The Minefield Of Short Term Holiday Rental Digital Marketing
I remember when I listed our first short term rental property on Stayz almost a decade ago. I was so excited to see the inquiries and bookings rolling in. It didn't take long to realise that we had a real chance of success.I can shoot off a list of booking portals that you could list with. Most of them will probably generate bookings. Some more than others. These include FlipKey (TripAdvisor), Villas.com, Booking.com, Stayz, HomeAway, Wotif, Gumtree, AirBnB. The list goes on and the market is highly competitive. Most will allow you to list with them free of charge and they'll take a commission for all booking revenue.While you will get swept up in the number of bookings and the amount of revenue generated from these sites what would happen if any of them closed for business permanently? How else will you be marketing your property and how will your business remain sustainable into the future?Think about it as a growing business starting from the grass roots level. You'll want to tell your friends and family and ask them to spread the word that you have a fabulous holiday home available. You may consider sending an email to your contacts. You may also consider drafting a flyer to promote your short term rental.Ask yourself what information you will include in that email, that flyer or business card? Will you provide a web address/domain which provides more information to prospective guests?If you do not have a website for your holiday rental I urge you to consider it. There are some very basic and affordable websites available for purchase nowadays. The templates are user friendly and professional.If developing a website still remains in the too hard basket then at least develop a Facebook business page and link to it from a web address/domain. This allows the prospective guest to find information on your holiday rental through Google, click on the link which will then take them to your Facebook page which should have all the information they need including your contact details to make an enquiry.Once you've taken some professional images of your property and developed a digital/online presence (website and or Facebook page) then I suggest it's time to draft a succinct flyer and business card. Make sure your branding is consistent. Use similar font types, sizes and colour and even consider naming your short term accommodation venture. Build a very basic brand and personality for your short term rental.So by this stage you have your flyer and your business card which directs prospective guests to a website and/or Facebook page which provides more detailed information on your short term accommodation. Information that can be shared amongst their own networks. Information that could potentially go viral...organically.Once all your operational procedures are in place and your holiday rental is fitted out you are pretty much ready to start advertising. Before you follow the urge to list on the major booking portals mentioned above we suggest you start building a stakeholder list. Under "tourism" find out the following;a) which tourism region do you fall under? in Western Australia we call them Regional Tourism Organisations. These sit under Tourism WA but operate as their own independent entities. Within these RTO's are sub regions. These are usually the one you should be affiliated with and will be attached to some form of Visitor Centre that will have an online presence and a place to advertise your short term rental.b) what the name of your local government authority is. They will normally work with the local visitor centre. Most local governments fund visitor centres. There may be some rules to keep in mind for setting up and operating a holiday rental venture. Be sure to familiarise yourself with the local laws and planning requirements.c) your state tourism organisation and advertising opportunities.d) same with the federal tourism organisation which is Tourism Australia in Australia. They will provide information on how to become an accredited tourism operator as well.e) there will be a number of local community based tourism organisations. Ask your local government who they are and how you can connect with them. Networking on a grass roots level will be so good for your business development and you may find that locals love renting out your property for their family and friends who visit outside of the region. These are the guests you are wanting as they will come back again and again if you give them an experience they won't forget and a level of service they will appreciate.Remember to have a great booking procedure in place. Preferably automated through your own website but this can be costly. If not make sure you are only maintaining one calendar or if you must manage several be very organised to avoid double bookings. There really is no room for error if you are wanting to provide a quality holiday rental accommodation experience for your guests.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.
Give Your Guests The Gifts Of Regional Tourism Information
Do your short term accommodation guests/ prospective guests have an easy way of finding local experiences in your tourism region? Consider providing this information in your confirmation emails, on your website, on your Facebook and other social media pages and in the property short term accommodation guest folder.
Make short term accommodation tourism information readily available for your prospective guest. This might close the deal in terms of them choosing your property and/or location over another.
Consider linking to the new international events site Triplify.com. These guys are Aussie born and bread. They'll Amplify Your (guests) Trip by showing them What's on When They're There! Contact Triplify direct about adding a link or widget to your online short term accommodation property profile.
We have many grass roots community based tourism marketing tips for your short term accommodation. Visit our manage page and consider subscribing (free) to our monthly e-communication. It's a great way to network with other owner/managers of short term accommodation in Australia.
Network/Partner With Your Community Based Tourism Stakeholders
Do you know whether there is a local community market close to your short term accommodation in Australia? There are quite possibly a number of them in different localities in your tourism region. Try looking up a local market on Markets Online or contact your Local Government Authority or Visitor Centre.
Do you know where your local Visitor Centre is? Are you a member? They often support and promote short term accommodation in Australia. It's worth connecting with them in some capacity and they may be interested in providing Australian tourism brochures in your accommodation or in electronic form linked from your website.
Are you tourism accredited in Australia? If not, it's worth looking into this and then you can promote your short term accommodation through Tourism Australia and other state and regional tourism organisations in Australia.
Maybe there is a regional short term accommodation stakeholder group. Contact the Holiday Rental Industry Association. They are reasonably knew on the scene and they are forming locality based groups to assist with industry regulation and owner/manager support.
Why not help each other out. Maybe you could provide a link from your Facebook page or website to the local community market and ask them to do the same for you in return.
Personally I love seeking out the local community market when my family and I travel and stay in short term accommodation in Australia. It's the best way to see the heart of the town and experience the local culture which is unique in each amazing place in Australia.
Why not subscribe to the Welcome In e-communication. It's free and we'll give you tips on managing your short term accommodation in Australia, industry news and other niche short term accommodation industry information.
We also offer coaching packages for short term accommodation owner/managers. Contact Us for a chat and quote. Visit our manage page for further information or to access our supplier directories.
How Are You Leveraging off Major Holidays & Events?
Whether you believe in the American tradition of Halloween, or are turned off by the materialistic consumer driven motivation behind the special event, it is still a major draw card for you in terms of attracting guests to stay in your holiday rental.Some of your local tourism stakeholders will be planning events around Halloween. Do you know how to find these events and how to get your short term accommodation noticed? We've just developed a Welcome In Mandurah Facebook page to improve the livability of our hometown and this is a great way to find out what local businesses are up to and sharing it with you audience.If there are inbound tourists visiting your region you can bet that they are searching for accommodation to attend an up coming event. It may not be a Halloween event. This is just an example.Familiarise yourselves with all the major events that are going on in your region and list this information on your short term holiday rental accommodation website, your social media pages, run promotions, talk about the events, engage with your audiences using particular events as a top of conversation.Your regional Visitor Centre is the best place to start. Our friends at Triplify are also developing an amazing event database in Australia, and globally. Keep checking on them to identify events that can assist with your short term holiday rental accommodation marketing.We've been busily pinning some Halloween decorating ideas on our Pinterest page. Some more inspiration for you...a bit of fun for you and your guests.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.
Community (Farmers) Markets Are The Lifeline To Future Economic/Tourism Sustainability: Promote Them To Your Guests
I love a bustling, vibrant community market. I can't think of a better way to spend part of my weekend gathering with friends and family and the larger community (my own or someone elses) at a community market.
According to the report (June 2014) released by the Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation (Australian Government), Understanding the Characteristics of Australian Farmers' Markets;
Farmers’ markets provide an avenue for consumers to access a range of seasonal, fresh, raw and value added food. Consumers who shop at farmers’ markets are attracted to the perceived or real quality and freshness of the products. There is no doubt that there are several consumer trends that present opportunities for farmers’ markets, particularly those farmers’ markets that can offer local, fresh and seasonal produce as well as a relationship, that more and more is a factor largely affecting consumers’ purchasing decisions.
Some of the benefits highlighted in the Report. They;
“provide an alternative avenue for consumers and communities to access fresh, local, seasonal and nutritious food
provide a viable avenue for farmers to sell their produce
can help to encourage enhanced community wellbeing and improved health
revitalise community economy and assist regional development
promote regional and local agriculture
can play a role in revitalising towns, regions and public spaces
create a positive informal learning environment for people to learn and connect with food, how it is grown and its health qualities
enables community leadership
can help raise money for community organisations”
As a leisure manager/community developer by trade (People Projects - Community Development Consulting) I have a real passion for the development of sustainable community farmers markets that are valued by locals and visitors to unique and amazing communities around Australia.
On our Facebook page we are asking our audience if they know whether a local community farmers market exists, how much it is valued and if owner/managers of short term holiday rental accommodation in Australia promote these community based tourism events to their guests?
As I always mention in my articles, we love seeking out these community events when we visit places in Australia or overseas. These community markets are a way of getting to know the local Australian community culture and people. They demonstrate a high level of community connectedness particularly if they incorporate arts and culture and create an amazing vibe for visitors or locals.
I hope to lift the profile of community (farmers) markets in every unique and amazing Australian community and demonstrate how valued markets can lift a local community and be the catalyst for increased numbers to the locality and boost local economies.
If you are a short term accommodation/ holiday home/ corporate short stay property owner or manager in Australia please consider providing us information on your local community markets. We'd be happy to list them (no charge) on our consumer directory so that guests in your properties can search for unique and amazing community based tourism experiences.
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.
Guest Feedback Is Gold
Many of us just can't add another task into our day. We're so busy juggling work and family life. It's difficult to know what to put our time an energy into and whether this investment pays off in the short and longer term.
When we started renting The Rocks short term accommodation in Perth Hills we decided to put a guest book in a prominent place near a stack of tourism brochures. What a great investment of time it turned out to be. One of these days I will sort through our guest feedback emails and compile all comments into another blog entry.
The feedback from our short term accommodation guests was used in all our promotional material. A personalised marketing touch that only told the truth of what other prospective short term accommodation guests could expect when they stayed in our holiday home.
This feedback also allowed us to shape the way in which we managed the property. As with all short term accommodation ventures you have to receive feedback to know if your guests have been comfortable during their stay.
Using the short term accommodation guest book is not the only way to gather this feedback though. Consider giving them a call or email during their stay to determine if they are comfortable. We asked our guests for feedback when we confirmed the return of their bond.
There is also online feedback programs built into short term accommodation booking platforms. You may also consider building in this function into your Content Management System if you have a website for your short term accommodation - highly recommended.
The more figures, statistics and feedback you document and refer to the more effective your management will be, the more satisfied your guests will be and before you know it your Australian short term accommodation property will be in demand from repeat customers or word of mouth.
It turns out The Rocks experienced an average 75% occupany and a number of these bookings were repeat customers. We were doing something right with our management of our short term accommodation.
For more tips and ideas or to search for niche short term accommodation industry suppliers please visit our Manage page and consider subscribing with Welcome In - Short Term Accommodation specialists (free of charge).
Create Ambience To Market Your Property
We've just started a Pinterest page and one of our boards is titled "Create Ambience and Stand Out".
We've been collecting lovely images of properties who have that winning feature. The one that property managers simply must use as their main property image to entice the prospective short term accommodation guest to choose their property over others on the list.
And this doesn't have to be an expensive exercise. Check out this lovely image. I just want to jump in that bath. It looks simply divine.
If you don't have time or money to create that winning short term accommodation feature then think about what makes you love your short term accommodation. Is it the wood fire, the outdoor heated spa, the lovely shady backyard fenced ideally for young families, breathtaking views etc.
Maybe it's a peaceful reading nook. A place to hideaway for a short while and indulge in a novel. It might be beautifully lit by the sun. Take a photo of it. Capture the ambience that this space creates.
Soon we'll have our partner Top Snap write about the importance of capturing beautiful professional images to market your property.
Pinterest is a great place to find inspiration. We hope you'll check out our page.
Create Ambience So Your Holiday Rental Stands Out
I started a Pinterest page and one of my boards is titled "Create Ambience and Stand Out".I've been collecting lovely images of properties who have that winning feature. The one that property managers simply must use as their main property image to entice the prospective short term accommodation guest to choose their property over others on the list.And this doesn't have to be an expensive exercise. Check out this lovely image. I just want to jump in that bath. It looks simply divine.If you don't have time or money to create that winning holiday rental feature then think about what makes you love your holiday rental. Is it the wood fire, the outdoor heated spa, the lovely shady backyard fenced ideally for young families, breathtaking views etc.Maybe it's a peaceful reading nook. A place to hideaway for a short while and indulge in a novel. It might be beautifully lit by the sun. Take a photo of it. Capture the ambience that this space creates.Pinterest is a great place to find inspiration. I hope you'll check out the Welcome Ino page.
Consider Engaging A Professional Property Manager For Your Short Term Rental
I know it's a very idealist thought to own and manage your own short term rental, preferably close by so you and your loved ones can share the load. Almost utopic really. From our experience this is not necessarily so.Managing holiday rentals is a lot of hard work. It takes a team of committed people to run a small business and that is exactly what a short term holiday rental venture is. Sure it could be a great lifestyle business but only if you and your team have time spare to throw into managing your holiday rental accommodation in Australia.Don't get me wrong, it can be done, and we did it with our properties. We just didn't really have much of a life when we were and stress levels were particularly high when we attempted to manage our holiday rental properties from afar. We were living in Queensland and owner managing our short term accommodation properties in Perth, Western Australia.I think give it a go while remaining realistic about how much time you need to put into this micro business. You'll need to think about cleaning and linen, maintenance, advertising, administration just to start.You can list your holiday rentals and accept bookings remotely through sites such as Stayz or HomeAway, Short Term Accommodation.com.au. Just be mindful that not everything runs smooth. You will have guests that ring you at all hours with dramas such as power outages, broken dishwasher, need more linen, spa broken, pool overflowing, tree branch fallen and so on. I am not kidding you will be surprised how needy some guests are. We really do love every guest though:)As our lives become busier growing our family and moving around with work we decided to employ professional holiday rental property managers. Sure, we paid good money for their service (can be up to 30% commission for short term accommodation property managers), but we feel its been worth it. You may need to shop around though and if you have a portfolio of properties don't assume that one property manager is the best fit for all your short term accommodation ventures. Some will know specific markets better than others - this definitely applies if you have one corporate short stay versus one holiday home investment property in Australia.Contact us to connect you with a professional holiday rental manager in Australia.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.
Use Your Guest Book Comments To Market Your Short Term Hoilday Rental In Australia
We always make an effort to leave guest comments in the guest book in short term accommodation rentals in Australia. It's just the polite thing to do - to give the property managers that positive feedback. It's the Australian way. It's just nice to make that effort so property managers of holiday rentals in Australia have that confirmation that they're providing a great service.You'll find many holiday rental booking portals will have an electronic guest book. Make sure you use it and copy all the comments over to your own hard drive. We've saved all our feedback emails from holiday rental accommodation guests from our holiday home in the Perth Hills. It's really great to read over the guest book and trawl through many emails providing us amazing guest feedback.If you are a property owner or manager of short term accommodation Australia I advise you to invest in a guest book. Leave it in a prominent place, next to your guest file. Encourage guests to leave their feedback before and after their stay. You'll find most guests who've had a great stay will go out of their way to find your guest book and leave feedback.We're researching who the best holiday rental guest books suppliers are in Australia. Stay tuned while we upload their details to our holiday rental directories.Check out our Pinterest page Guest Comments for innovative ways to collect short term accommodation guest feedback - inspired from weddings and other holiday homes around the world.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.
Prospective Holiday Rental Guest Online User Experience
It is likely that each guest that enquires about your property has already visited a number of sites to reach you. You may have a property manager acting on your behalf or you may be owner managing your Australian holiday rental accommodation property. Either way, make sure you reduce the number of steps it takes for the prospective guest to actually book and secure your accommodation.We are so time poor these days. I become increasingly frustrated with a site I visited the other day to purchase a bag for my son. I clicked and clicked and finally came to a registration page and they requested so much information off me. I was distracted by my son asking for something to eat, and then he dropped it on the floor and before you knew it I gave up. I ended up buying that bag in my local shopping centre a few days later.If you will not allow email then ask them to provide their email and a brief question on what they are after. Make it easy for prospective guests to get an answer from you. If you make them wait longer than a day you are likely to lose their business. Personally a phone call is appreciated by so many so consider a free call number or just take the risk and provide your name and mobile number....and answer it. Leaving a message is another link in the chain for prospective guests.Provide as much information as you can with some lovely images of your holiday rental accommodation. A picture tells the story. Don't hide information or be dishonest. It will only threaten your reputation. Focus on the best features and sell your town/city and all it has to offer.If you are really confident about automatic bookings, ie - you don't want to screen your guests, then build in an automatic bookings system. You will have to outlay some $$$ to buy it but it will save you time and grab that prospective guest right when they are feeling great about booking their holiday and staying in your holiday rental. You can even set up the booking system but still have the option to screen your guests before all is confirmed.There are a range of Property Management Systems (PMS) and Booking Engines.Of course this only works if you have your own website, which I encourage by the way. For a small outlay you can build a profile of your short term holiday rental accommodation in Australia online so prospective guests can reach you direct.If you choose not to have your own holiday rental website and rely on booking sites then be prepared to manage multiple calendars and enquiries and pay out commissions and booking fees.If you employ a property manager to do this on your behalf, ask if they have bookings available from their site and ensure they have a lovely profile of your property on their website and offer to provide images and information to ensure they are presenting your holiday rental property to it's full potential!Visit our Manage page for more tips and to search for industry suppliers.If you would like me to conduct an audit of your digital profiles and user experience please make contact.
Make Information Readily Available And Booking Easy For Prospective Guests
I'm guessing each guest that enquires about your property has already visited a number of sites to reach you. You may have a property manager acting on your behalf or you may be owner managing your Australian short term accommodation property. Either way, make sure you reduce the number of steps it takes for the prospective guest to actually book and secure your accommodation.
We are so time poor these days. I become increasingly frustrated with a site I visited the other day to purchase a bag for my son. I clicked and clicked and finally came to a registration page and they requested so much information off me. I was distracted by my son asking for something to eat, and then he dropped it on the floor and before you knew it I gave up. I ended up buying that bag in my local shopping centre a few days later.
If you will not allow email then ask them to provide their email and a brief question on what they are after. Make it easy for propsective guests to get an answer from you. If you make them wait longer than a day you are likely to lose their business. Personally a phone call is appreciated by so many so consider a free call number or just take the risk and provide your name and mobile number....and answer it. Leaving a message is another link in the chain for prospective guests.
Provide as much information as you can with some lovely images of your short term accommodation. A picture tells the story. Don't hide information or be dishonest. It will only threaten your reputation. Focus on the best features and sell your town/city and all it has to offer.
If you are really confident about automatic bookings, ie - you don't want to screen your guests, then build in an automatic bookings system. You will have to outlay some $$$ to buy it but it will save you time and grab that prospective guest right when they are feeling great about booking their holiday and staying in your house. You can even set up the booking system but still have the option to screen your guests before all is confirmed.
Consider Genkan, a Welcome In partner. "GENKAN is a total, "end to end" online holiday rental, villa property management solution for Real Estate agents specialising in holiday property management and reservations. This style of software solution is often referred to as CRM or Customer Relationship Management. With integrated trust accounting, GENKAN features email and SMS marketing, back office, housekeeping, client booking manager and property owner management functionality plus much more."
Of course this only works if you have your own website, which we encourage by the way. For a small outlay you can build a profile of your short term accommodation property in Australia online so prospective guests can reach you direct.
If you choose not to have your own short term accommodation website and rely on booking sites then be prepared to manage multiple calendars and enquiries and pay out commissions and booking fees.
If you employ a property manager to do this on your behalf, ask if they have bookings available from their site and ensure they have a lovely profile of your property on their website and offer to provide images and information to ensure they are presenting your short term accommodation property to it's full potential!
Visit our Manage page for more tips and to search for industry suppliers.