How Can a Copywriter Benefit Your Vacation Rental?
Pictures of your listing aren’t enough - make sure you’re telling the story of your property to compel renters to book.
Okay, so you hired a professional photographer to take pictures that showcase your vacation rental. The photos are perfect! They make your listing look AMAZING. Renters can see how much natural light pours into the kitchen, the sparkle and shine of the tile in the updated bathroom, the spacious backyard, the view of the ocean… That’s all you need, right?
Wrong. High quality images are definitely important and help potential guests see what your property is like. But they’re not enough.
So what else do you need? Excellent vacation rental copywriting. Effective copy for your vacation rental listing can make the difference between someone just scrolling by and someone clicking “book.” Read on to see how a vacation rental copywriter can help you get more bookings without you having to spend any more time on marketing your property.
It will save you time.
You probably bought your vacation property because you wanted to spend quality time with your family and friends. You imagined yourself sipping a drink poolside, relaxing on the beach, or hiking new mountain trails.
You figured you could just rent out your property when you weren’t using it and make some extra bucks. Maybe even pay for the mortgage so you could just enjoy your own vacation.
You didn’t imagine you’d spend all of your extra time trying to market your vacation rental. How do people find you and book? You have it listed – shouldn’t the listing just do the work for you? You figure the pictures speak for themselves. Problem is, the words don’t tell the story of your listing. They don’t entice browsers to stop and read on.
You probably realize the description is important, but you’re not a writer and you don’t have time to pore over every word and figure out if you’re saying it the right way.
A vacation rental copywriter can do all of the writing for you. All that time it takes to think of the words and say them just right – a copywriter can do that for you. So it won’t take you any more time.
More people will view your property.
People get bored easily. It’s a fact. In this world of instant gratification, we scroll through things on our phone – including vacation rentals – and move on in seconds. A picture alone is not enough to get someone to stop scrolling.
An effective headline can grab the attention of potential renters and make them want to see more. Makes sense, right?
But you may be wondering…
What kind of headline should you use?
Is it catchy enough?
Is it too long?
Is it too short?
Is it over the top?
Is it too cliche?
If you don’t want to spend time thinking about these questions, a travel copywriter can take care of that for you. With tons of experience looking at headlines, we know exactly what stops people in their tracks. We can turn boring into fun and impactful – and get them to stop and click on your listing.
People viewing your property will be more likely to book.
Think about it. Do you just look at a picture of a product and then buy it? No! You likely read the description, all the details and features, and maybe a few reviews.
People looking to book a vacation rental are the same way. They want all the details before they commit. The actual copy within your rental listing should make them feel confident about booking with you. There are a few things to consider when writing your vacation rental description.
Know your audience.
Is your property more likely to draw in a family with toddlers, a group of friends, a couple having a romantic weekend, or a multi-family vacation? Are you trying to attract guests looking for a luxury rental or vacation on a budget? When writing your vacation rental listing, consider who your audience is and write to them. A family with a baby will be looking for safety features and will be impressed by the pack n’ play and highchair you have available. Two or three families spending the week together will be looking for separation and privacy so that they don’t get tired of each other. A copywriter will target the right audience with the tone and word choice of their writing.
Paint a picture with your words.
Show, don’t tell. Avoid just listing all of the features of your property — describe it. Using an active voice and sensory descriptions can help potential guests picture themselves there, which makes them more comfortable booking. Persuasive language and a clear call to action might just be enough to convince them to pull the trigger and book.
But there’s a fine line between sensory descriptions and unnecessary flowery language. It’s important to be descriptive while still being clear and concise. A copywriter knows how to strike the balance.
Answer their questions before they ask them.
Provide all the information guests need to know in order to feel confident booking with you. Explain how easy the booking process is, how they can communicate with you, when payments are due, and generally what to expect.
Give as much detail about the property as you can so they’re not left wondering about the floor plan or if you have a Keurig or baby essentials. Do you have beach chairs? Do they need to bring their own linens? Can they use the kayaks?
If renters are left with tons of questions after reading your property description, they’re probably not going to be ready to book.
Make guests feel at home.
Once guests arrive, it’s all about the experience. Sure, your home is awesome and they’re going to have a great time. But do they know everything your house has to offer? Are they clear on how to use everything? Do they know what they have access to and what they don’t?
A welcome book is essential to tell your guests exactly what to expect and how to use everything. If they have one easy spot to look for the answers to their questions during (and even before) their stay, they won’t have to contact you and it’ll enhance their experience because it makes things simple for them.
Your welcome book should provide information about the area as well. Give guests your best personal recommendations to help them have an even better experience. They won’t have to get frustrated randomly searching Google for restaurants on their first night — they’ll be relieved to have your favorites at their fingertips.
Writing all this information up in a clear, concise way is probably time consuming for you, but worth it. A copywriter can help with this too.
Guests will leave more positive reviews.
After the amazing experience they have at your property, you want to make sure that your guests leave glowing reviews. Problem is they often forget to do that.
A follow up email with a call to action asking them to write a review is a great reminder.
You can make past renters want to come back.
Obviously the fun vacation is a big motivator to make past renters want to come again next year. But you can also offer incentives in your follow up emails, like discounts on return visits. You can also suggest discounted rates for booking direct next time if they originally found you through an OTA.
You don’t need to figure it out alone.
A lot goes into making a vacation rental property worth the time, money, effort and WORK. If you’re already doing too much and don’t have any more time to devote to marketing — if you’re not a writer and have no interest in figuring out how to write up your listing and the accompanying materials — but you see the VALUE in updating or adding to the writing that encourages renters to choose your listing — consider using the expertise of a vacation rental copywriter.
Want to learn more about how vacation rental copywriting can help get you more bookings? Contact me for more information and an informal chat about your goals.
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