Last Updated on September 29, 2017 by Nicholas Ho
It is a common story. You have just acquired or built your dream holiday home. The home is beautiful and would please most people who decide to stay there. The long-term plan is to rent out the holiday home when it is not used by your family and have the extra rent pay the remaining mortgage.
You decide to list it with it in Airbnb, Stayz, the local agent. Unfortunately the market is crowded and there are 150+ other houses also available to rent in the area. You then venture out to creating a Facebook page and and maybe some other venture out to other social media but this does not seem to make a difference.
At this stage you have two options.
- Status Quo – which could mean potentially losing money on your holiday home investment
- Engage in an ‘Active’ marketing program – If you take action you are more likely to generate leads over a ‘passive’ property listing program.
This article will outline some elements of the basic elements that we have successfully implement to increase the number of bookings for Holiday Home customers.
Tips To Increase Bookings For Your Holiday Home
Here are some of our tips
Get a quality website.
The biggest drawback of property listing websites is that the listing all tend to look the same.
With your own website you can include extra information to make your property stand-out
– include information a video of your property
– include a directions map or a things around map
– have your own High Definition photo gallery
– include a virtual tour
The other aspect your own website can open up include
– SEO – being found on Google
– Use methods such as Google AdWords or Facebook Advert to lead the viewer directly to your property
– Highlight features such as the “beachfront” or “bush setting” and be found for these features. Not Just location.
Having a well executed website can generate the extra traffic needed to generate more leads and bookings.
Photography. Have a professional photographer take the photo, it makes a huge difference. Make sure the property and location are the heroes of the shot.
Things to concentrate on when you take a photo
– Always have a ‘Hero Shot’ in mind
– Take the photo at daybreak, the light tends to illuminate the subject in this light. Also try sunset
– Don’t take photos at Midday
– Don’t include too many props (Vases, Flowers etc) in the photo and make sure the props are not the subject
Holiday Home Website Design considerations. The design should allow for High-Resolution photos, be nicely laid out, use simple colors and be mobile friendly (maximizing usability while viewers are commuting or in a social setting).
Offer useful information. Where is the closest takeaway, supermarket, liquor store and attractions? Shoppers need to feel like they are being looked after. Provide maps, photos, links to other websites.
Have a social media plan – you need to keep posting. Exchanging information like best places to stay or holiday experience is largely done by word of mouth.
Hire a Digital Marketing / SEO professional. Now that you have a website you need to start ranking it. The investment is a good ranking website will easily pay for itself once you receive some bookings.
