Natalie 5/15/18 Natalie 5/15/18

Family, Allosaurus & Holiday Rental Facebook Marketing

Before I talk about lean short-term and holiday rental Facebook marketing I wanted to talk about my almost nine-year-old son who has such a thirst for knowledge and he loves to learn about what I do, and well just learn all the time. He devours books like I do cheese and wine!

This week his class created a mini expo and his stand, and presentation was based on the Allosaurus. He was pretty pumped about the event and it went well. After I handed him a book that is far beyond his years but I thought you know what, you're never too young to learn and if you have entrepreneurial interest and ability then I say nurture the heck out of it!

I think my late Dad would be proud that his grandson is following in his, and my, footsteps.

So yes the book that was handed to me by a very special mate aka BFF, best male friend and colleague (you know who you are) is The Lean Startup (Eric Ries) - I purposely haven't hyperlinked to their page from here or from the image (because you should never hyperlink to external pages that take your prospective customer away from your own - Google It :)).

This was around the time that I was invited to contribute to an exciting travel app startup that he was a founder of. This has essentially shaken up my whole approach with projects, business and life in general. I absolutely positively recommend that you get yourselves a copy of this book whatever stage you're at. I actually apply the principals to everything, including my new hairstyle which has been a work in progress for a few months now. Small tests, analyse, pivot, retest, analyse and so on.

At the start of the year, I thought how can I continue to create interesting and relevant content on my Welcome In consulting business Facebook page. Ideally, I'd be writing these blog articles and filling them full of keywords such as short-term accommodation consulting Australia, short-term accommodation marketing, short-term accommodation business development, holiday rental marketing Australia, holiday rental digital marketing Australia, holiday rental business consulting Australia, direct bookings and so on. We all know what we need to do to organically grab the attention of our target market and increase traffic or reach to our social media posts. The dilemma is if we do it ourselves it takes time. A lot of time. And skill and authenticity.

If you're short on time, know you need to be posting to Facebook twice per week, then I suggest a very lean strategy and that is what I developed for the Welcome In Facebook page. It's 365 free tips and tricks in 2018. I'm up to 44. The plan was one per day and well that was near on impossible however I can post a couple on those days too, by way of catch-up.

So this is where I put in my little plug. If you are a short-term or holiday rental operator (owner or manager) you might find following my Welcome In Facebook page helpful, with all my tips and tricks - free!!

Social Media definitely works but I find the most successful campaigns are those which involve real content, that builds a story that is of interest to the target market (for you guys it's the prospective guest). Start with one post per week, keep it brief and make sure each post has a lovely image or video that sells your property, the region and all the other awesome experiences within it. After you have the foundations up and running then you can look at boosting your posts, Facebook Pixel - custom audiences and mostly I find this sort of stuff is best left to the experts and well the experts cost money so chip away with what you can until you can justify the investment.

A few closing recommendations;

Always capture your short-term holiday rental accommodation guests contact details.
Provide Facebook icon and hyperlink to your holiday rental business Facebook page in all communications.
Provide your logo and hyperlink to your website.
Provide links from your website to your social media pages and for visitors to subscribe (free) to a newsletter database.
Re-market to your previous short-term holiday rental accommodation guests but don't do it too often otherwise you'll become annoying. Make sure there is something in it for them to read. Ie subscribers receive 10% off future bookings and/or a free bottle of bubbly on arrival.
Always think about digital marketing integration. Link your email signature with website and social media pages, newsletter subscription page, link website with social media, email subscription, link your social media pages and posts to your website and so on. Interconnecting all opportunities to engage with your target audience.
Don't jump in and invest in sophisticated and expensive social media campaigns until you gain a basic understanding of how it all works.
The content you produce is the best. If anyone tells you any different then they do not have your best interests at heart because you can pay someone to write content for you and boost your posts but will they really know your product and how will you continue to engage your audience when they go.
Consumers are savvy now. They can pick up on paid content with a push sales component. Don't do the big sell with all your posts. This will indirectly happen when you tell your story because followers will like your page and know where to find you if they are keen to book because you will have your call to action in all communications.
The best posts are those like this which are written by you, posted to your short-term holiday rental accommodation website and shared on your short-term holiday rental accommodation social media pages.

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.Have a superb day!CheersNatalie :)

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 :)

Natalie 10/17/17 Natalie 10/17/17

Proactive Short Term Holiday Rental Risk Management to Avoid Disaster

Seriously, those who know me know I am a bit of a worry wart - however, I was raised with good risk management skills. It may have led to some slight anxiety in my older years but I consider myself pretty good at looking out for myself and others by identifying potential hazards. My time spent working in local government leisure/recreation facility management probably helped a little too.So we've just had a storm in southern Western Australia. While normal, quite unusual for this time of year when we'd normally be slapping on some sunscreen and a hat and heading to the beach.A potted succulent tipped over on our balcony and I really did think that our cane lounge was going to be catapulted into the pool. It was obvious those winds were wreaking havoc across the South West.When I dropped my boys off at school today we noticed some fallen branches and one tree had a thick branch snapped, but not fallen. Of course, my parting comment was "stay away from trees for the next few days and report that broken branch to a teacher guys".I have actually walked a bush track and watched a huge tree fall across the path in front of me. And a few summers ago my brother and sister in law's beautiful backyard tree dropped a huge limb onto their children's cubby house smashing it to pieces. Needless to say, they forfeited the magnificent shade and swiftly lopped that tree back to safety. Scary stuff.There are a lot of hidden dangers in and around all homes and it is our responsibility as managers of short-term rental accommodation to assess the risk and prevent accidents and damage to the best of our abilities. For the better good but also you won't be covered by insurance if you aren't proactive with your risk management.Here's a list of a few things you may not have considered;

tree branches falling (be especially vigilant after heat waves and unseasonal storms).
coconuts and palm fronds falling. I think palms are an absolute pain.
fireplaces being over stoked (indoor and outdoor) - you might need to build safety measures into your terms and conditions and house rules.
loose balcony and pool railing giving way after years of wear and tear. Just walk around and give them a wiggle, check screws are tight and look for rust.
stair steps falling away. Even if loose they could present a hazard, particularly for a young child.
slippery surfaces on tiles and in showers and baths.
loose tiles and floorboards.
dilapidated rooves and guttering. A section of our gutter fell down after a storm a few months ago. I was lucky my husband noticed and pulled it down as it was hovering over my car.
exposed asbestos. Best to remove this with a licensed contractor. Always ask to view the license.
leaking gas.
old faulty children's safety equipment - I personally prefer guests to BYO or hire from a professional who takes responsibility for safety and hygiene.
worn electrical chords.
old heaters. Although I am not one for throwing out appliances these days they do not last as long as they used to and it is most definitely better to upgrade regularly. Bar heaters especially worry me. Again make sure you educate guests on safe use in your holiday rental manual.
old bbq's or bbq's that have a big build up of fat. Yes they do catch on fire. I've seen it with my own eyes.
dryer lint cases. Again built the removal of lint before every dry into your house instructions and Terms & Conditions.
fat tray in griller. Educate your guests to clean this after every use or use alfoil to prevent it dripping down then replace the alfoil every time.
I think it's worth a structural assessment on all buildings regularly. Balcony's and rooves fall. Make sure your guests are aware of load capacity for risk areas.

Of course, there are many more risks in and outside of short-term and holiday rental accommodation. Make sure you set up a reporting mechanism for guests to tell you when they notice something isn't right. Walk around your property, look at everything and make a note of all the potential disasters that could happen. Develop these notes into a checklist for yourself or your maintenance staff, conduct checks regularly, action maintenance tasks as a high priority and record everything.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 owners and 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.Cheers, Natalie :)

Natalie Drake-Brockman 4/19/17 Natalie Drake-Brockman 4/19/17

Nominations for the Holiday Rental Industry Association (HRIA) Board close today 19 April 2017

Tell your prospective guest a story about what experience they can immediately immerse themselves in when they arrive at your short term holiday rental accommodation.

A short message reminding niche short term accommodation rental (holiday corporate short stay homes/ houses) stakeholders (owners, managers, suppliers) in Australia that nominations close for the Board of Directors today, 19 April 2017.A few facts;

This is a young national not-for-profit organisation which requires broader representation across all regions in Australia.
You can join as an Associate (free) with no voting rights or member benefits.
Membership starts from $99 per year so it is extremely affordable.
You must be a member to nominate for the Board of Directors therefore you must register here, pay online (and send notification/ payment evidence to the administration) by tomorrow's deadline.
I am considering putting myself forward once again. If you do decide to join and you see my name on the nominee list I would be very grateful for your support.

If I am elected my focus will be on building memberships, member engagement, education and other benefits.I am a national short term accommodation rental business development consultant (Welcome In) based in Western Australia. Here's a little bit more about me.I recently drafted an editorial with my perspective on the impending regulation of short-term rental accommodation in Australia. The decision from the NSW parliamentary enquiry is due to be handed down today (Wednesday 19 April 2017). While this is a focus area of mine I also think it is time the HRIA focus on engaging with members on the grassroots level in communities across Australia.As a HRIA member I am sure you will receive benefits that far outweigh your investment especially if the right people are elected at the May AGM.

I'm also on Facebook! Instagram & Linked In!

Have a superb day!

Cheers

Natalie :)

Natalie 2/23/17 Natalie 2/23/17

Five Tips To Build Your Holiday Rental Accommodation Image Gallery Without Spending A Cent

If you are an owner or manager of holiday rental accommodation in Australia, or anywhere in fact, please read on because there are ways that you can build your holiday rental accommodation image gallery without having to spend a fortune.Professional PhotographyYes, there is a place for professional photography when marketing holiday rentals in Australia. Yes it will cost you money for a professional photographer to take amazing photo's. Mostly the investment is worthwhile however it is vitally important to remember that you are selling an experience, not real estate. You are selling the holiday not the house so be sure to brief your photographer that you are wanting images that capture the unique spaces and experience on offer in your holiday rental accommodation, local tourism attractions and, where possible, ask if they can include human beings enjoying themselves in these special spaces (ie, you, your family, your friends - hiring talent is expensive).Styling is so very important as well. If you are going to the effort of paying a professional photographer to build your holiday rental image gallery then please, please, please make some effort with interior design. You don't have to spend a fortune but this will be the difference between a good image and a dynamic image that converts a booking. Use props where possible such as a vase with fresh flowers, board games, books, throw rugs, cushions, champagne and so forth.Most importantly think of those amazing spaces in your house that scream holidays. A hammock, a quiet nook with a book, the shady outdoor areas, the amazing kids zone, the spa, the incredible tourist attraction down the road or around the corner etc. Try and think what is unique. What your holiday rental accommodation and your tourism region will offer that others won't.Amateur PhotographyThis is where you, as owner/ managers of holiday rentals, can help. There a few ways you can build your image gallery without much effort and without costing you a cent.

Owners: Look through your own photo's and save all that feature your holiday rental or the local experiences nearby. If you have humans in these images ask them for permission to use them for marketing purposes. Seriously save every single one that appeals to you, that evokes a happy memory, that you think tells a story about the property. Save every one of them that ISN'T blurry then forward them to your property manager. If you are the manager of your own property then save the folder as "Image Gallery".
Owners: Ask your friends and family if they have some happy snaps of time spent in your holiday rental. Add them to your image gallery. People like to help. You will be pleasantly surprised. I promise.
Managers: Ask your owners for everything I have mentioned in no's 1 and 2 above.
Managers: Ask your guests to hashtag their happy snaps, check in to the managers Facebook page when they share them and/or email them to you with permission to use for holiday rental marketing communications. Consider running a competition/ promotion (owners - donated accommodation is win win - exposure for you and incentive for participation) to acquire these happy snaps and be sure to ask for permission especially for children who feature in them.
Owners & Managers: Just take photos all the time. When you are feeling the vibe, when you are visiting the holiday rental, when you're staying in it, inspecting it and so forth. Snap away! Digital camera's and smart phones really do capture pretty amazing quality images these days.

So go on then, start sorting, ask for help off loved ones, begging for permission, saving and forwarding those amazing holiday images! Go on, act now - don't delay!The image featured in this article was, in fact, taken by me of my young boys paddling in our magnificent Mandurah waterways on Australia Day. Note - I am not a photographer but I think this is pretty special and an experience that all holiday makers can enjoy when they visit our city.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 owners and 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.Cheers, Natalie :)

Natalie 1/24/17 Natalie 1/24/17

The Perfect Post: Social Media Engagement

Quite simply I can say that building social media business pages, for your short term holiday rental accommodation, is a complete waste of time, energy and money unless you build a page worth following.Here are some tips on how to build content (posts) that your prospective holiday rental accommodation guests or audience are likely to engage with;MAKE AN EFFORTUse images or a design that presents well. No fuzzy pixelated images or film. Presentation is EVERYTHING when you are selling an experience online. In fact presentation is EVERYTHING always.ORIGINALITYSharing other pages posts is like a quick fix or a half attempt to engage. When you share someone elses post where are they going if they click on it? - they won't be visiting your site so they really is no point. Be a little selfish and make a rule that you will only provide links, from your holiday rental social media posts, to your own website. If you must talk about some other external thing then build it into a blog article and provide contact details (not links).INTERESTING"The feeling of a person whose attention, concern or curiosity is particularly engaged by something". (Dictionary.com) Nuff said yeah?!REAL & UNIQUETell the truth about what you're selling. Focus on the experience so the really special spaces in your holiday rental property or the really awesome tourist attractions in your Australian tourism region. Those really unique attributes are what makes you stand out from your competitors.PROMPT ACTIONMake sure you subtly prompt some action by ending your written post with your contact details or a link to your post on your website. Your level of engagement will depend on how you word the written component of your post (copy, text). For example, ask a question to prompt a reaction or engagement (like, share, comment).TIMEA well thought out post is the best post. Trying to whip something up on the run is mostly going to be ineffective. I know because I've tried this approach.ANALYSE Keep an eye on the level of engagement for each post. You want to aim for high organic (unpaid) engagement. So the reach (how many feeds it appears on) and most importantly the number of likes, shares, comments and click throughs. Over time you will realise what works, what your audience are valuing.Of course there are other ways to prompt higher engagement through paid advertising (Social Media Marketing or SMM) or you might consider running a promotion.Something for nothing is quite effective, and enjoyable for most authors. Consider a blog post with tips on the best free public places to visit in your region or where to find the best coffee or the best playground for young children. A link to your own personal blog posts is Da Business! - it doesn't get much sweeter than that.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.

Natalie 12/29/16 Natalie 12/29/16

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.

Natalie 12/21/16 Natalie 12/21/16

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.

Natalie 12/21/16 Natalie 12/21/16

Holiday Rental Reviews & Recommendations Are Really Rad!

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.

Natalie 12/20/16 Natalie 12/20/16

Festive Season Best Wishes To You And Your Guests

Well 'tis the season to be jolly and so if you manage to find yourself a few spare moments (bahahaha), over this absolutely frantic holiday season, then you should jolly well consider sending a little message to your previous guests with Christmas good wishes or at least a Happy Holidays wish (appealing to all including those with non-religious beliefs) .Are other advertising portals offering to do this on your behalf? While this might be nice and convenient for you I would advise you to go out on your own for this promotional activity for the following reasons;

Which brand do you want them to remember when they book your holiday rental accommodation next time? Yours or a global corporations logo?
You can easily forward a short communication to your database (if you have been clever enough to seek out email and other contact details of your guest before, during or after they stay).TIP: Try a quick email with a short message and Christmas/ Happy Holidays graphic, a group text or an actual hand written card by post. I recommend to try building an e-communication in Mail Chimp or similar program. The templates are very professional looking. (this is something I can help you with if you are interested?).

Remember that you must always be looking for opportunities to capture your guests contact information. This contact information should ideally be entered into a contact database for you to communicate direct with your previous guests. Your goal, as a professional holiday rental accommodation manager, is to capture this information so you can encourage any future business to come direct through your own marketing channels.Remember when you draft your communication that while you want to thank your guests for staying in your holiday rental you also want to subtly encourage them to think about booking again and so you'll need a call to action for them to visit your website in some shape or form. Ideally you have a business logo hyperlinked to your website, Facebook and other social media pages, subscription link and most importantly consistent professional looking branding in the signature or footer of your email communication.You do not need to write a novel. A quick note with best wishes and a subtle call to action to prompt a direct booking is what you should aim for. Ie please don't send an email to your previous guests inviting them to book again as your opening statement.And don't forget to include your existing and future guests in your greeting as well.Oh yes, and by the way, wishing you all a safe and fun festive season with all the special people and experiences that complete us as human beings. I am lucky enough to be spending Christmas on the shady and grassy banks of the Mandurah Estuary/ Inlet (Western Australia) on a 35 degree day.We're having an early champagne (adults), pancakes, bacon and maple syrup brunch and then a lazy picnic lunch and paddle in the beautiful waterways that are often frequented by our friendly dolphins. These are my two sons (one standing up, the other with yellow floaties, and their friends having a go on the SUP board in the same spot this time last year).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.

Natalie 12/20/16 Natalie 12/20/16

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.

Natalie 12/16/16 Natalie 12/16/16

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.

Natalie 12/15/16 Natalie 12/15/16

Introducing The Holiday Rental Guest Welcome In Packs

I'm excited to announce the launch of the Welcome In packs. These packs are created with the holiday rental guest in mind. They enhance the guest experience by WELCOM[E]ing the guest and providing tourism INformation in partnership with recommended regional tourism operators/ suppliers.Pictured here is our standard pack. First batch dispatched earlier this year - hooray. Inclusions are changing as we trial and evaluate with the aim to include Australian made/ owner products where possible.I believe the holiday rental guest should still be encouraged to BYO when they stay in holiday rental accommodation. It is difficult to provide a full supply of essential items (which is expected in hotel style accommodation) when stay durations and guest numbers vary and there is no daily house keeping service. I've also heard of the occasional guest cleaning out all supplies in one stay leaving the cleaner or manager having to rush around last minute to stock up.Think of the Welcome In pack as a little extra surprise when they walk in the door, just in case they forgot to bring their supplies or to get them through the first day/night until they seek out the local store to shop local and stock up on their preferred brands.We recently introduced a cleaning pack which includes environmentally and septic friendly laundry detergent, liquid single serve sachets and dishwashing liquid. Something extra you can put out for guests if you don't wish to provide and store a bulk supply in the property.Lastly we aim to source a range of bulk hand wash, toilet paper, tissues and so forth. Those items that can add up when you're ducking off to the shop when your cleaner tells you you've run out. It can be costly to buy these items at retail prices and time is money! Ask me about Who Gives A Crap bulk toilet rolls etc. We have a code to hand out to managers who are interested in supporting a socially responsible Australian company who are doing pretty good things and who have an amazing product. I know, I've tried the loo paper. My favourite is the bamboo!If you're interested in ordering some standard Welcome In guest packs please contact me, Natalie, for further information on 0401 293 841 or natalie@welcomein.com.au. Price will be dependent on quantity and postage will be an additional cost. The first batch will be limited so don't miss out.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.

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