How many times has a potential guest inquired about additional information on your vacation rental?
Think about the emails you have sent to your potential guests answering questions about their vacation rental. The fact of the matter is that these potential guests make their booking decision using a common path. First they do their Google search, then they land on a website such as http://www.homeaway.com/, then they fill out the owner inquiry form, then they wait to hear back from the owner via email or phone. Usually, the end game is the potential guest gets confused and the booking you receive is more a function of luck then marketing skill or the quality of your property.
The point, make it easy for them to make their buying decision because it will increase the number of bookings you receive from your existing base of inquires.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Turn around on Vacation Rentals Inquires
How quickly do you get back to your inquires for your Vacation Rentals?
Let’s start from the top. The two types of inquires that the vast majority of home owners received via phone or email. In some cases, people with send an inquiry using phone and email. In my opinion, the best inquiry is the one that comes in over the phone because now you have an opportunity to quickly “feel out” the prospect and if appropriate close attempt to close the deal.
In the case of a phone call make sure that you have your phone “hunt” for you if you’re not available on your primary or secondary line. In other words, forward your calls to the appropriate lines. In the case of an email, make sure you auto respond with a link to a place where the guest will only see information on you’re vacation rental. Obviously, a link to a listing service is not sufficient.
Let us know if we can help,
Homespun Websites LLC
Let’s start from the top. The two types of inquires that the vast majority of home owners received via phone or email. In some cases, people with send an inquiry using phone and email. In my opinion, the best inquiry is the one that comes in over the phone because now you have an opportunity to quickly “feel out” the prospect and if appropriate close attempt to close the deal.
In the case of a phone call make sure that you have your phone “hunt” for you if you’re not available on your primary or secondary line. In other words, forward your calls to the appropriate lines. In the case of an email, make sure you auto respond with a link to a place where the guest will only see information on you’re vacation rental. Obviously, a link to a listing service is not sufficient.
Let us know if we can help,
Homespun Websites LLC
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Testimonial Tips
Have you ever been considering a purchase, and made your decision partly because of reviews submitted by other people? Testimonials, or "Guest Comments" on your website can help potential renters determine if your property will be a good fit for them. Here are a few Testimonial Tips:
1. If renters mention what a great time they had at your property, ask them for permission to publish their comments on your website.
2. Make sure that every comment listed includes the person's name and other identifying information (city/state, website, etc.) If they have a website, they may appreciate the incoming link. Identifying information makes the comments more trustworthy to future viewers.
3. Ask happy renters if they would be willing to put a link to your website on their website. Incoming links are valuable - and it never hurts to ask!
4. Make it easy for people to see testimonials - instead of putting them only on one page, consider adding a short guest comment at the bottom of each page of your website. If a potential renter is wondering about the numbers on your "Rates" page, they may be inspired by a complimentary note at the bottom of that page!
Laurel@HomeSpunWebsites.com
1. If renters mention what a great time they had at your property, ask them for permission to publish their comments on your website.
2. Make sure that every comment listed includes the person's name and other identifying information (city/state, website, etc.) If they have a website, they may appreciate the incoming link. Identifying information makes the comments more trustworthy to future viewers.
3. Ask happy renters if they would be willing to put a link to your website on their website. Incoming links are valuable - and it never hurts to ask!
4. Make it easy for people to see testimonials - instead of putting them only on one page, consider adding a short guest comment at the bottom of each page of your website. If a potential renter is wondering about the numbers on your "Rates" page, they may be inspired by a complimentary note at the bottom of that page!
Laurel@HomeSpunWebsites.com
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Marketing Your Vacation Home
The most difficult issue in helping a "stake holder" market their home is management of their expectations. Note: a "Stake Holder" is anyone who has an interest in seeing that a home is rented. A person owning a second home, a property manager and an investment syndicate are all examples of a "stake holder".In my website development business we view HomeAway and VRBO as two requirements any serious stake holder because the performance and value provided by these two services is irrefutable. However, the approach of HomeAway is a one size fits all. My view is that a vacation home is unique. This uniqueness requires a unique and non-generic way to organize the information about your vacation home. In addition, I believe that changes are taking place in the industry that will affect the way "guests" search for properties. I am not sure HomeAway's business model is ready for these changes. Back to management of the stake holder's expectations, HomeAway and VRBO have produced an unrealistic measuring stick by which to compare the performance of other listing services and vacation home marketing concerns. In a word, HomeAway and VRBO have made it very easy to make money in the Vacation Rental Industry IN THE PAST.Going forward, stake holders will need to learn how to use all the tools available to build a viable and profitable Vacation Rental Business. Don't expect a listing service or a website to bring people to bring this constant stream of people to your Vacation Home. Rather, stake holders should focus on retention of guests who have come to your home and have already enjoyed the benefits of the destination and the vacation rental. Maintaining a relationship with your guests is the key to building a repeat and referral business that will reduce your dependence on the listing services. A personal website is the key to branding a vacation rental business because you are in complete control of the advertising and content on your website. Control means you are building your business and not that of the listing service. That said, use HomeAway and VRBO as long as they work for you but, be prepared to stand on your own two feet when it comes to building your vacation rental business.Thanks,Homespun Websites LLC
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