Marketing Tips to Convert Leads into Bookings

Tuesday 26, May 2009 - 06:00PM

Introduction

The Vacation Rental industry is a hidden $24.3 billion gem in the hospitality and lodging pool of opportunity. While Vacation Rentals are growing, business transactions still take place the old fashioned way. Less than 10% of all travelers have stayed in a vacation rental and there is significant room for growth. Given the value that vacation rentals provide, it is amazing that vacation rentals are typically only 40% booked compared with hotels which are typically booked at 85% year round .

Vacation Rentals are not new. However, with the introduction of the Internet, Vacation Home Owners & Managers have been able to attract renters through a variety of listing sites. While this has been largely beneficial, it has also introduced an entirely new layer of complexity for owners and managers of vacation homes.

The goal of this report is to outline and describe user-friendly technology tools that make it much easier to manage, market and rent vacation rental home properties. Just think – wouldn’t it be great if it was easy for customers to find you online? Our mission at RentExpert is to get more vacationers to stay in a vacation rental instead of at a hotel.

TIP #1 – GET A CUSTOM VIDEO FOR YOUR PROPERTY

Sure you have photos, but videos really make your property come alive. Here’s a sample property video that showcases a beautiful property. Renters consistently tell us that videos helped them with their rental decision. It sets you apart from folks who only have photos. RentExpert provides a turnkey service to create a custom video of your property for only $9.99/month. Get one now!

TIP #2 – CREATE A WEBSITE THAT MARKETS YOUR RENTAL

Very often, we hear vacation owners say, “I already have a website at VRBO.com; why do I need anything else?.”  We think that VRBO, Homeaway and Craigslist are awesome listing sites and great for driving leads to you, but they aren’t great at showcasing your rental. All a listing site—which VRBO is--gives you is a property page. Why is this relevant?

First, when you send potential customers to VRBO, Homeaway or Craigslist, they find you on a listing site where not only do they find your competitors, but often several listings for one geographic area which appear similar in look and feel. You can’t stand out from the crowd. Now, imagine sending your customers to your very own website where they won’t find your competitors and you can emphasize what makes YOUR vacation property special, unique and different than the rest. Include this website in your communications to renters, on your business card and even on VRBO. This simple step eliminates hundreds of your competitors. VRBO and other listing sites prefer that you stay within their experience. This is not the experience that highlights your property in the best light and it is not the experience that brings you as much business as possible.

Second, all property detail pages look exactly the same. Where’s the differentiation? How can you differentiate your property from thousands of other properties – your competitors! The truth is, your property is unique and special – it’s why your customers want to book with you in the first place and why they return time and again. How about maximizing that experience by showcasing your property in its own unique way.

Finally, can you imagine putting a long website address made up of numbers instead of a memorable name (e.g. http://vrbo.com/1398393) on your business card? Who will remember it?

What you need is your very own domain. For example http://MiKosGuestHouse.com. From intimate seaside cottages, to mansions in the mountains, your own domain showcases what’s unique about your beautiful rental.

Creating a website can be expensive if you use custom web designers and a hosting service. You could easily spend a couple of thousand dollars building a website that looks good. These web developers are expensive. Try to build one offshore and they don’t quite understand what you want.

TIP #3 – Get a UNIVERSAL RATE Calendar

 It is critical for your potential customers to see when you have availability for their perfect vacation. If they don’t see it -- these customers are forced to call and email you for availability. It’s a waste of time for them that oftentimes results in a business loss for you.  The solution is simple. A calendar where they find availability, find rates and can book safely and securely through the calendar, right then and there.

What should you look for in a calendar?

1. Needs to be easy to embed into your website
2. Allows you to specify available days
3. Shows customers the total cost for their stay (sales tax and cleaning fees, if any)
4. Allows the customer to book online right then and there, safely and securely
5. Works with major listing sites such as VRBO and Homeaway as well as with Craigslist.

TIP # 4 – EXPLORE PAYMENT OPTIONS

Time is precious. Online customers want to book NOW and they want to pay safely and securely using a credit card. They don’t want to wait and they don’t want to make phone calls or work through email to make their dream vacation come true. There is sense of security in using a credit card.  Furthermore, it makes you look like a real business. There are many options for payment processing. We recommend using Paypal since it is so universally known and trusted. We also suggest that you consider other alternatives such as Bartering for those off-peak times.

TIP #5 – IMPROVE Customer Care

Do you automatically send messages to your customers when they book a rental or when they are close to their date of travel? Sending messages manually is a real chore and is easy to forget.

How about simplifying your life by having an automated email response system for your customers? This could be for once your rental is booked, when their arrival date is approaching and for thanking them for their business once they have checked out.

This is not to replace the personal service you already offer them! Your personal customer care will not change. However, with automated reminders, you can truly focus on customer care, not on the logistics. Let the logistics take care of themselves.

Tip #6 - BLOG BLOG BLOG!

Welcome to the new era of blogging!  Blogging is one of the most powerful ways for you to personalize your message to the renter.   Blogging is essentially storytelling.  Tell a story about your home, the neighborhood, events in your community, and that causal comment your latest renter just mentioned!  It also builds a personal connection with the renter and makes them want to rent from you.  And just as important, blogging is about getting noticed on Google, Yahoo, MSN and other search engines.

With the right tools – starting your own Blog is simple! It’s as easy as writing an email!