding of whether the property suits their needs to a tee.
Don’t forget often people require special layouts for a vacation home to suit their needs whether they have small children, disabled or aged family members or a specific layout or requirements for their choice of vacation home, so including plenty of photos including a floor plan will ensure that your guests are up to speed with everything inside and outside of your home.
Take photos of the bed formation in each room so groups get a clear understanding of where guests will be sleeping and where the beds are located. This is important for groups to ensure the sleeping arrangements will suit the number of people staying – particularly if there is a guest who is pedantic about the type of bed or sleeping arrangement that suits them!
If you add too many photos your potential guests have the option of not viewing them, so add many photos and ensure your potential guests have plenty of visuals to ensure they are booking your property above anyone else’s.
#1 - Respond promptly to traveler inquiries
The #1 ranking criteria on the top listing sites is response timeframe, so to ensure you’re marketing and promotion efforts wind up being confirmed vacation home bookings you should always ensure you’re responding quickly to any guest inquiries you receive.
While you might receive inquiries overnight while you are asleep or at work, ensuring you respond within a 12 hour time frame is key to keeping the interest of potential guests and showing that you and your vacation home are the ideal match for their next holiday.
Most vacation homeowners that have a great success rate will answer in a few hours, which allows for a higher chance of a reservation taking place. Keep in mind that responding quickly will provide the inquiring guest with the peace of mind that you are reliable and trustworthy and you are the perfect choice for their potential reservation.
It goes without saying that marketing a vacation rental home requires a great deal of time and energy and ensuring you have the perfect mix in your marketing and promotions can be a fine art.
Following our top ten tips for promoting and marketing your vacation home will give you the confidence that you’re ensuring your property is profitable and your vacation rental is bringing in the returns you’re aiming for.
Marketing your vacation home is a great deal of work, however, if you focus on specific areas outlined above you will ensure you get the most bang for your buck and drive bookings. While there are dozens of marketing and promotions tips out there, by focusing on these ten tips you’ll be utilizing your time to ensure you are putting your effort into the right places.
With a little bit of marketing and promotion your vacation rental could see exciting returns to allow you to get a better result from your investment.
Plus Vacation Rental manage all inquiries for you and increase your quality bookings, ensuring that your guest’s stay is happy and you get the 5 star feedback you crave. Find out more how Plus+ Vacation Rental works here.
Are you looking to bring in additional quality bookings for your vacation rental? Get more income and with premier high ranking listings with help from Plus+ Vacation Rental.