Vacation Rental Marketing Made Simple: A Guide for Property Managers
Marketing is oh-so important - here’s how to get started.
Marketing your vacation rental properties doesn’t have to be difficult.
You manage multiple properties. Making sure everything runs smoothly, taking care of the homes and their many amenities, keeping both guests and homeowners happy – it’s a lot. And technically that’s your most important role.
But if you’re not investing time (and/or money) into your vacation rental marketing, you might get left behind.
Aside from your customer service, effective marketing is what sets you apart from other property managers in your destination.
When you successfully market your properties, more guests can find you, book with you, experience your genuine hospitality, and turn into repeat guests. And nothing makes homeowners happier than a full calendar.
So how do you begin? Let’s dive in.
Understanding Your Audience
The most important step in effective marketing for your vacation rentals is knowing your audience. So many people say, “Well, my place is for everyone! I don’t want to single out any potential guests.”
But that’s a mistake. When you don’t focus your attention on a specific audience, your messaging becomes broad and general – and way less effective.
For each property, determine who your target guests are. Consider demographics, preferences, and needs. Do some market research and look at current trends. Who is booking a trip to your destination? Why? What are they looking for?
Creating a guest persona can really help you to narrow your focus. Give them a name (Mary Jo, Carl – you get it) and think about what their motivations and desires are. Do they want to escape the city? Are they looking to relax with their extended family? Do they need quiet and solitude or all the entertainment?
Optimizing Your Property Descriptions
Once you understand your ideal guest, it’s time to optimize your property descriptions so that they’re speaking directly to your target audience. This doesn’t mean you’re turning anyone away – it just means you’re focusing your message. Remember, marketing to everyone is marketing to no one.
Highlight the unique features of your properties, especially any amenities that set you apart. Include high-quality photography and maybe even virtual tours. When people feel like they’ve seen every inch of the space, they’re more likely to feel secure in booking.
Don’t forget to utilize SEO techniques for better visibility on OTAs. Yes, these are hard to figure out and are constantly changing – but consider what your ideal guests might be searching for and be sure to include those keywords in your headline and/or description.
Building a Strong Online Presence
In order for guests to find you these days, you need to have a strong online presence. This means a user-friendly and visually appealing website. People don’t want to book on sketchy or difficult-to-use direct booking sites when the OTAs appear much more trustworthy – and visually appealing. Think about how easy the OTAs make it to book with them – the process is seamless for the guests. You need to model that as much as possible on your direct booking site. The fewer roadblocks to booking, the better.
You’ll also want to leverage social media and use strategies that get your audience engaged. Use storytelling, high-quality images, captivating captions, and can’t-miss insights. Instead of promoting properties in every single post, provide value to your followers by giving them information about your destination and what’s going on there.
And don’t forget to manage your online reviews – and your reputation. Responding to reviews, especially any negative ones, in a positive way and a timely manner is crucial to showing who you are as a company and a brand.
Implementing Pricing Strategies
As a vacation rental copywriter, I can write property descriptions until I’m blue in the face – but that’s not the only thing that impacts whether or not a guest will book, and we all know it. One of the most important factors in booking is price.
When everything else is set – your website is amazing, your property descriptions are compelling, the booking process is easy, your social media campaigns are working, and your brand messaging is right on target – it’s time to dive into dynamic pricing. Adjust your rates based on demand, seasonality, and special events. Consider offering discounts and promotions – strategically, of course – and share those through social media and email marketing.
Using Email Marketing Effectively
Even if you have a ton of followers on social media, you need to use email marketing. You don’t control social media at all – you’re beholden to the ever-changing algorithms. But you do control your email marketing. It’s the best way to communicate with your guests because once they opt in, you’re guaranteed to land in their inbox.
Use the opportunity to nurture relationships with past and potential guests, share your story, establish yourself as an expert, and keep your company front of mind when they plan their next vacation. Check out my past blog posts for more on email marketing:
How to Use Email Marketing to Boost Bookings for Your Vacation Rental
How to Build Your Brand So You Don’t Have to Rely on OTAs and Social Media
Analyzing and Adapting Strategies
To keep your marketing effective, you’ll have to track your performance and adapt as you go. The world of vacation rentals is constantly changing – and so is marketing – so you always have to keep on top of the pulse.
Track your key performance indicators (KPIs) – bookings, occupancy rates, revenue – and use analytics tools to understand guest behavior and preferences. Then use that information to make data-driven decisions and refine your marketing strategies.
Key Takeaways
In order to implement effective marketing for vacation rentals, you’ll need to:
Pinpoint your ideal guest and what drives them
Use that understanding in your messaging including:
Compelling property descriptions
Solid social media posts
Effective email marketing
Adapt your pricing as needed
Stay on top of your game by evaluating your results
Once you have a handle on the basics of vacation rental marketing, you’ll be in a prime position to delve into all the nitty gritty details that will catapult your business – like brand positioning, targeted ad spend, lead magnets, website copy, SEO-optimized content, and more.
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