Google: Gobbledy Gook or Great?

I know! the two words - Digital and Marketing - is enough to throw your head in a spin. Do you duck for cover or change the subject when someone asks if you have a Google + page? For those who understand how powerful Google is, and know how to work it, they think Google = Great. For many others Google = Gobbledy Gook!I've spent, and continue to spend time, researching the Google offering and how it can expose holiday rentals direct to prospective guests. I think the majority of us holiday rental owner managers have enjoyed the exposure on large booking portals. What Google can offer is a direct path to those prospective guests...and it really is not that difficult to at least give it a go.Google My Business is a new application that allows you to register in one place. It "connects you directly with customers, whether they're looking for you on Search, Maps or Google +" (source: Google). I dare you to take the plunge and register!Did you know that Google Adwords offer $100 vouchers to try before you buy. There really is no reason not to give it a go - and it can all be powered through Google My Business. If you have a holiday rental in a reasonably non-competitive market then you may not need to pay for an Adwords campaign at all. It's all about supply and demand of holiday rentals in your area and more specifically the type of holiday rental you offer.Take the time to build a Google + page. It's similar to Facebook in that you can share content that will get picked up in a Google Search. I can put the name of a holiday rental I set up locally on Google and key words in the G+ posts are picked up in the results.Learning the full capabilities of Google for holiday rental management is a work in progress for me. I am rather close to promoting a cost effective and simple management solution for holiday rentals using Google in its entirety. When you're managing a small portfolio of holiday rentals I believe this system is adequate to offer a semi automated online booking experience and remote user friendly management platform.I can help you set up your holiday rental on Google if it's still in the too hard basket. Or maybe you have a friend who can assist you. You really have to exist in the Googleshpere to be found. This is where your prospective holiday rental guests are searching for you.If you have enjoyed this article maybe you'd like to subscribe (free) to the Welcome In e-news. I try to publish these every few months to a community of holiday rental managers in Australia. I encourage you to make contact with me if you have any queries about any aspect of your holiday rental management journey. If I cannot assist you I can certainly point you in the right direction. I am well connected with niche industry holiday rental stakeholders in Australia.