Exist Where Your Prospective Holiday Rental Guest is Searching
This article is for all those holiday rental managers who are serious about turning their holiday rental venture into a high performing and sustainable micro business!Booking Portals & Online Travel Agencies (OTA's) are one part of the full management mechanism. They fall under the advertising portfolio they are not the complete solution. Some will offer their own digital administration tools but beware that the tools they offer will not allow integration with any other booking portal or OTA.Here is a basic checklist of what I would consider the absolute minimum requirement for managing an independent, sustainable and profitable holiday rental business in the year 2016 and beyond;1. Domain: Your domain is your address on the internet. The address that links to your plot of cyber space - your website. www.{insertholidayrentalname}.com.au is an example of a domain. Cost will depend on how popular your name is. By this stage you may have registered your business name and/or applied for a TM license.Domain Hosting: If you want your own website at that address (domain) then you will need to pay for hosting.Email Hosting: If you want to use the domain for your emails you will need email hosting. For example if you wish to use rentals@{insertholidayrentalname}.com.au. Be aware of cheap domain hosting. You get what you pay for. The onshore host providers will cost more (aim for no more than $200 AUD a year for full hosting package) but the support will be far superior and responsive. Note you can have the email hosting without the domain hosting if you choose not to have your own website.Website: Aim for your own website. You do not have to spend a lot of money to build a basic yet elegant and well functioning website. Have a look at the Wordpress custom themes built for holiday rentals and be sure to ask what protection is in place to protect your site from invasion. I learnt this the hard way myself recently. Again you get what you pay for and I've had to consult my programmer to help me protect my own Wordpress built site. Easy to build. Not so easy to secure.2. Online Enquiry/Booking: At the very least make sure you provide a clear call to action on your digital profiles for how a prospective guest can enquire. Phone, email or contact form or all of the above. Ideally you will have online bookings enabled. This will either be semi-automatic (ie booking form that is actually just a booking request) or fully digital integrating your chosen booking widget with your website, social media pages and tapped into the Property Management System (PMS) if you have one. Absolutely ideally your widget has channel management with direct connection to booking portals and OTA's but beware that this is rather costly but is likely to pay for itself and then some in increased revenue. My goodness what a mouthful.3. Social Media: There are many social media channels or virtual communities in the digital sphere now. Facebook, Google +, Linked In, Pinterest, Instagram and so on. I am no expert in managing all social media channels however here are two which I think are essential to exist on if you want prospective holiday rental guests to find you direct.Facebook: If you don't want to build your own website Facebook is the next best thing and you can point your Facebook business page to your domain. It can basically function as your website without the organic optimisation that a website can offer. Building a basic yet high performing holiday rental business Facebook page is a must. There are so many opportunities to engage with your target audience. So many tips I can share with you. Facebook now integrates with most booking and e-news subscription widgets.Google +: You can easily register a Google My Business account and build your Google + page as well as manage Adwords campaigns and location listings. The Google + page is very similar to Facebook. You build your community, you follow pages of interest and engage with their posts to expose your brand. What I really love about Google + is it is highly organically optimised. That means that when you post with keywords and website links you will be found in Google searches.Engagement: Learn how to follow a FB page from your own business FB page, like, follow, comment or share (engage) with posts within that page to gain brand exposure to your target market. Think about where your target market will hang out on social media. What regions they're in, what their interests are. This is where you need to get busy.Learn and list on other social media sites in time. You are better to master one or two channels then move on and introduce others and do it well. Instagram and Pinterest are amazing as visual channels and You Tube is a must if you have video content you wish to share or integrate through your digital network.4. Email signature: Create a signature with your holiday rental brand and all contacts including hyperlinks to your website and social media pages.5. Content Management: Keywords within original content within original posts on your own website and social media channels will help with organic search engine optimisation. Writing blogs takes time. It's an art in itself. You can get away with blog articles doubling as succinct, one article, e-communications - formerly e-newsletters. Turn to Mail Chimp for example to allow online subscriptions and basic, succinct and professional electronic communication templates. Link your blog articles to these communications. Keep them brief. One or two articles with a summary of the story, dynamic image and links to your website for the full read. If you don't have time to learn and/or do this then at least post original content on Facebook and Google. One great image, short blurb with a call to action (subtle sales message - if any) and link to your own website.Remember Zero Booking Branding To Promote Direct Bookings. If you don't get to read my article then just remember each time you provide a logo, widget or a link to an online booking portal from your website, Facebook or other social media pages you are redirecting a prospective guest away from a direct booking with you.For your digital profiles to perform well you will need an identity/brand/personality for your property. Consistent branding across all digital platforms including high-quality images of spaces that sell the unique experience on offer. The trick is to look professional, stand out amongst the crowd while selling a unique homely holiday accommodation experience.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.
Promote Direct Bookings On Your Holiday Rental Accommodation Website
Direct Bookings Not Booking Portal Promotion
Please do not fall into the trap of inserting booking portal widgets (3rd party booking sites/channels branding and links) into your own website or social media pages. They'll offer to allow review feeds or events or anything that will redirect a prospective guest, who lands on your website, to their own website.On your website and social media pages you should only promote yourself. Ideally you don't want to redirect a prospective guest away from your Facebook page with third party content links, from your website with review and other widgets.If you want to build direct holiday rental bookings and remain independent and sustainable you need to make sure third party holiday rental advertising sites logo's/widgets/hyperlinks, aka booking portal brands, do not appear anywhere on your sites.The single biggest error that you can make is linking your holiday rental's booking portal listing from your social media pages or website. I am not sure why any holiday rental manager would redirect a prospective guest to make a booking portal booking when they found them direct in the first place. If you redirect a lead from your website to a booking portal you are driving the price of the booking up (not good for the guest or industry) and you will most probably have to pay for that privilege. Remember every guest of your holiday rental accommodation that books on a third party site is either paying more themselves or you are footing the commission/ subscription fee.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.
Holiday Rental Guest Experience: How Far Do You Go?
I have to confess - I am a bit of a coffee snob. As I approach my 40's I have become rather fussy. I love the sound of coffee bean grinding, the magnificent coffee aroma plunged fresh for the simply amazing brew! It is my focus from the moment I awake. Add a half teaspoon of raw honey and a splash of A2 milk - that's the business!So how do you cater to the needs and wants of your holiday rental accommodation guests? Do you spoil them with the option of freshly grinding organic coffee beans? Tea bags vs leaves? Do you provide fresh or long life milk, in the fridge or out? Raw honey, raw sugar, fake sugar, white sugar - any sugar? Hot chocolate?Your holiday rental guests will arrive from different cultural backgrounds from all corners of the globe. So how do you keep all of them happy and at what cost? Is keeping them happy your responsibility? Or do you supply the bare minimum to get them through the night and until they have the time to visit the local store and seek out their own preferences?We often stock up on Robert Timms coffee bags when we go away. The last holiday rental we stayed in provided the coffee machine but we couldn't work out how to use it and there was no coffee supplied.A viable holiday rental business will ensure all costs are factored in when deciding on rental tariffs however if you have to mark up too much you may not be competitive.I wonder how many holiday rental managers actually consider what they supply and how much importance they place on guest experience? I've recently launched an exciting guest welcome pack. Visit my Guest Experience page for more 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.
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.
Welcome In joins the Holiday Rental Industry Association (HRIA)
Welcome In was developed after I managed my husband and my own portfolio of holiday rentals in Australia. At the time there was very little industry support. I suppose you could say most owners and managers were flying under the radar for fear of non-compliance.I developed our properties from scratch including branding, marketing, administrative systems, policies, templates including house rules etc. I undertook the research myself to find out if we were a) allowed to use our properties for this purpose and b) who our local stakeholders were/ what opportunities existed for developing local partnerships.I was determined to maximise holiday rental guest satisfaction and occupancy, to make this venture worthwhile. I knew that we were taking a risk. For us, it paid off.I developed Welcome In as a resource for owner managers of holiday rentals (corporate or leisure). I provide tips on the set up, administration and marketing including a supplier directory to locate niche short term holiday rental accommodation industry suppliers.In time I heard about the establishment of the Holiday Rental Industry Association and swiftly made contact to become involved. Especially as their main objective was to address regulation road blocks and encourage long term sustainability of an industry that has been around for 140 + years in Australia - that is currently under threat.We urge all owner managers of holiday rental accommodation in Australia to join the HRIA. The benefits will far outweigh the investment. Whilst the Association is tackling regulation as a high priority members can gain access to administrative templates attached to the Code of Conduct, receive member discounts to industry events and connect with other members on a local level. A full list of member benefits, and an online application form, are available on the Holiday Rental Industry Association (HRIA) website.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.
New Short Term Holiday Rental Venture! Where To Start?
So you've purchased a property or have an existing property that you'd like to set up as a holiday rental investment. Where do you start?Welcome In is a fabulous resource for owner/ managers of holiday rentals in Australia. I've been there, done that!... and have some great tips and advice to assist you on this journey.This blog will cover many topics of interest and if I haven't answered your questions in these articles then maybe you'd like to consider engaging our services to tailor a coaching package to get you on track?How are you going to market your holiday rental accommodation? Will you brand the property with it's own quirky name? Our first venture was called The Rocks (Perth Hills). It was actually inscribed on a boulder out the front of the property when we purchased it - no brainer!Do you have an idea of your target market or are you not particularly fussed about who stays in your short term rental? If you are very clear about what types of people you'd like staying in your holiday rental make a note of it. They become your target market segment.Have you made a list of the features of the property? Put the top five at the top of your list. This needs to be captured when marketing your short term rental venture.Do you have a budget for marketing? I'm guessing not really. Why not start with a Facebook page. Facebook is a brilliant resource for owner/ managers of holiday rentals. You can upload high quality images, some property information and your contact details. This is really all you need to start.If you have a brand name for the property maybe spend a little money on developing a logo for marketing purposes. This should be added to your Facebook business page. I can help you source a logo, build your Facebook page...even develop a website for you if you want to head down this path in the future.Best not to spend too much to begin with. You need to test the market and make sure there is a demand for your type of accommodation.I would recommend some online advertising with booking portals such as Air BnB, HomeAway, Stayz, Short Term Accommodation.com.au etc. Just start with one first. You either pay for an advertisement with no commission (you'd need to have your own website though as the ad will link to this) or you pay nothing and the booking portal takes a commission off your booking revenue generated through that site.Ideally you want to focus on becoming sustainable. Put some money aside to buy a domain (web address - reasonable inexpensive), hosting and build a basic website. Eventually you might be able to afford your own booking system which would be embedded into your website. Traffic would then be directed from Google direct to your own property website.Have you thought about insuring your property? Best to be making contact with your insurer and find out more details. There are only a few companies that offer short term accommodation insurance as it can be high risk if not well regulated.Who is going to clean your property? the linen? maintenance? You? If so, you're brave. It's a lot of work. Part time job for a well occupied holiday rental. Think about the increase in power and water usage too. All this needs to be factored into to setting your fees. I can assist you with market research to set your nightly tariff.Will you meet and greet your guests? If not, how will you get the keys to them? Sometimes engaging a professional contract manager specialising in short term accommodation management can save you time and money in the long run. Again, factor this into your fees. You need to cover your costs.Contract/ professional/agent holiday rental managers are a wealth of information. They should step you through this process.If you want to do this on your own then maybe I can assist you on this journey. I really do have a great insight into the short term holiday rental in Australia. I'm aware of the Holiday Rental Industry Code of Conduct, accreditation opportunities and much more. I have myfinger on the pulse of this niche industry.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 Aware of Holiday Rental Industry News & Trends?
All good business operators take the time to keep up to date with industry news and trends. The national Australian Holiday Rental Industry Association (HRIA) drafts an e-newsletter each season to keep you well informed.Welcome In is a member and we encourage all stakeholders, including owner managers of holiday rentals in Australia, to connect."The Holiday Rental Industry Association is a professional member based industry organisation with the following objectives:
raise awareness of the holiday rental industry;
make representations to Government at Local, State and Federal levels;
liaise with key stakeholders; and
implement an industry Code of Conduct."
The most recent news item: NSW Parliamentary Committee To Consider Short Term Rentals is worth a read.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.