Vacation Rental Owners Blog

5 Ways to Convert Your Email Subscribers to Facebook Fans

Posted: 01 Apr 2013 02:00 AM PDT

Your vacation rental business and your email list have grown hand-in-hand; you have a focused distribution list of people who know you, like your property, and have given you permission to stay in touch.

When launching a Facebook Page for your vacation rental, the people on your email list are exactly the people you want to click the "Like" button. But how do you get them to do so?

1. Tell them about it

Your fans will "Like" your Page if you give them the right incentive. For example, will you

Organize the contests?
Promote last minute deals,
Share insider tips for local attractions?

Offer more than "like us, we're on Facebook" by telling people what you plan to share and why it's a benefit to them.

2. Ask them to join in

One of the benefits of social media is the ability to interact with your guests. Invite them to participate by encouraging activities like

sharing favorite travel memories
asking questions about the area or your rental property
posting their favorite photos to your Page
leaving a recommendation for you

People like to be involved, so give them an opportunity to do so.

3. Include links and a "call to action"

Newsletter templates include a spot to link to your Facebook page, so don't forget to add it. And make sure the link to your Facebook Page gets a mention in all your emails — either in a specific call to action, or as a link in your email signature.

A good call to action (i.e. a phrase that prompts readers to do something specific) will quickly tell people the value of liking your Page.

4. Share highlighted posts

In your newsletter or promotional emails, share highlights from your Facebook Page:

Popular items you've shared,
Recommendations posted by other guests, or
Other interesting comments.

This reminds people you have a Page and provides a glimpse of the information they're missing out on.

5. Import your email list

Your Facebook Page has some built-in features that can help you grow your Page; one of them takes advantage of your email list (as long as you have fewer than 5,000 "Likes").

You'll find these tools in the Admin panel of your Facebook Page under "Build Audience" > "Invite Email Contacts…". Then, just follow the prompts to import your list and distribute invitations to "Like" your Page.

Bonus: Contests and hidden content

Surprised not to see contests higher on this list? There's a reason why. As an example, here's a common Facebook contest:

Fans submit photos,
Entries are voted on through "likes" (i.e. the photo with the most "likes" wins), and
The winning photo is used as the Page's cover photo for the next month.

What's the problem? These contests break Facebook's contest rules, which could result in these Pages being unceremoniously deleted. There are still ways to host contests, but you must use a third-party app like Wildfire or ShortStack.

You can also use third-party apps to share "hidden content" that's only available to people who've liked your Page. For example, if you have a printable local guide, you can use it as an incentive to encourage people to like your Page.

What have you done to encourage people to make the leap from your email list to your Facebook page?

photo credit: misspixels

Monday, April 1, 2013