As a vacation rental property owner marketing is a big responsibility. After all, it’s mainly what you use to attract more bookings or tenants, right?
Unfortunately, proper marketing is never that easy, especially to new investors. Without good advertising, getting enough bookings can be hard. And, without sufficient bookings, cash flow may be interrupted resulting in losses or failure of the business.
So, does that mean that few people go on vacations these days? And if so, how come other vacation rentals always seem to be fully booked? What’s their secret?
Well, that’s what you are here to find out. Basically, when it comes to advertising a short-term rental, you have to be strategic.
That means coming up with effective and executable marketing strategies aimed at increasing the number of bookings on your rental property.
Luckily, this post highlights a few surefire tips you can use to increase tenant traffic to your vacation rental.
8 Simple Marketing Tips to Increase Bookings
So, what can you do to increase your vacation rental bookings? Here are eight smart tips you should consider:
- Use the internet to advertise your rental.
There are all types of rental property websites you can advertise on. The internet is probably the greatest tool you can use to market your vacation rental. Why? Because it’s relatively free, fast, and easily accessible.
In today’s world, people don’t go searching for vacation rentals physically. Instead, they use the internet to do that. Therefore, making sure you have a visible and strong presence on the internet is one sure way of getting more bookings.
Whether you use social media, a personal website, or even rental listing sites, you’ll have a massive competitive advantage against investors who don’t.
2. Work on your rental vacancy listings.
How do you communicate with prospective tenants through your listings? Do they understand what you’re trying to communicate? Are you using the right words or images?
Well, the first impression always matters. The way you frame your listings could mean the difference between having a fully booked rental and an ever-vacant one.
Basically, you have to keep your listings brief while at the same time communicating as much juicy information about your rental as possible.
When coming up with a listing ad, remember to put your best foot forward. While at the same time not boring the tenants away. Go for short, precise, and punchy sentences.
3. Hire a professional photographer.
Yes. As mentioned earlier, the first impression matters a lot. And what better way to create a stunning first impression than to use high-quality and professional photos of your rental in your listings?
It’s true that it can be costly. However, professional photographers know how to bring out the best features of your property. They know how to stage it to look good and attractive to tenants.
Good and clear photos make it easy for tenants to imagine themselves staying in your rental. And if their imagination pleases them, chances are high that they’ll book your rental.
4. Respond quickly, politely, and be helpful about any questions tenants may have about your rental.
Sometimes, when tenants ask questions about your property, they aren’t necessarily looking for answers. Instead, they may be trying to figure you out.
How you respond to your tenants says a lot about you. When you’re fast, polite, and helpful in solving tenant issues, it tells them that you care about their well-being.
Obviously, caring for your tenants means caring for your business because your tenants are your business.
5. Always ask for reviews and feedback from your renters.
Feedback helps you to know what you are doing right and what you’re doing wrong. That way you’ll know which areas you need to improve on.
The more you improve, the happier your tenants will be. And when your tenants are happy, you get free referrals, better reviews, and most importantly, loyalty.
6. Be sure to keep in touch.
You are probably wondering why. It’s simple. Staying in touch with your former tenants gives you a chance to communicate updates, reminders, promotions, and so on.
That’s not only a free and sure marketing channel with real audiences but also it helps you to maintain a good relationship with your renters.
7. Keep your rental rates and booking calendar up-to-date.
Renters often get frustrated when they come across an ideal vacation rental only to find out its booked or charging different rates.
That’s bad for business because you may end up losing potentially good customers in the process.
Therefore, to avoid misunderstandings and inconveniences, ensure that your calendar and prices are up-to-date; at all times.
8. Get someone to do it for you.
If all these seem like too much for you, consider hiring a professional.
You can hire someone with skills, experience, and knowledge about vacation rental property marketing. Or, you can go for a property management company.
It will cost you a few extra bucks, but at the end of the day, you’ll be calm knowing that there’s someone effectively marketing your property for you.
In summary, vacation rental marketing may seem like a hard task. However, if you give it some time and effort, you’ll begin to notice positive trends in your rentals’ booking rates.
