Invest In Decent Pegs & Other Holiday Rental Business Start Up Tips
Well hello, welcome to the short term residential accommodation/ holiday rental/ short term accommodation rental industry in Australia - a lovely little, yet rapidly growing and sought after, niche accommodation sector.
Yes! you are a legitimate start up now. You're a new short term holiday rental accommodation venture. You're not technically commercial because this is your investment property (same as long term residential) however you are still operating a very teeny tiny operation and you need to be organised for the best chance of success, and so you're on good terms with your local community, local government and the Australian Taxation Office.
Right so you have your short term residential property in the ideal location, close to unique experiences and other major tourism attractions, public transport, parks and playgrounds, major events venues, city/town CBD's etc. Once you have your property and location sorted consider the following as you start to build a framework for your exciting new venture.
PERMISSION
Although I do not think you should need to, in the current regulatory climate in Australia you firstly want to speak with your local government authority for permission to operate. There may be a registration scheme in place in your local area, you might need to have proper parking, you might not be in the right zone for permitted use. It is best to tell your local government what you wish to set up and they can step you through the approval process.
Most will let you erect a small sign out the front of your property too. Just check the signage policy.
If you want to be extra courteous I think it's worth a knock on your neighbours doors. If you are in a high density locality you may be required to seek permission off your neighbours to operate. You never know they might want to get involved and help out too. You can always barter accommodation discounts for their friends and family.
FIT OUT
Remember you are selling a residential homely experience online first and foremost so whatever you place in your property will be captured in images and used for digital marketing. You are looking for the lovely balance of style vs practicality remembering that a whole bunch of strangers are going to be looking at, and using all of, the chosen furnishings.
Remember that while you may be hoping to achieve an appealing and unique style, for your short term holiday rental accommodation, you want it to translate as homely, comfortable, clean, safe and stocked. If you aren't confident fitting out your holiday rental yourself there are many suppliers out there who specialise in such services. We had a company called WOW Factor who fit out our executive apartment a few years ago. It was worth every cent in my opinion.
Comfy lounges. Make sure there are a few of them. I have stayed in some holiday rentals with one small two seater lounge to share for a family or large group. Seriously! where is everyone else going to sit? Choose durable easily cleaned materials with an affordable replacement cost. There will be times when you need to replace large furniture items.
Throw rugs and cushions. Just make sure they aren't your precious international travel collectibles. They need to be durable so you can throw them in the washing machine every now and again. Have fun without the expense.
Dining table chairs. Don't bother with cushions. They will get stained, ripped, ruined in no time. Just opt for comfy chairs with hard woods, metals or plastics. Think hard wearing, easily cleaned surfaces for everything.
Well equipped kitchen. Think about what you would like in your kitchen if you rented short term accommodation and wanted to cook every day. There are many travelers who choose short term residential style accommodation for this very reason. You don't need all the fancy utensils, crockery and other equipment. Just a lot of the basic day to day supplies. If you under-stock you will get unstuck. Things will go missing and get broken. Your guests will let you know and you can decide if you want to deduct from their bond or if you should just price your per night rate to allow for the occasional replacement item.
Durable linen x 3 sets for each bed. Don't take short cuts with this especially if you intend to look after linen yourself - which I highly recommend you do not unless you have an industrial style washing machine and dryer and an absolutely incredible cleaner. High thread count and consider different colours or patterns for different sized beds or label clearly on the inside near the edge so it is hidden when the bed is made. Make sure you have sufficient storage on or off site for linen.
Durable absorbent towels. Think about how you feel when you grab your towel for the first time in the accommodation you book. Do you like fluffy, pleasant smelling absorbent, clean towels? If yes, then make this a priority. Remember they will be cleaned many times so if you try to cut corners you will find yourself high and dry. Quality is very important with towels. Oh and remember if you have an outdoor spa or pool, or live near a river or beach, then you will need to supply beach towels. Again ensure you have sufficient storage. I would put out one bath towel per guest and have a spare stored away for when the guest requests additional. Mostly guests will wash their own linen for short stays. They understand that short term residential accommodation is self catering.
Remember floor mats (light durable for frequent washing), hand towels x 1 for each bathroom plus a washer for each guest.Tea Towels. Any type x 2 per booking is my recommendation. There is nothing worse than a soggy tea towel and they don't take up much space in the washing machine.
Absolutely positively get decent pillows and absolutely positively get pillow covers and actually mattress protectors are essential too. Take those pillow and mattress protectors off every guest changeover. Crappy pillows equals crappy sleep and we all know what we're like when we're sleep deprived. I personally prefer to take my own pillow where possible but if I am to lay my head on a high traffic pillow I want it to not smell like another human so if in doubt, recycle it into a teddy bear and buy a new one or dry clean. Always allow two per person.
Blankets. Don't bother layering your bed. Nice linen with a clean, easily washable coverlet or light doona and cover that can be thrown in the wash every time is best. Have a store of extra thin yet warm blankets (highly durable for frequent washing instead of your grandmas vintage 100% wool blanket) available so guests can layer to their liking.
If you have light plush carpets my recommendation is to replace them with a tight weave darker colour combination that won't reveal every mark. The alternative is hall runners and mats in high traffic areas. Definitely put a mat under your dining table if that room is carpeted or consider relocating the dining table or tiling/ vinyl planking that space. Always think about the ease of cleaning.
Think about all the surfaces in the property. The floors, the walls, bench tops etc. Are they easily cleaned, durable. Can they handle high traffic wear and tear.It's ok to use signs throughout the house. Laminate them and keep them looking tidy. For example you might put the recycle days on the fridge, no smoking signs inside, basic instructions on how to operate the TV or washing machine. Remember you can provide a full list of instructions in a folder in the property and make a digital copy available before guests arrive.
Rubbish. Maybe supply two big internal bins and mark them rubbish and recycle. We always order an extra bin for our rentals. The local government should supply an extra bin no worries at a small extra charge. It's worth it. Educate your guests to put out the rubbish on departure and to put the bins out on bin days. It is a huge help for cleaners.Heating and cooling. Make sure your air conditioner filters are cleaned and service regularly (add it to your maintenance schedule), batteries are in your remotes (and spare batteries stored away in a draw for easy access) and if you have a wood fire have wood chopped and stock piled for guests, with a few small pieces of kindling, a fire lighter and matches wrapped in paper to help them get it lit quickly. Maybe place this in a spot that is out of reach of children and include the storage location in your instruction manual.
Batteries in your TV remotes (and instructions for use in the manual). Consider Netflix or other paid TV, smart TV's etc. Video and DVD players are old fashioned now and need maintenance.Outdoor areas. If you have a yard, provide some shade. If you have a pool, provide some pool toys, chairs and table beside it for example. Supply a BBQ and make sure you tell guests they must clean after use and fill empty gas bottles. Add this to the House Rules and Terms & Conditions. Provide outdoor lounge chairs or hammocks. Anything that you like to see in your yard is always good to include in the yard of your holiday rental.
Study area for business ready guests plus Wifi although most mobile plans have sufficient data allowances these days so it isn't absolutely essential. Just consider that some people want to be online when they travel whether they are working or not. Why not consider a note pad that lives in the house with WIFI access. Attach it to a chain if you're worried it will walk. It's a good place to store house instructions and local tourism experiences, even a greeting video.
Guest feedback. Make sure you supply a guest book so they can leave a comment or have a digital option you can send post stay. Also make it known that you would be very grateful if they notice something in the house that you as the manager should know about. Ie, broken glass in cupboard, kettle not working, hot water system on the blink, some of the grass out the back is brown and in desperate need of a water. Encourage and provide a communication mechanism for any feedback positive or negative. It is all really valuable.
If you want to decorate with plants indoors make sure they are either artificial (you can get some amazing artificial plants now through suppliers such as Plant Image) or not thirsty like succulents. Don't be afraid to ask your guests to give them a little water from time to time. Maybe supply a spray bottle and store it under the sink and refer to it in your instruction manual.
Remove all valuables from the house. Anything you don't have an emotional connection with or that is hugely expensive to repair or replace. You can still stylishly furnish a property without having antique and costly furnishings that you will miss when they are gone. Pay particular attention to vibrant, colourful art or photography on walls of unique experiences in the region or local artist prints, colourful lamps, pillows, throw rugs. Anything that adds personality and authenticity.
I think it is best not to have family photos around the house. Its a bit strange. I can understand it if it's your own holiday house as well however it's something that I would advise against. You want guests to feel like it's their home for the brief time they are renting it off you.
Think about little extras that you can provide to enhance the guests experience. Maybe a free bicycle or two, a kayak or surfboard, fishing rod and tackle, free library of awesome books, board games, free access to fruit trees and herb gardens, eggs from the chook pen, maybe a free coffee voucher for your favourite cafe or discount off a big breakfast or a free paper with breakfast. Anything that you think might offer a little bit of spoiling and make your guest feel super duper.
Extra things like a decent vacuum cleaner, dust pan and broom, outdoor and indoor broom, bucket and mop, toilet brushes, little bins for toilets and bathrooms.
Also don't forget washing basket and lots of pegs. It's so annoying to run out of pegs and especially pegs that break. Invest in decent pegs!
PARKING
Provide information on allocated parking bays before the guests arrive so there are no surprises. Especially if you don't want guests to park on lawns or in neighbours spaces. The more information you provide up front the less surprises for you and your guests and the local community in which your property is located.
CLEANING & MAINTENANCE
Cleaning is a huge job. To find a reliable professional cleaner is absolutely like striking gold. We found one local cleaner for our property in the Perth Hills by advertising in the community paper. She was amazing. Mostly you will find you have to employ a professional contract cleaner if you want complete professionalism and reliability however they will not be the cleaners you can trust with meet and greets and all the extra tasks because they are likely to be a different person each time and will probably charge a little more for the service. Make sure you create a cleaning procedure with a room by room run down. It comes in very handy. For those who don't have a property management system with built in cleaning systems consider having a look at Properly.
I always organise a vacate style clean before I start operating and make sure you get your cleaners to give the place a good top to toe scrub every few months paying attention to walls and windows. A clean holiday rental is enjoyed so much more by guests and you want them to keep coming back.
Same with maintenance. Do you have coconut palms that need de-fruiting, palm fronds need pruning, grass mowing, gardens weeding. All this takes time and is important to keep on top of for presentation sake, and so your garden doesn't die on you. You might even need to consider reticulation or hire a professional maintenance and garden contractor to take care of this for you. They'll bring their own equipment most of the time. Headache sorted. Make it easy for the contractors and draft a maintenance plan for each space in the house. Forecast what is required and keep on top of it. This might include checking hand rails, steps, re-coating floor boards, repainting the driveway etc.
CONSUMABLES
This is what I used to include in my Welcome In packs. These are essential supplies based on the understanding that short term holiday rentals are self catering. The supplies are for those guests who forget to bring their shampoo and conditioner or who are tired after a long day travelling and just want to put their feet up and brew a hot cuppa to enjoy with a snack. It's nice to spoil your guests and make them feel welcome even if it's just a token gesture. It's also a good place to promote local experiences. Maybe slip a flyer in there or a link to your website with a tourism experiences page. The idea with the pack is you don't have to keep a stock of basic supplies in cupboards and do stock takes.
Dish cloth/ sponge. My experience is don't get those cheap two in one items. They really are painful and mostly don't get used. One decent sized sponge and a separate scourer is just fine. The guests can find the shop if they have another preference.
Toilet paper. Always have toilet paper available but remember you are not running a hotel so maybe one or two roles per toilet and an absolute emergency back up in the laundry cupboard.
Bin liners, extra plastic bags for rubbish and cleaning. I offer samples of laundry power in my Welcome In packs but you can supply a box in the laundry cupboard if you are feeling extra generous.
Heck even toilet spray or blue loo to make your toilet water look fresh ha ha! All those things are very good to have on the premises.
.STORAGE
Think about storage spaces for linen, cleaning, supplies, maintenance, wood...anything that you will need to service your house and put a lock on them, mark with a sign for private access only or staff use etc.If you have a pool or outdoor spa allow for some storage space of chemicals and other equipment such as cleaning apparatus. You'll need to keep the water clean and healthy for your guests. My recommendation is to hire a pool contractor to look after this for you.
INSURANCE & RISK ASSESSMENT
Make sure you have your insurances in place. It is very important that you find a policy that provides specific cover for holiday rentals landlord insurance. Make sure you are allowed to operate by permission of your local government first and foremost because if you are not then your policy will not cover you. You may also need to consider Public Liability Insurance.Risk management I feel should be considered high priority. It can tie into the maintenance plan I mentioned above. Think about the safety of guests in your home. You have legal responsibilities with spaces like pools. Please look these up and be 100 percent aware and proactive. For example ensure there are no dangerous fall zones for babies and toddlers and if you think there is make sure you make this known to your guests before they book (ie in the listing online), add it to your terms and conditions, reinforce this in your booking confirmation.
Fire blanket, extinguisher, smoke alarms etc. Ask your local government what you are required to supply to protect your guests in the event of a house or bush fire. You’ll typically have to follow the residential building code for compliance.
SECURITY
If you're not intending to meet and greet guests then you might want to invest in a lock box hidden away yet easily found with directions so guests can check themselves in. I think it's good practice to meet and greet but if you must allow for self check in make sure you always change your security codes and never give out this information until the money is in the bank, send it literally last minute like when the guests are in transit. Never put this information on your website or make it public anywhere.
Another option is to ask your neighbour if they are interested in providing the meet and greet and or caretaker service or maybe there is a local beautician or cafe or other retail supplier who is open long hours that you can leave the keys with and direct guests when you are out of town and unable to meet them. This has worked well for me partnering with a local hair dresser. She was happy to provide the service free of charge if I was happy for her to place the key in a gift bag with some flyers of the services she wanted to promote to our guests. There are also key exchanges about these days too. Key cafes I think they're called.
Speaking of locks think about keyless entries, locks that can isolate rooms when you have smaller groups or you want to lock guests out of your own private spaces. This can be very handy and also doubles as good security for insurance purposes.
Alarm and CCTV are are also worth considering for extra security. CCTV can be handy for surveillance for those who need to keep an eye on overcrowding and party behavior. Don't be like one manager I just heard about who set his CCTV to overlook the outdoor spa. Not a good move to be spying on your guests. There are some privacy rules that you need to be aware of for recording devices in Australia. Look them up in your state and territory.
FAMILY & PET FRIENDLY
You have to be really careful with young families. When you say you are family friendly make sure you are. If you have an open front yard onto a busy road - you are not family friendly. If you have a balcony with a huge fall zone - you are not really family friendly unless the doors to the balcony can be locked. If you have a double story home and don't supply gates for the stairs - you are not family friendly. If you have a large pond in your backyard with no fence or mesh cover - you are not family friendly.
I encourage you to not supply children's equipment. Instead consider partnering with a local supplier or children's and baby equipment hire. Ask the guest to make contact and hire direct and you will find they will deliver and pick up most of the time. This means you don't have to worry about equipment failure for insurance purposes. It can also be painful to clean some items including high chairs and cots. Most guests will BYO but it's nice to give them an option to hire if they choose.
Pet friendly is sort of the same situation as with young children. Make sure the house is actually friendly for pets and think about whether you are happy for dogs to come inside or not. And do you allow other pets or just dogs, how tall are your fences? Provide as much detail as possible up front. Also I have learnt that dog lovers will allow their dogs to go everywhere in the house if you keep it open and you have to ask yourself how will the house smell if a non pet loving guest stays after. Will there be a lingering smell and hairs left in/on lounge chairs, mats etc. Consider charging a higher bond for pets who might dig, rip, tear, soil etc. It happens.
Make sure you tell your guests how you expect them to behave. Go right into detail including no smoking inside, no glass in the pool, no noise outside after 10pm, no high heels on the wooden floor boards. Make sure you are very descriptive and refer to the Holiday Rental Industry Association's Code of Conduct. Try and build this into your systems. It will help you and your neighbourhood. Send these house rules when the guest is booking and tell them that when they pay this means they have read and understood and signed off on them. Have a copy in a file on site as well.
MANAGEMENT
So you've set up your holiday rental property. Now who is going to look after inquiries, take bookings, look after all the administration, meet and greet, inspect, respond to call outs and so forth?
While there are great booking portals that will allow you to self manage your properties be very mindful that it is a huge job. For one standard property you are looking at a part time job for administration and another part time job for everything else so cleaning, maintenance, linen etc. It's not a set hour position either and you don't really get holidays unless you block out your calendar which equals no income.My advice is if in doubt do not try and manage a holiday rental yourself. If you are not a people person or particularly good with communication then definitely don't try it yourself. If you are working full time or are away a lot - I so no way! If you don't like cleaning or paying a cleaner, or don't consider maintenance a high priority, then definitely do not bother. I'd rather be up front about this. It will become your worst nightmare if you expect things to run smoothly and for the management of a holiday rental to not impose upon your personal time.
If in doubt call a professional holiday rental manager. There are many about these days. They will charge anywhere from 20 - 30 % commission for the service. Sometimes more but with more inclusions. Hunt around and try and look for those who are members of industry associations like www.hria.com.au or who have tourism or other business accreditations who can ensure a quality service. Ask me (Natalie Drake-Brockman, Welcome In Founder) to connect you if you like.
BONDS
Charge one. I find $500 reasonable for a standard property bond, more for those with luxury fittings and fixtures that might need repair or replacement. Make sure you only hold back bonds with good communication and receipts and reporting and most importantly evidence. Ie you can't just keep a bond because your neighbour complained about a bit of noise.
TECHNOLOGY & MARKETING
These days you will find there are many suppliers of technology that will assist with managing your holiday rental. This will include CCTV apps, security locks that link with your smart phone, many other innovations that will save you time.The single best investment is a Property Management System (PMS). This is the program that will create a database of all your guests, their contact details, payment details for invoicing and payments, a communication tool, a cleaning and maintenance program, calendar linked with fees and charges. It is basically an automation of all your bookings and administration processes all bundled up together as a sophisticated management tool.Traditionally these PMS's have been expensive and out of reach for single property managers but if you contact me I will tell you about one that is new to the market and amazing, but not quite released. If you want to be an early adopter get in quick.
You'll also need a domain and hosting, website or Content Management System (CMS) which is pretty much all the information that sits online on your website. Your PMS should provide a booking engine which also allows for online bookings and links with that program.
And don't forget social media. Start with a Facebook page for your holiday rental. They are a really great marketing tool and you can build your audience with good content, boosting it (Facebook advertising) and running competitions, promoting in our guest communications and so forth. Social media is very effective if you learn how to use it. If you don't have time find a professional. I offer packages so make contact if you want me to help establish a page for you and a lean strategy to get you started. Have a look through my blog articles. I write often with tips for social media marketing.
BRAND & PERSONALITY
I talked about this a little earlier on, and again you will find separate articles in my blog on this very topic. This really is going to make your holiday rental stand out from your competitors, generate you more bookings than the daggy operation down the end of the street.
Think about your unique value proposition. What does your property, locality offer that others don't. What is your properties best features, best spaces. Maybe it's the hammock in the back yard under a shady tree. Maybe it's the pool overlooking the mountains or the cozy reading nook by the wood fire. Or maybe you are 100 metre walk from the best beach in your City or near a hiking track through the hills or the best restaurant in town is conveniently located across the road. Create ambiance with your spaces and images that you use to market your short term residential accommodation.
Think about what builds personality and build a name, a brand for your place. Help your guests build a bond with the property and it's personality then get yourself a nice little logo and design for your website. It does not have to cost you a mint to brand your holiday rental. Again ask me. I can help you out with this.Happy holiday, short term residential accommodation supplying and remember there is a national industry association that can help you if you want to learn more or connect with other stakeholders. I am actually a director on the Board of the Holiday Rental Industry Association and I encourage you to become a member. You will learn so much and be supporting a national peak body who is there to support and represent you and other industry stakeholders. Membership starts from $99 for up to 25 managed holiday rental properties.If you'd like to learn more I am currently drafting a guide/ publication for managers and other short-term or holiday rental accommodation stakeholders. Subscribers will receive a discount when it becomes available later in 2018.
I feel like I'm getting to that stage in my career where I know a bit about the short term and holiday rental accommodation industry in Australia and so if you'd like to read more articles to help you grow and sustain your operation/ business you might like to subscribe (free) to receive my blog articles in your lovely inbox.
I'm also on Facebook! Instagram & Linked In!
Have a superb day!
Cheers
Natalie :)
How To Find Your Holiday Rental a Guest
It's a bit like winning friendships. you have to put yourself out there first and foremost. Is your holiday rental profiled online? If the answer is no, pause and fix that straight away, then come back and read on.Part one: how to find your holiday rental a guest.Part two: maintaining a longer term holiday rental guest relationship.This article will focus on part one and cover exposure, presentation and consistency with your holiday rental's digital profiles.There is plenty of competition out there but, if profiled well, you will find a good match for your holiday rental. Hopefully your prospective holiday rental guest will enjoy the time spent in your holiday rental and want to come back for more (that's a bit more about part two: maintenance).First up you need to focus on these areas for the best chance of standing out amongst the crowd. If you're after a quick fix then you may focus on presentation to grab their attention. If you want your guests to keep scrolling/ reading your holiday rentals need a little personality. The prospective holiday rental guest is looking for evidence of how you will focus on their best guest experience.Also, like with friendships, some tastes are different to others so be as descriptive as possible. Good quality images that tell an honest story about what they can expect when they stay in your holiday rental. Don't waste their time pretending to be something/one you're not.To break it down;Exposure: So your holiday rental can be found.AdvertiseYou must exist online to be found these days. Google, booking portals and OTA’s do generate holiday rental bookings but be mindful about your work load and capacity to maintain multiple listings.Social MediaMastering one social media channel at a time will increase your holiday rentals exposure.OptimisationWhile you make every effort to exist online there is very little point in doing so unless you are using your key words. Think about how you search for products and services online. The same applies with the search for the ideal holiday rental. Key words being "holiday rental", "accommodation", "{your region}", "{best tourism experience}", "{best property and holiday rental experience features]". Write and repeat, and repeat, and repeat...Refer paragraph three. Can you see how much I've mentioned holiday rental? Well - that's a little bit of overkill. Try and tone it down to subtle key word, and convincing, inclusions if possible.Partnerships & AffiliationsConnect with grass roots and other tourism stakeholders. Explore ways in which you can cross promote your goods and services.Presentation: To grab their attention.ImageMake sure your holiday rental looks professional. Use good quality content – images and descriptions using key words.PersonalityYou’re selling a leisure experience not a property. Highlight the best spaces in the holiday rental, the best local attractions and grass roots tourism experiences, throw in a splash of colour or human interest. Create ambience with your images.IdentityConsider a name and logo for your holiday rental.DescriptiveProvide enough information so that they don't have to feel like they're reading a novel but that highlights the main features of the property and the experience. Provide answers to your target markets questions in the first two paragraphs. Family friendly, close to beach, air conditioned, pool, ample parking etc.Remember to write this in a way that you are having a conversation. More personal in the first person. I, we...You want to make sure the prospective guest knows this is your home, that you love this place. If you really do love the place it will shine through and your description will genuinely sell the experience to your prospective holiday rental guest.Consistency: To avoid confusion and maintain credibility.Match images and descriptions across all marketing channels. Ensure content is identical in all communications.Look out for part two: maintenance.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.
Where Do I List My Holiday Rental?
Ask any of my clients what I think about holiday rental booking portals of the global kind and my response will be an eye roll, followed by a huff and puff and then a polite "don't get me started...maybe a discussion for another time when we have... like... ALL DAY!".I started the Welcome In journey as an owner of a portfolio of two holiday rentals. Actually I started with one in the Perth Hills of Western Australia, followed by another corporate short term rental in the Perth CBD. I felt like I took to holiday rental management and marketing like a duck to water I think because I had the commerce and grass roots tourism background but also because I just really enjoyed managing these little micro businesses. I remember the thrill of seeing my first enquiries roll in and then bookings eventuate. Turns out we tapped into a niche market in the Perth Hills and we enjoyed an average of 75% occupancy.I have to say that my holiday rental venture was kickstarted by the advent of Stayz.com.au. Back then it was a much smaller start up operation. When I signed up and listed my holiday rental it seemed to provide management infrastructure that was useful especially the online enquiries, calendar, cleaners log, reviews and a few other features that I thought were quite nifty. It was like your own cost effective website that wasn't actually your own website at all. Some holiday rental managers enjoy this for others, who are somewhat digital marketing savvy, well we went on to become a little more independent by developing our own website, Facebook pages and so on.Fast forward a decade and you can now pick from many global booking portals to list your holiday rental. Stayz has now been acquired by Expedia, which was purchased off HomeAway who bought Stayz off Fairfax and down the chain to the original founders. Many a savvy business tycoon has invested in the global proliferation of the sharing economy. You can now list your holiday rental on Stayz, HomeAway, AirBnB, Wotif, TripAdvisor, Booking.com among many other global holiday rental booking portals.You can also look on shore in Australia and consider portals such as www.australianholidayrentaldirectory.com (ha ha had to throw that one in) and our new partner www.holidaypaws.com.au. There are many more that I will allow you to research yourselves by simply typing in "list your holiday rental in Australia" or something similar.Be mindful that there are sites that will generate enquiries. These are usually the large booking portals who have the funding to invest in marketing. They have the ability to generate leads and convert bookings but it comes at a price. The price to list the property, possibly the price of a commission, the price of your time to manage the listing and if you're calendars are not synced to your own independent booking system that time equates to A LOT of time managing multiple calendars to ensure they all match so you don't end up with a double booking! ARRGGHHH! Double bookings are what nightmares are made of!I recommend that you do your research when you consider which booking portals to list with. Do they;1. Allow for direct links to your own website so the enquiry or booking can be made direct?2. Allow ICAL calendar integration or syncing if they don't allow a direct link to your own website?3. Charge a commission? Who pays it? The guest or you and if you then how simple is that process?4. Affiliate with channel managers?We've recently partnered with Holiday Paws, a pet friendly holiday rental booking portal in Australia. Although they do not allow for a direct link to your own website or property listing you can list your property free of charge and the guest is charged a commission on a reasonable sliding scale depending on the value of the booking. Holiday Paws will set up your listings for you and will allow integration with your own calendar where possible. Essentially the guest makes the booking on their site, they take a deposit to secure the booking, they direct the guest to you to complete the booking and they forward on the deposit minus the commission. It's a new way of doing business and I kind of like the idea that the holiday rental manager can still maintain control over the booking and that the site is merely a place to advertise a property and attract guests to start the booking process.I have come across many stakeholders who ask me if I have listed my properties with this or that booking portal. My answer is usually yes I have heard about them and no I don't list with all of them. Mainly because I don't just jump on the bandwagon and list with every site. My time is precious and I know that it will be eaten up if I have to learn a new booking portals own systems and duplicate the same process across each portal. Load the property description, load the images, add the fee schedule, block out the calendar of bookings made in various locations and so on. I then have to log into each all the time and keep on top of enquiries. I prefer to work with a few portals. I spend time getting to know their product and systems well, how to maximise conversion and most importantly I ensure that I work with booking portals that encourage me to develop my own independent digital marketing strategy. Those that understand that they are only one piece of the long-term sustainability puzzle.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.
Holiday Rental Reviews & Recommendations Are Really Rad!
Eagle bay holiday home facebook search
I just stayed in a fantastic holiday rental in Eagle Bay, Western Australia. I enjoyed the property and location so much that I did what I would hope you would educate all of your holiday rental guests to do - I told everyone about it. I'll explain this further but for now let's rewind a little.I actually located this holiday rental on Facebook. I know crazy hey. I put Holiday Rental Dunsborough (the closest town) in the search box. This is what results displayed.How nifty is that! Your guest can now find you direct by searching within Facebook. Chances are that if the page is set up well it may be optimised in Google too. I'd like to think that the prospective holiday rental guest is becoming very savvy and always discovering ways to find you direct without opting for booking portal assistance straight up. Let's face it we all know you pay for that privilege.I immediately liked the page. Why not, I wanted to keep track of it and refer back to it when I was considering it alongside my other holiday rental options. It's also a great way to show other travel buddies by sending them a link to the page so they can check it out themselves. I find Facebook pages can be mini websites for holiday rentals. They present a holiday rental property really well.Ok so fast forward to post stay because yes we did choose that holiday rental and yes it was largely because of the way it was sold to me on the Facebook page! Given my satisfaction with our choice of holiday rental accommodation I decided take some time out to help the property manager out. This is how I was able to contribute in some small way and this is what I recommend you request ever so nicely off your guests;1. Check in while you're awayWrite a post on your timeline while you're staying in the holiday rental and use the check in function. If you start typing the name, and a Facebook page exists for that holiday rental, it will auto appear.2. Post a Facebook review on the holiday rental Facebook pageI went into the holiday rental Facebook page, clicked on the review tab, described how wonderful the property was and why it was so suitable for us. Remember that those who look at reviews are still trying to determine the suitability of the holiday rental for their travel group.3. Engage with the holiday rental Facebook page contentIf you really like one of the photo's or agree with one of the posts. Show it. Throw them a like or comment or if you are really generous you'll share it on your own page.4. Share the holiday rental Facebook page with your Facebook friendsYes you can click on the URL or website address of a holiday rental Facebook page and past it into a new post on your own page OR just share the page by going to the page, clicking on "more" then "share", enter your comments and follow the prompts. You can even choose which page you want to share it to.5. Tell people about itLastly you could actually have a conversation and tell people about it. I know actual word of mouth! Still quite possibly the most powerful form of promotion in my experience! Human emotion and expression mixed with words can still do so much more to convince and convert.When I have time I'll draft a PDF for you to upload and forward to your guests. Maybe you could send it before you refund their bond (cringe). Cheeky I know! Seriously though I doubt any decent human holiday rental guest would mind giving you a helping hand to promote your holiday rental and sing your praises through their network. As my Mum always told me, if you don't ask you don't get.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.
The Role of Instant Book & Reputation Management In Neighbourhood Amenity Protection
Instant Book essentially means that anyone can book your holiday rental at any time of the day. That you put your trust in the holiday rental booking portal review or reputation management system to send highly reliable and respectable guests to stay in your property.Yes some very loyal members of booking portal "communities" will say that the review system takes care of this and that if you chose verified guests then you will be ok. That rogue operators and guests will be exposed through the review process. I have however heard whispers of mistaken identity.I've heard threats over bad reviews - even black mail! Could it be that a whole lot of hosts and holiday rental managers provide good reviews because they think the favor will be returned on the understanding that if a negative review eventuates that OMG stop traffic it might affect the holiday rental listing ranking algorithm.Call me old fashioned but I prefer to have an actual conversation (digital sometimes is ok) with my prospective holiday rental guest up front, present the House Rules and Terms & Conditions and request ID verification. You have to wonder where the manager is located and why they are not interested in protecting neighbourhood amenity.My guess is those who opt for Instant Book;
are managing holiday rentals remotely,
are definitely not living on the premises or next door (ie I think hosted accommodation is an exception to this argument),
have no relationship with their neighbours
have no plans to move into the community in the future.
Sure I might have a look at guest reviews. They may be an entertaining read. They sort of remind me of the old personal referees you would call when you wanted to ask about a prospective employee. I mean will you really hand out a phone number of a referee who is likely to give you a bad review?Reviews may reveal red flags but they will never replace a thorough screening process to find the perfect guest match for holiday rental accommodation.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.
Branding Your Holiday Rental Social Media Posts
A client asked me how to brand his social media image (content). I've decided to share this skill with all holiday rental managers who visit Welcome In.First of all let me point out that building your own original posts, profiling all that is wonderful about your holiday rental and your tourism region, ensures instant brand exposure that links to your Facebook page profile picture. Which should also be your logo. The cover image should be a carefully chosen image which tells a story about the holiday rental experience on offer or - the hero shot!Whenever you engage with another post your logo (profile picture) will appear. If you share your post on your page your logo (profile picture) will appear. If you pay to boost your post to a target audience your holiday rental logo (profile picture) will appear.My point is it's not essential to brand the actual image. I like to though because a readers eye is drawn to an interesting picture. It's another chance to subtly brand your work and remind the prospective holiday rental guest that this image belongs to this brand.The phone number belong or alongside the image becomes another subtle call-to-action.There are a few simple steps to branding your own images;
Choose a good quality image
Open it in your graphic design program. I'm no graphic designer. I use Power Point within the Microsoft Office suite.
Resize to a minimum 500 x 500 pixels (resolution).
Insert image (your logo). Reduce the size and position it on the bottom left or right hand corner. If it gets lost behind the main image then go to Format - Arrange - Bring to Front.
Insert a text box and drag and click to size the box. Start typing your text within the box. ie Riverside Romance. Adjust font type and size that is consistent with your holiday rental brand.
Save your work. Call it Holiday Rental Branded Image Template or a modification of this.
Select all and copy.
Open Paint (Microsoft Office) and paste.
Crop and save as a jpeg image.
Insert as a post and be sure to add a description using key words and a subtle call to action plus one or two consistently used hashtags.
Tips:
Try not to resize or manipulate an image. It will compromise the quality of the graphic.
Limit logo and text additions to 1/5 of the image surface area. Facebook will not allow you to take up more than 20% of the image for branding.
Be consistent with your brand.
Add a call-to-action. Phone or email is best. Either on the image or in the description.
For the text copy - be brief. Keep the theme to the properties personality or the tourism region. Choose a title that is catchy and relevant.
Choose an image that tells a story about your holiday rental or tourism region.
You can hyperlink an image also. This will allow the prospective holiday rentals guest to click on the image and be redirected to a relevant landing page. Maybe your holiday rental digital property profile where they can enquire or book.Try not to redirect your posts to a third party site. You want to keep your prospective holiday rental guests on Your Facebook page, Your website or a place where they can book online.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.
Paid Advertising Is Your Search Engine Optimisation Fertiliser
This is my mango tree. It was a gift from my husband five years ago. In the second year it produced two juicy and delish mangos. This was when we lived in the Perth Hills. It quite liked that environment. We later relocated south of Perth on the coast. Two years with zero yield, and possibly some neglect due to house relocation, raising children and well life in general.This is my mango trees fifth year with our family and this year we produced a bumper harvest of approximately 20 juicy mangos. Finally...success! The hard work paid off and the wait was definitely worthwhile. Without the sun, the water and our time investment the mango tree would not have survived. When we gave it some tender loving care it thrived.Now I could've thrown some fertiliser on this tree but I decided to go organic. So far the results are pleasing. The same could apply to boosting your digital profiles with paid advertising in the form of Google Adwords or Facebook advertising for example. This will naturally speed up the growth process and yield results quicker however this costs money. Consider paid advertising as your search engine optimisation fertiliser.I have a similar approach when I advise owner managers of short term holiday rentals. There is usually a very lean budget for marketing, particularly when you're starting up, so make sure you invest wisely. Start small and grow. This applies to your website and/or social media pages.Choose 20 key words that describe your holiday rental and the local tourism region experience. If your holiday rental is a beach cottage on the Sunshine Coast and is in walking distance to Noosa town and coast then maybe some key words to start with could include;1. Noosa2. Name of your holiday rental3. Holiday4. Accommodation5. Sunshine Coast6. Beach7. Cottage8. Family Friendly9. Self-contained etc...Think about the words that describe your holiday rental type, location and the tourism experience or local attractions close by. Think about what your prospective guest is typing into Google.Apply these key words and phrases to all your content marketing including social media posts, image descriptions and blog articles.The more time you put aside to produce organic content to market your holiday rental the more success you will enjoy.Make sure you have the time and some basic skills. If not, then consider educating yourself or employing someone to assist you. I can customise a remote marketing package 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.
Effective Guest Communication To Grow Your Holiday Rental Business
Your time is precious and so is your holiday rental guests. Upfront, informative, helpful and most importantly friendly and sincere guest liaison is critical. Remember that your guests are doing you a favour by booking your accommodation. You want them to know you are grateful and that you value them. Maintain a positive relationship with them from the moment they make contact to the time you promote a special offer to them 12 months later. You know you will be doing this effectively when you see your mail subscriptions grow and receive positive guest reviews.I've been on the receiving end of some less than professional and rather unfriendly holiday rental managers, when I've made an enquiry. It is unpleasant and will most likely spoil any chance of booking conversion, word of mouth or repeat business.Do you ask your holiday rental guests where they heard about your property? Your guests hold valuable information that will shape the way you manage and market your holiday rental and this can be captured by drafting clever communications.All communications need to be succinct and provide helpful information to save your guests time and to avoid them having to continually make contact to seek information that is not readily available to them - thus saving you time too.This was the seven step communication process I followed when I managed my own holiday rental properties. It is a guide and I welcome any comment from other managers on how they effectively communicate with their guests.1. Booking Enquiry/QuoteThis is your time to shine. Your first communication must provide succinct, easy to find - and digest - property and location information, answer all questions and be friendly. If you don't want smokers or pets in your property, or you have a dangerous fall zone for children, this is the time to make that known.You could subtly throw in a closing comment on how your property stands out from its competitors or mention something exciting that will add value. Eg "we are the only property with a pool bar" or "it's a great time to visit our region with the Food & Wine festival in town that week".2. Booking ConfirmationThis is the communication I forward when the deposit is paid and booking is confirmed. If your guests book last minute you would skip to communication #3.Keep this communication brief. One paragraph thanking the guest for their booking, providing a link (or attachment) to the confirmation, details about when the final payment is due and a note that additional information on the property, location and access will be provided after the final payment is made.Add a note that links to local tourism experiences so you guests can start planning their activities. Visit the guest experience page on the Welcome In website for insight on what I am trialing with Mandurah Holiday Rental managers and grass roots tourism operators in the Peel region of Western Australia.The last line in this communication is so very important. Ask your guest where they heard about you (and keep a record of it). If they don't answer the question make a note to ask again either over the phone or within another one of the emails below. The collective answers to this question from your guests will, in time, determine which marketing activity is most effective.3. Final PaymentThis communication is forwarded to confirm receipt of the guests final payment. Attach a receipt so that those who can claim the accommodation as a business expense don't have to chase you up at a later date. If you are planning to meet and greet in person now is the time to provide the details. Simply say you look forward to welcoming them and what the procedure is. Be friendly. Always be friendly.Provide a link (or attach) to detailed information (house instructions, parking details, location, house rules etc). Your guests will want to know the who, what, when, how and why but do not, under any circumstances, provide key access information until a few days before. This of course only applies when you are not welcoming your guests on site and handing over the keys. Remember to keep copies of all information in a guest file in the property because many guests will forget to bring it with them.Inform your guest that you will send access instructions the day before they are due to check in. Ask them to inform you if they prefer to receive this information by text and request the number.4. Pre- StayThis communication generally goes out day before, or of, check in. If you have a professional Property Management System (PMS) then you can set this up automatically. For others, you'll need to mark these reminders in your diary.This communication is the final welcome with access information. You could add a brief note not to forget your toiletries, consumables or linen if they chose to BYO. And if you want to be super friendly say something like "don't forget your walking shoes. We have some amazing coastal paths in this region" for example. Something fun.Most importantly provide the name and number of your caretaker, remind them to have the house instructions handy and make them aware of any rules including the process for call outs.5. DuringMy rule was, don't bother guests during their stay unless absolutely necessary. Provide all the information they need at their finger tips in the lead up to their stay, in house instructions and within the guest file. They should only need to contact you to tell you the hot water system isn't working or the house is flooding. If you have a concierge service then, of course, make that known.I like to send a text communication in the early evening of their arrival after they've had a chance to unpack, wash up and make a cuppa (see the guest experience page of the Welcome In website for information on what we're trialing with guest welcome packs). All that needs to be said is something like "we hope you're settled in and enjoying yourselves. Don't forget to refer to the house documents for information and links to amazing tourism experiences during your stay. Please send us a quick text once you have checked out so we can let our cleaners know - check out is 10am. Happy holidays, (insert name)".
Then you are going to ask them a question which could be an absolute game changer if you are clever and have your holiday rental has a Facebook business page. This is where you are going to beg them to check in on Facebook and provide the exact name of the page or refer them to your email signature where there will be a Facebook page linked icon.
6. Post - StayThis is another very important communication in terms of marketing. This is the communication that is sent a few days after the guest checks out. Thank the guest one last time for their booking and ask them if they can help you out with four things. The first, link to a short online survey asking them 3 - 5 questions, the second - invite them to subscribe (provide incentives), third - tell them that you would be so very grateful if they reviewed their stay (tell them how - provide links) and lastly invite them to follow your Facebook or other social media pages.7. Subscribe/PromosYou might want to put a reminder in your diary or set up an automatic text to send to your guests a few months down the track. This is for those guests that didn't subscribe or follow your social media pages. One paragraph inviting them to do just that, so they can keep up to date with special offers, is all that is required in this communication.After the last communication is sent I would say you have exhausted all opportunities to grab their long term attention. If you continue to communication to non subscribers past this point you could risk upsetting them and this is not good for business.My closing note refers to the email signature. I would strongly advise you to create one. It puts your brand in front of all prospective and confirmed guests, provides contact information and links to your website and social media pages. It makes sense to end all communications with a professional email signature. A holiday rental is a micro business and so a professional image should be a high priority for all holiday rental managers.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.
Targeted Facebook Engagement for Holiday Rental Pages
Which pages are your target market visiting on Facebook? Think about how your target market is behaving at this time of year. These are the pages you should be engaging with from your holiday rental Facebook page. Like them, comment on a specific post. It might be a school holiday program or maybe you're on the local zoo page. Find the posts of interest and relevance and most importantly that have a decent volume of engagement already.For example, I am looking for a holiday rental for a short break with my family and friends over the school holidays. I am looking at holiday rental Facebook pages, professional holiday rental management Facebook pages, attractions and event pages in the same area.I am looking for places to stay and things to do and I guarantee you there are a lot of families searching for last minute places to stay and things to do this school holidays. These are the pages you need to be engaging with for brand exposure. Each time you like a post the name of your holiday rental Facebook page appears - so remember to put holiday rental and location in your title - as well as the profile picture if you comment on a post.This takes time but I guarantee you will gain some subtle cost effective brand exposure by carefully targeting your Facebook engagement.Don't forget to think about your school holiday special too. Make sure you pick a great image to promote it and boost to your Facebook page followers and consider boosting for a few extra dollars to reach those who are looking in the nearby locations. Remember that there is no point paying to boost a Facebook post or Google Adwords to reach a destination that cannot reach you in time to redeem your special offer. At this point in time you're thinking about last minute specials.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.
Holiday Rental Social Media: 10 Basic Steps
One of the most common questions I am asked is do I manage social media for holiday rentals? While the answer is yes, I can - I like to encourage all prospective clients to build their own skills and have the capacity to learn about social media themselves. I have built up my social media digital marketing skills through my own research and mostly by throwing myself in the deep end and giving it a go.My advice is to start with one page on one channel. Facebook is the global leader of social media channels. Currently sitting at over 1.59 billion monthly users (April 2016: Stastista). It makes sense to start here.Let's break this down into very simple terms and build step by step instructions specifically to set up a holiday rental Facebook business page in Australia;1. Create a Facebook profile page. You will not be able to create a business page until you have built your own profile. Don't spend too much time on your profile if you don't intend to use it.2. At the top right of your Facebook profile page you will see a down arrow, that sits to the right of a lock symbol. Click on that and it will release a drop down menu. Choose Create Page then Local Business or Place and complete all the details by following the prompts.IF YOU HAVE REACHED THIS STAGE YOU ARE DOING VERY WELL!3. Holiday rental logo or Profile Picture. The best fit for the profile picture is your holiday rental logo or whatever you usually use to market your property. This is the main image exposed when you start engaging with other pages. Make sure it is good quality. Blurry and poorly composed images impact negatively on a brand and your brand is your holiday rental. Make sure you use a square or round version of your logo.IF YOU ARE NOW VERY CONFUSED YOU ARE BEST TO SEEK OUT A GRAPHIC DESIGNER. ASK THEM TO SUPPLY YOU WITH AN IMAGE YOU CAN USE FOR YOUR FACEBOOK PROFILE PICTURE. IF YOU'RE STILL CONFUSED CONTACT ME.4. Cover Image. This is the main image that is displayed when a visitor opens up your page. It is like a banner advertisement and is generally landscape orientation. Choose the most powerful property image to describe your holiday rental experience with one look. What is the most dynamic image that tells a story about the experience on offer. Like I mentioned above make sure it is a high quality image. This is the shop front branding for your holiday rental micro business.5. Other Images. Pictures or imagery tells a story. While this page is about selling your holiday rental then you need to carefully choose images that tell a story about your holiday rental experience and again use high quality images. Make sure you add a description for every image and include key words consistently on each. E.g. Indoor Wood Fire: Holiday Rental Name and Location. Start with five images and build your gallery as you become more confident.6. About Tab. Make sure you provide a comprehensive description of your holiday rental especially if you have no website to link this Facebook page to. Include details of main features including property type, size (beds/baths), main features, proximity to major cities/towns or tourist attractions. Any key words you can think of that might get picked up by search engines. Think what a prospective guest might type into Google if they were searching for accommodation in your locality. Add all of your contact information in here. Do not be afraid to hand out your phone number or email. This is how guests will find you and book direct. This is also the place you can link your website if you have one.7. Category. This actually sits within the About tab of your holiday rental Facebook business page. Make sure you change this to holiday rental or vacation rental or hotel. Whatever best describes your business.8. Call To Action. Many overlook this feature but I cannot express how important it is to set up your holiday rental Facebook page Call To Action. This is what prospective guests will click on to make direct contact with you. Ask me how to set this up.9. Content Management. According to Buffer.com we should be posting to Facebook twice a day mid morning and mid to late afternoon. If any of you have time to do this then you are very lucky. For most of us who manage a holiday rental business time is scarce and so start with once or twice a week and build. You can turn to Buffer.com to schedule in advance but don't bother yourself about that now. Information overload will throw you off course. For now think about really relevant content and accompanying images or videos that can accompany your posts. Make sure you throw in essential key words subtly. For example - " Come and warm up next to the {holiday rental name} log fire. Best holiday rental in {location}". With this example you've used the name of the holiday rental, the location, the selling feature but also the words holiday rental which will all get optimised organically. Watch out for a separate blog article on holiday rental content management coming soon.10. Share your page. Well done if you've made it this far on your own without contacting me for help on the way (you can do that you know. I'm actually introducing the Welcome In Holiday Rental Marketing Forum soon where you can pay a small annual fee to access a closed Facebook forum and ask as many questions you like). Look for the three horizontal dots ... which are on the bottom left hand corner of your cover image (you know the one I refer to above which is like the banner advertisement). Click on them and the drop down menu will appear. Choose Share. Choose Share On Your Timeline, add a comment like, "Please like and share my new holiday rental Facebook page through your network. I'd really appreciate the support and who knows you may be interested in booking in in the future:)"...or something along those lines. Alternatively you can invite everyone on your Facebook profile individually. This can sometimes be a little intrusive so try not to do it too often. Only promote your page to your friends once. It can be very annoying when your friends blur the lines between a personal and business friendship. This is social media after all.This is the time when you are promoting your micro business through your network organically without having to pay for the exposure. Paid advertising on Facebook is another blog article which I'll write eventually. It's referred to as Social Media Marketing (SMM) but again don't worry yourselves about that until you have mastered the art of creating your very own holiday rental Facebook business page.I actually find the best way to learn is by identifying examples of best practice. That is my local government background shining through. Why invent the wheel? Have a look at others. Follow a few other holiday rental pages and pick up what they are doing well and trial it yourself. The best holiday rental Facebook pages I have seen have applied a logo and high-quality images. By that I mean not blurry and well composed (which anyone can take these days with a smart phone). They have also posted regularly about the features of the property or the region. Real, interesting and visually appealing content without the hard sell. Sell the experience through true story telling.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.
Are You Waiting Around Wondering Why Your Holiday Rental Isn't Booking?
Digital is an essential ingredient in the holiday rental marketing mix. Whether you like it or not your holiday rental is not getting noticed in a fiercely competitive market unless you are marketing online.Your prospective guests are searching for accommodation online globally. They no longer rely on making a long distant call to the local visitor centre. They jump online, type in your location, followed by "accommodation" or "holiday rental", press enter and bam! The instant list of options appear.If you are not marketing your holiday rental online you will not appear. End of story.So what are your options?a) Continue managing an archaic operation and achieve less than viable occupancy rates and return on investment.b) Invest in training and research and teach yourself to effectively digitally market your property.c) Engage a professional holiday rental manager in your region to take over all aspects of marketing and management. (search our holiday rental property manager directory from the home page).ord) Engage Welcome In to look after the digital marketing and booking administration and retain responsibility for letting the guest in and caring for them while they stay.When you choose to manage your holiday rental you do so because you live close by, are semi-retired and/or want access to the property yourself. By engaging a Welcome In consultant to help you there is flexibility with arranging your own personal access.Ask yourself what you need to earn from your holiday rental to make it viable to retain. If you need to maximise on occupancy and return on investment then it's a smart move to ask a professional for help along the management journey. Someone with the knowledge and skills to navigate complex and varied digital marketing platforms such as a website, Facebook and other social media channels and profiles on the major booking portals including Stayz, HomeAway, AirBnB, Flipkey as well as your local visitor centre.We can tailor a support package to your needs or maybe our $55 digital marketing audit is of interest?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.
Subtly Sells on Social Media
Seriously I've just set foot in your establishment and you're already in my face smothering me with your sales pitch! Call me a control freak but I like to maintain control over my retail experience. Pounce on me the moment I set foot in the place and see me swiftly about face and run in the opposite direction.Social media pages can be amazing tools to build your community of loyal followers but allow prospective guests to learn about your holiday rental through subtle imagery.Focus on building the holiday rental experience as opposed to we have availability this weekend so BOOK NOW!You could mention you offer discounts for last minute bookings or a run free weekend away campaign, to build your following. Try not to do this every week. Not only are you undervaluing your product you are filling your followers feeds with annoying push sales messages that are going to have them run a mile.Social media really is quite different to a shop front so if push sales sends prospective buyers running imagine the damage you are doing to a community of followers who have shown a genuine interest in your product by coming to you in the first place. These relationships are fragile and must be carefully nurtured. Remember you are competing with multiple pages seeking their attention so its not all about you.Holiday rental social media pages should use imagery to describe the property and the experience available in your property as well as the location. Images should be accompanied by a description that focuses on the experience and includes the words holiday rental and the location. You are building a personality for your property. The personality of your holiday rental is the subtle brand for your business.Start by posting twice a week. Take an image of your local farmers market or an upcoming event and share it with your followers with a description about the experience including the words holiday rental and the location. Use hashtags if you must.An image of a bird in a shady tree with a description about how lovely it is to relax in the backyard and listen to the birds - is sure to grab the attention of your holiday rental target market. Add your own personal slant. Don't be afraid to speak in the first person whereby you communicate with your audience as if you were talking face to face. If you believe in the experience it will be easy to sell - subtly.It is a significant investment to go on a holiday so allow your followers to get to know you, your holiday rental experience, the location and then allow them the courtesy of approaching you via the call-to-action button for further information.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.