Saturday, August 31, 2013

Vacation Rental Owners Blog

Vacation Rental Owners Blog

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What Are You Missing? Ideas To Give Your Marketing A Boost

Posted: 31 Aug 2013 09:00 AM PDT

"Graveyard lemonade stand" by Nina Frazier on Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)You know you have a good thing going: Your guests are happy, the bookings are coming in.

But you can't help but feel that you're not quite there yet; you feel like your vacation rental could be doing better, but something hasn’t clicked yet.

What's the missing link?

Here's a look at some of the ideas we’ve shared to help you tackle three common issues: Not enough inquiries, not enough bookings, and not enough income.

Not enough inquiries

What's your number one source of inquiries: a specific listing site? Your own website? Craigslist? (If you're not sure, consider tracking this information going forward.) Understanding where your guests come from can help you prioritize where you spend your time and money.

Listing sites

Website

Other advertising

  • If you haven't tried Craigslist yet, give it a chance! Ads are free, and with all the information you’ve pulled together for your website and listings, it should be pretty straightforward to create an ad to be posted.
  • Consider starting an email newsletter for both past and potential guests. A newsletter is a great way to stay in touch with people who already know and like and your vacation rental, so give them opportunities to come back and tell their friends about you.

Not enough bookings

Travelers send an average of seven listing inquiries before booking, and there are any number of reasons that influence whether you are or are not the "winning" vacation rental.

Matt Landau, of the Vacation Rental Marketing Blog, did an exercise where he went back to people who'd sent inquiries and didn’t book to ask them what he could have done differently.

Are there gaps in the way you respond to inquiries?

  • Try to customize your response. Adding a personal touch to the way you connect with guests can help you get bookings and secure great reviews later.
  • Being prepared and responding quickly can make a significant difference; following up within one hour can make it up to seven times more likely that you will score that reservation.
  • Test auto-responders. Auto-responders are emails that are triggered when an inquiry comes in. If you can balance a standardized email with helpful information, and auto-responder can be a reasonable first step to take, until you're able to connect more directly in person.

Not enough income

If inquiries are coming in and you're consistently booking reservations, but your income still seems to fall short, you'll need to review both your income and expenses.

The vacation rental market varies from one area to the next; try to connect with other owners in your area so you can build your connections and share notes. They may have good advice to share, and understanding what's going on with other homes in your area can provide insight into the highs and lows of your own business.

For more inspiration, check out 10 Minute Marketing, a presentation packed with easy-to-implement and often overlooked marketing ideas I co-presented at this year's HomeAway Summit.

How have you adjusted when business wasn't quite as good as you thought it should be? Did you adjust what you were already doing, or try something entirely new? Tell us about it in the comments below!

photo by Nina Frazier
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Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Vacation Rental Owners Blog

Vacation Rental Owners Blog

Link to Vacation Rental Owners Blog |

New Features Help Expand Your Reach on Facebook

Posted: 27 Aug 2013 09:30 AM PDT

"Facebook Beachfront" by mkhmarketing on Flickr (CC BY 2.0)This summer, Facebook has rolled out a number of marketing tools that can help expand your reach and attract new people to your vacation rental – without paid advertising.

Graph Search and hashtags have the potential to drive people to your Facebook Page through relevant information that's being shared on the network.

A third feature that just launched – the ability to embed Facebook posts onto other websites – means that, especially if you have your own website, you can draw people into your Facebook content without them ever leaving your site.

Graph Search: showing up when it matters

Graph Search, currently only available to English speakers, changes the whole dynamic of finding information on the world's largest social network.

The scope of these search filters is impressive; they allow you to sift through your Facebook friends by various details, from favorite movies to marital status or hometown. The idea is to put the collective interests of your friends – and others who share your preferences – at your fingertips.

Graph Search only works for personal connections; you can't use it to “deep dive” into the preferences of people who’ve liked your Page. But you do want to make sure your Page shows up when people are looking for related information and inspiration.

Right On – No Bull Marketing compiled a helpful list of things you can do to optimize your Page. Here are the three I suggest you start with:

  • Set your location: Whether tagging their photos with your location or “checking in”, location is a key element of Graph Search. If you haven't added your vacation rental's address to your Page, it won't show up.
  • Add topics to your Page: Review your Page Info and add as many as three relevant topics. "Vacation Home Rental", your location, and your primary niche (i.e. “leisure”) are a few possibilities to get you started.
  • Add photos, and encourage people to share their photos with you: Sharing photos is a great thing to do on your Facebook Page regardless, but Graph Search makes it even more important because the more photos connected to your property (posted by you, or tagged with your location), the more those images will show up in search results.

Hashtags aren’t just for Twitter

Hashtags – a keyword preceded by # – are most commonly used on Twitter, but they didn’t originate there and other social networks use them, too; they're an easy way to connect related posts.

Now, hashtags are available on Facebook. An update tagged with “#LakePlacid”, for example, is instantly linked to other posts with the same tag: personal photos and status updates, posts from local businesses, tourist information.

When used, it can be a great way for people to discover you. Unfortunately, use of hashtags seems to be pretty low at the moment; people may be using them in their posts, but few people are actually clicking on them. Regardless, adding relevant hashtags isn’t a bad habit to get into.

  • Pick a few keywords for your vacation rental that make sense as hashtags. They should be common words, like a location name; acronyms and abbreviations will be too obscure for someone who doesn’t know to look for them.
  • Adding a # to the beginning of your keywords, search for them on Facebook. Are people and other businesses using them? Start by using more active hashtags.
  • Check the Facebook mobile website (not the app) on your smartphone for trending topics. This is only being tested with a portion of Facebook mobile users, but it could provide interesting ideas. Sharkweek, for example, was a trending topic earlier this month; some vacation rental owners could have had fun working that into updates!

Embed your Facebook posts where you want ‘em

A small but useful new feature allows you to embed posts from your Facebook Page on your website.

“When embedded, posts can include pictures, videos, hashtags and other content,” Facebook explained. “People can also like and share the post directly from the embed.”

You could use embedded posts to share

  • guest reviews
  • photos (a great way to build momentum for Graph Search!)
  • popular discussions

Embedding posts is a small thing (and relatively easy to do) that will help you bring your different online marketing efforts together.

Is Facebook an active part of your vacation rental marketing? What do you think of these changes? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

photo by mkhmarketing
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Saturday, August 24, 2013

Vacation Rental Owners Blog

Vacation Rental Owners Blog

Link to Vacation Rental Owners Blog |

Revamped Tool For Facebook Pages Highlights Info You Can Use

Posted: 24 Aug 2013 09:00 AM PDT

If you feel like you're muddling through your vacation rental’s Facebook marketing with best guesses and spontaneous ideas, you're not alone.

Even if you have a plan that outlines what to talk about and when, refining that plan using Facebook's analytics tool, Page Insights, isn’t always easy; its key metrics — Talking About This, Virality and Engaged Users — have frequently been described as "confusing" and "vague".

This summer, Facebook revamped the Insights tool; it’s now easier to get meaningful information about your Page and its fans.

The new Page Insights (currently available on an opt-in basis) demystifies data by scrapping those categories in favor of something we can all understand. Engagement is now clearly split into Likes, Comments, Shares and Clicks, making it much easier to draw a connection between what you post and how people respond. 

Screenshot - Try The New Page Insights

Read more »
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Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Vacation Rental Owners Blog

Vacation Rental Owners Blog

Link to Vacation Rental Owners Blog |

Advice From A Vacation Rental Owner: Ask Questions And Listen

Posted: 20 Aug 2013 09:00 AM PDT

A heron looking out over the lake, Herons View at Mallard Lakes

Herons View at Mallard Lakes

When it comes to taking a critical eye to your vacation rental, whether you're considering your rates or assessing the best way to market your property, being objective can sometimes be a challenge.

“By far, my favorite feature is the private outside shower,” Pat Luftman enthused about her lakefront vacation home. “When I brought my friends down, however, one of them said 'You couldn’t pay me to take a shower in this shower!' She preferred to use the indoor shower instead.”

Luftman owns Herons View, a townhome at Mallard Lakes in Fenwick Island, Delaware. She says the feedback received from friends was valuable as she started her vacation rental, helping her realize that others may feel the same way.

Why asking questions matters — for you and your guests

There are 7.9 million vacation homes in the U.S., according to the National Association of Realtors; one-third of people who purchased last year intend to move in at some point in the future, and nearly a quarter of those new owners intend to rent their property to others.

Taking time to visit different communities and asking questions about each one will give you a better foundation to decide on your investment. It will also help you get a clearer vision of what draws travelers to the area and what your vacation rental should look like. “Have your friends look at the property," Luftman advised. "Show them pictures and ask them what they think, as a potential guest.”

Luftman and her husband spent 14 years vacationing in the community before deciding to purchase their townhome. “We fell in love with Mallard Lakes the first time we visited,” she said. “We lived there for a week every summer, meeting and talking to people. We knew that this is where we wanted to be; purchasing a vacation home was a dream, and we knew Mallard Lakes was the right place for us.”

While you may not take that much lead time before you buy, that willingness to talk to people — and listen — gave Luftman a lot of insight. “I always asked, ‘tell me something you don’t like about the community’. Nobody ever had anything bad to say.”

A chance to learn from others

There are a lot of different resources for vacation rental owners: blogs (like this one!), online networks like the HomeAway Community and a popular Yahoo! group, as well as other discussion forums like LinkedIn and Facebook.

Luftman has found a lot of value connecting with other owners. “They might see you as competition and not talk to you, but ask them their experiences, how booked they get.”

She says she's built a connection with another owner in her area: they send referrals back-and-forth, and he provided answers to a lot of her start-up questions.

Recently, he advised her to pay attention to her search engine optimization (SEO). "He offered me some unsolicited advice about how I could boost my rank in Google search results by adding a few simple words and terms to my vacation rental description."

Luftman followed his tips and says her property now shows up in the top spot — above the person who gave her the advice. "I feel badly about this…but it's definitely the best advice I’ve ever received!"

Have you received advice from other vacation rental owners as you’ve found your footing, or learned valuable lessons just by listening? Tell us about it in the comments section below.

photo by Pat Luftman
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Saturday, August 17, 2013

Vacation Rental Owners Blog

Vacation Rental Owners Blog

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Vacation Rental In Your Pocket: The Growing Impact Of Mobile Devices

Posted: 17 Aug 2013 09:00 AM PDT

"Mobile Internet Device, Beijing", by Cory M. Grenier on Flickr

Making big travel plans on small screens is becoming “the norm” as people increasingly pull out a smartphone or tablet to research — even book — their vacation time.

Four in five travelers say they travel with their mobile phones, relying on their devices to serve as personal tour guide — not just checking email but also taking photos, accessing maps, and locating nearby attractions.

The growth of mobile has been significant over the past few years, doubling among business travelers and more than quadrupling among leisure travelers.

And they’re not just looking: an increasing number of travelers want to complete their transaction on the same day. Just since last year, the number of people making reservations via a mobile device jumped to one in three — a trend that’s just as popular in the under 35 crowd as among those 55+ plus.

What does this mean for your business?

If you’ve been waiting for the right time to think about how mobile might impact your vacation rental business, that time is here. People rely on their devices before and after they hit the road, and preparing your business — online and offline — may not be as complicated as you think.

Read more »
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Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Vacation Rental Owners Blog

Vacation Rental Owners Blog

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Last Minute Deals A Big Draw for Travelers

Posted: 13 Aug 2013 09:00 AM PDT

Stack of fall leaves. "Fall" on flickr, by Mo Riza. (CC BY 2.0)If your fall reservation calendar isn’t as full as you’d like it to be, there’s good news: travelers love last-minute deals and vacation home renters are no exception!

According to the Vacation Rental Managers Association (VRMA), value for price is the number one reason why people choose vacation rentals over other types of accommodation.

And the better the value, the more likely they are to book: more than eight in ten travelers who say value is a top priority say that savings and last minutes deals are motivators that work.

What does this mean for your business?

If you already have a way to connect with past guests and other intrigued travelers – an email distribution list, for example – it's significantly easier to put a deal together and spread the word. Unexpected emails have prompted 25 percent of travelers to book a trip.

If you haven't cultivated any particular means of staying in touch, promoting a deal on your website, in your headline on listing sites, or running something like a Facebook ad are among your options.

But first, you need to figure out what sort of last minute deal is going to be a good fit for you. Here are a few examples:

  • Piggy-back on upcoming attractions. Is there an upcoming festival, conference, or long-weekend that coincides with your availability? Check out our advice on renting your home during local events.

  • Put together your own Groupon-style deal. Offering a limited time package or discount might be the great deal or urgent offer. There are logistics you'll need to consider, but it can be an effective way to generate buzz and earn attract reservations.

  • Offer a special deal for your biggest fans. Are there people who return to your property whenever they have a chance? Reward their loyalty and offer something special that's exclusive just to them, valid only during a particular period of time. To make the pool of people bigger, extend the offer to their friends and family, too.

How do you attract reservations when bookings temporarily drop off? Share your advice in the comments section below!

photo credit: modomatic
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Saturday, August 10, 2013

Vacation Rental Owners Blog

Vacation Rental Owners Blog

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Advice From A Vacation Rental Owner: Adding a Personal Touch

Posted: 10 Aug 2013 09:00 AM PDT

Location matters and features are important. But when your vacation rental and the competition are on relatively equal footing, it’s your ability to respond and deliver great customer service that can win not just one particular booking, but future referrals as well.

“I believe the #1 reason travelers choose vacation rentals over traditional hotels is personality,” Matt Landau wrote on the Vacation Rental Marketing Blog — and other owners agree.

Competitive markets and five-star reviews

Unit #1002, The Whaler - Kaanapali Beach in Maui, Hawaii. Photo by Ora Scott, Maui real estate photographer

The Whaler – Kaanapali Beach in Maui, Hawaii. Photo by Ora Scott, Maui real estate photographer

Robert Schaffhauser owns a vacation rental unit in The Whaler, an oceanfront condo building along Kaanapali Beach on the Hawaiian island of Maui — an area consistently listed as one of the top travel destinations in the U.S.

There's no question that there's a lot of competition, not just among vacation rentals but other types of accommodation, too.

The Whaler has an agent that looks after rental administration: arranging reservation details, collecting rent, overall property management and additional marketing. This makes it easier for Schaffhauser to focus on his own efforts.

Topping his own list of priorities: Customer Service. “Good customer service increases the probability that someone will return, and it makes it easy to get a five-star review,” he noted.

If you haven’t prioritized adding five-star reviews to your website and directory listings, it's always a good time to start: a recent survey by marketing company BrightLocal shows that 79 percent of consumers trust online reviews as much as they trust reviews from people they know.

People also only read a few reviews — a majority of people read between two and six — before confirming their own opinion.

Take a moment to check in

Schaffhauser has found that touching base a few times with guests can be very helpful.

“I find it works really well if I call the day after someone checks in, just to ask whether everything is OK,” he said. “Usually everything is fine, but guests say they appreciate the call very much.”

Because there’s a management company on-site, he doesn’t check in during a guest’s visit; there’s someone available to handle day-to-day issues, and he’s notified promptly if something more important comes up.

Once his guests have returned home, however, he calls again within a day or two to ask about their trip. “People appreciate getting that follow-up call. If they have good things to say, I’ll ask whether they would be prepared to leave a positive review; if they are, I follow-up with a more formal invitation with instructions.”

Testing ideas to turn inquiries into bookings

Schaffhauser is exploring different ways to follow-up with inquiries to see what works best: Some tactics haven't worked well, but others — like investing in a professional photographer — have increased both his inquiries and his conversions.

“The number of inquiries I receive has gone up since I posted the new photos, and I'm booking a higher percentage of those inquiries than I was before,” he explained during a recent conversation about vacation rental budgeting.

Different strategies work for different owners, and a lot of different factors can influence your results; it’s important to test a variety ideas and measure the results so you can stick with what works and drop what doesn’t.

How do you add a personal touch to your customer service? Share your advice in the comments section below!
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Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Vacation Rental Owners Blog

Vacation Rental Owners Blog

Link to Vacation Rental Owners Blog |

My Vacation Rental Was Damaged, Now What?

Posted: 06 Aug 2013 09:00 AM PDT

"Broken Reflection" from Flickr, by shinealightFor most vacation rental owners, property damage from careless or destructive guests is rare; screening, renter restrictions and damage deposits — as at least some would argue — help reduce the risk for outright bad guests.

But when you're left facing post-rental repairs or extreme cleaning, should you keep the damage deposit, pursue a bigger claim (when warranted), or take a deep breath and move on?

Document everything

Before you decide what to do next, carefully document the damage with photos that are stamped with both the date and time and make detailed notes so you have a record to refer to later.

You may not be the first person on site, especially if you don't live near your vacation rental, so have proper protocol in place for your property manager, cleaning crew or anyone else who may be there.

For example: ask them to contact you first, then take photos on your behalf if you're not in a position to get to the home right away.

Consider the impact

Whether or not to pursue a claim is always a subject for debate — with so many variables, there isn’t a right or wrong answer.

Some owners choose to let these issues pass, particularly small incidents, and chalk it up as a learning experience or "the cost of doing business". This may be to maintain goodwill with otherwise great guests, or it could be to avoid the hassle.

There's also the risk that withholding a damage deposit, even when completely justified, could result in a negative review on a listing site — something that causes concern for many owners. That potential for impact has motivated some owners to stop collecting security deposits in favor of property damage protection insurance, a decision that has its own list of pros and cons.

Whether you’ve opted for insurance or a deposit, once you’ve recorded the damage you should contact the previous guests to ask what happened — the sooner the better. Neighbors may also be able to help "fill in the gaps."

It can be best to give your guests the benefit of the doubt; you can generally tell the difference between damage that's insubstantial, accidental, or blatantly destructive. While some guests may be upset by a decision to withhold part of their deposit, people are often willing to pay for repairs or negotiate another mutually-acceptable arrangement.

Weigh your options

If you decided to reclaim at least part of the expenses incurred, there are a number of options to consider.

Hold onto the damage deposit
If you require a deposit, holding onto some or all of it is generally the easiest option. However, once cleanup begins, get written estimates and receipts for all repairs or replacements. Be reasonable about the repairs; you'll have a hard argument if you decide it's a good time to upgrade. HomeAway shared helpful sample letters you can reference if withholding some or all of a damage deposit.

Check with your insurance agent
If you’re considering making a claim against your property insurance or property damage protection insurance purchased by your guests, check with your insurance agent to make sure you’re clear about both your options and any longer-term implications (i.e. impact on rates).

Consider possible legal options
Even with good documentation of damage and repairs, you may run into difficulties — like a renter contesting charges you bill to their credit card, or repair costs that run higher than the damage deposit — and need to consider whether the situation is worth escalating. If this is the case, be sure to discuss your options with a lawyer and balance the situation against both your time and energy; going to court to pursue a claim can be a bigger headache than you might think.

Thinking ahead…

Get into the habit of keeping up-to-date photos of your vacation rental on-hand — particularly if you make improvements or replace furniture — and ask new renters to report any damage as part of their check-in procedure so you both have a record of the condition of your property. VacationRental.org has a helpful article that discusses other things you can do to help prevent disputes in the future.

How do you manage incidents and accidents with your vacation rental? Tell us your experience and advice in the comments section below.

photo credit: shinealight
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Saturday, August 3, 2013

Vacation Rental Owners Blog

Vacation Rental Owners Blog

Link to Vacation Rental Owners Blog |

Email Tips To Help Set Your Vacation Rental Apart

Posted: 03 Aug 2013 09:00 AM PDT

"I knew I had a lot of emails, but...", photo from Flickr by Jeff TurnerBetween the years of use and sheer volume we deal with on a regular basis, it’s easy to get complacent when it comes to email correspondence for your vacation rental.

Don’t make this mistake!

Big businesses are looking for more ways to customize and personalize their websites and email marketing, but in the travel sector, vacation rentals have an edge: a more individual and uncommon experience is inherent in the industry.

For most rental owners, email is the first point of contact. It’s up to you to capture a traveler’s interest and, ultimately, their business.

Do your email messages meet the same high standards as your rental property, or do they fall short?

Respond quickly

In the era of the "book it now" button, timing matters — and, as the saying goes, the early bird gets the worm. According to HomeAway, response time is the "number one thing that travelers would like to see improved in the vacation rental experience".

Improving your response time is an easy and effective way to increase your bookings — but that's not the only reason. Whether or not you're quick to hit the "reply" button could become one more factor for travelers to judge before they ever send you an inquiry.

If you’ve used popular rental site Airbnb, you’ll know that this is already in play: Every listing includes the host’s response rate as well as their response time (ie “within a few hours”, or “within a day”).

Rethink your email signature

Email tip: "Did you know: You can also set signatures for emails you send from smartphones and tablets! Check with your manufacturer for instructions."An email signature is such a regular part of email correspondence that it’s easy to set it and forget it.

When was the last time you turned a critical eye to those last few lines of your messages?

An email signature has two main roles: to identify who you are, and to tell people the best way to get in touch with you.

How you do that is entirely up to you, but here are a few tips:

  • Include your name as well as the name of your vacation rental.
  • List the most efficient way for people to contact you; this is likely your phone number, but could include another channel like Skype. If it's not a quick and easy way to reach you, however, don't list it.
  • Avoid using an image or logo as part of your signature; it may look good on your computer screen, but you can’t control how it will show up on other people’s computers.
  • Stick to one or two links that best represent your rental property, like your custom website. It can be tempting to include every link to your property, but this can be confusing for guests who won’t know which link to choose.

You may choose to include your vacation rental’s street address, or to promote upcoming deals or other announcements. Whatever information you decide to include, the key is to keep your signature short, simple and relevant.

Write person to person

It's true that it can come across as disingenuous — and maybe even a bit creepy — when a big company uses your name and information to make their email more personal, as if they have a long-standing relationship with you.

However, your guests aren’t dealing with one of the big conglomerates, they’ve contacted you!

Keep your emails friendly and professional, with all the niceties you would use in person:

  • personalize your messages to your guests, addressing them by name
  • use salutations to open and end your messages, and
  • include "please" or "thank you" when making requests.

After years of writing correspondence, this reminder may seem pretty elementary. However, thoughtful communication is something we often take for granted as we increasingly use shorter and more casual messages with our friends and family.

Do you have an email trick that’s worked well to support your business? Tell us about it in the comments section below!
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