How to Market a Holiday Home to Maximise Bookings
Wondering how to market a holiday home? You've come to the rightplace!
If you're renting out a holiday home, you're always searching for new ways to market it and increase bookings, and if you have your own website dedicated to your rental, you may be wondering how to make the most of it.
Didn't consider that there are huge benefits to having a personalised holiday let website? In this blog post, we'll share some tips on how to market your holiday home rental website and drive bookings.
Holiday Home Marketing Tips
Here are our top tips for marketing your holiday home rental website.
1. Know Your Unique Selling Point
Also called a USP, your unique selling point is what makes your holiday home rental stand out from the crowd. It could be that you're centrally located, have an amazing view, or offer a holiday cottage with a luxurious
experience.
Whatever it is, make sure you highlight your USP on your website and in all your marketing materials. This will ensure that potential guests in your target audience are clear about what they can expect from staying at your
holiday home.
2. Use Quality Photos and Videos
When people are searching for holiday lets online, they want to see high-quality photos and videos that give them a realistic idea of what the property looks like.
Invest in good-quality photography and videography so that potential guests can see your holiday home in all its glory. This will help to convert lookers into bookers!
3. Use SEO to Your Advantage
One of the best ways to market your holiday home rental website is to ensure that it ranks high in search engine results pages (SERPs). This can be achieved by using relevant keywords throughout your website content,
including in your titles, descriptions, and blog posts.
You can also use external sources to link back to your website, which will help improve your SERP ranking.
Some ideas for external link opportunities are listing your property on free holiday home rental directories or submitting articles about your holiday home rental experience to travel blogs.
One of the easiest ways to maximize your SEO is to find a website creator who is also an SEO expert. Websites for Holiday Homes provide those expertise to our clients.
4. Avoid Holiday Let Listing Sites
There are many online platforms devoted specifically to listing holiday rentals. These platforms offer exposure for your property. However, they do so at a substantial cost to you.
In many cases, the fees associated with holiday let listing sites are much higher than the commission you would pay a traditional holiday letting agency.
In addition, guests who book through listing sites are often charged service fees, which can deter them from booking. Not to mention, the booking sites aggregate tens or even hundreds of listings, so it'll be harder
for potential guests to even find your listing there.
5. Make Use of Social Media Marketing
Social media is a powerful tool that can be used to market your holiday home rental business. Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can be used to share photos and information about your property and
specials.
You can also consider using social media to connect with potential guests and offer customer service.
Remember to tag each post with relevant keywords and your web address so that people searching for holiday homes in your area can easily find you.
Create a business page for your holiday home rental on these social media platforms. Share photos of and the latest news on your holiday let. You can even use it to offer new stay discounts, especially during non-peak seasons with lower booking rates.
6. Advertise Locally
Another great way to market your holiday home rental website is by advertising locally. While online marketing is important, so are more traditional advertising methods.
This could involve placing ads in popular tourist publications or distributing flyers in areas where potential guests are likely to see them such as community boards in libraries, restaurants, hotel letting agencies, and
airports.
If you have a local tourist board for your town or local area, ask them to promote your holiday home on their website and on their email list.
You could also partner with local businesses such as restaurants and attractions so that you can cross-promote each other's businesses. Offering a destination guide in your listing will not only benefit other local businesses,
but it will help you get very positive reviews from your guests.
7. Send Out Newsletters
An email newsletter is a great way to keep potential guests up to date on what's new with your business. In order to entice people to join your email list, offer a free upgrade or a discount for their very first stay in your holiday let.
Send regular emails, like weekly or monthly, to keep peopleinterested in and aware of your holiday home. In these messages to guests or potential guests, you can include information about any special offers or discounts, as well as any news or updates about your property.
Be sure to include links back to your website so that people can easily find out more about you and book a stay at your holiday home.
8. Referrals & Word-of-Mouth
Referrals and word-of-mouth are some of the best forms of marketing. After all, if someone you know recommends a product or service, you're more likely to try it yourself.
The same goes for holiday home rentals. If a friend or family member has had a great experience staying in your rental, they're likely to tell others about it.
You can also ask guests to leave reviews on your holiday home rental website or on popular listing sites. These positive reviews can help attract new guests to your property.
In order to encourage referrals, you could offer a discount to guests who refer someone who ends up booking a stay. You could also send out thank-you cards or small gifts to guests who have referred others to you.
Avoid Using Third Party Booking Sites for Marketing a Private Holiday Home Rental
Overall, it's best to avoid using third-party booking sites when marketing a private holiday home rental. Here is a bit more about why we recommend avoiding booking platforms for holiday home rental marketing.
You Lose Control of the Rental Process
When you use a third-party site like Airbnb or HomeAway, you lose a certain level of control over the rental process. You're not able to choose your guests or set your own rules and policies.
You Have to Pay Commissions and Fees
Commission fees can eat into your profits, especially if you'rerenting out your holiday home regularly. With your own website, you won't have to pay any commission fees.
You Don't Stand Out from the Crowd
There are often hundreds or even thousands of holiday home rentals listed on popular third-party sites. It can be difficult to make your rental stand out from the rest.
You Could Be Penalized for Breaking the Rules
If you violate any of the rules set forth by the third-party site, you could be penalized. This could include having your listing removed from the site or being suspended from using the site entirely.
You're at the Mercy of the Site's Algorithm
The algorithm used by third-party sites can be a mystery. You don't know how your listing will be ranked in search results, which can impact the number of guests you get.
Furnishing Ideas to Make Your Holiday Home Easier to Market
If you want your holiday rental to stay competitive, it's important to outfit it with high-quality furniture and modern appliances.
Luxury rental appeal
Travelers now expect their holiday homes to be up to hotel standards, so anything less just won't cut it.
Consider what else you can do to make your property stand out from the rest. Maybe there are some additional amenities or services you can offer that would give your guests that extra bit of luxury rental appeal.
Adding amenities like dimmable lights in certain rooms, Bluetooth speakers, TV streaming services, wall plugs with built-in USB chargers, remote control heating, a robust tea selection, and a log burner can really increase your luxury appeal without much extra cost.
Sustainable Features
Adding sustainable features to market your holiday home is a great way to make it more attractive to potential guests. Not only will these features help you save money on utilities, but they will also make your property more eco-friendly.
Some sustainable features you can add to your holiday homeinclude:
- Low-flow toilets and shower heads
- Energy-efficient light bulbs
- Solar panels
- A rainwater harvesting system
- Motion sensor lights
- A green roof
- Double or triple-glazed windows
Hot Tub
Adding a hot tub to your holiday rental is a great way to make it more attractive and luxurious. Not only will this give your guests a great way to relax, but it will also make your property stand out from the competition.
While not all vacation lets would benefit from a hot tub, such as holiday cottages on a lake, others that are not near a body of water certainly could!
Be sure to promote the fact that you have a hot tub in your marketing materials, as this is sure to be a major selling point for potential guests. You should also make sure that the hot tub is always well-maintained
and clean.
Offering an Experience
In addition to renting out your holiday home, you can also market it as a way to experience a certain destination.
For example, holiday cottage owners in the Lake District could market their holiday property as a way to experience the area's stunning scenery and outdoor activities.
You could also market your holiday home as a way to experience the local culture. If your rental is in a city, you should promote the fact that guests can experience the city's nightlife, restaurants, and attractions.
No matter what type of destination you're marketing, be sure to highlight the unique experiences that your holiday rental can offer.
Family-Friendly Amenities
If you want to attract families to your holiday rental, it's important to have amenities that appeal to them. Some family-friendly amenities you can offer include:
- A kids' play area
- A pool
- A baby sitting service
- Kids' toys and games
- Gaming console
- Board games
- A DVD player and choice of DVDs
- Children's books
If you have these features, you may have a better chance of families booking again in the future.
Pet-Friendly
If you're looking to attract pet-owners to your holiday rental, it's important to make sure that your property is pet-friendly.
Some things you can do to make your rental more pet-friendly and thus market your holiday home to a wider range of guests include allowing pets on the property, providing pet beds and bowls, creating a designated pet area, offering a pet-sitting service, and providing a list of nearby dog parks and walking trails.
These simple steps can make your holiday rental more attractive to pet owners, who may have otherwise been deterred from booking.
Outdoor space
If your holiday rental has outdoor space, be sure to market it as such. Outdoor space is a major selling point for potential guests, as it gives them a place to relax and enjoy the fresh air.
To make your outdoor space more appealing, you can consider adding patio furniture, creating a garden, installing a fire pit, and adding outdoor lighting. By taking even one or two of these steps, you can make your
outdoor space more inviting and appealing to potential customers.
Handicap Accessible
If your holiday rental is handicap accessible, be sure to market it as such. This is a great way to attract guests with disabilities, who may have otherwise been deterred from booking.
If your holiday home is not yet accessible for disabled guests, there are some simple things you can do to make your rental more accessible for guests with disabilities.
For example, you can install a ramp or a wheelchair-friendly entrance. You can also add grab bars in the bathroom and make sure the doorways are wide enough for wheelchairs to pass through.
Personalised Website
One of the best ways to market your holiday rental is to create a personalised website. This will give you a platform to showcase your property and all that it has to offer potential guests.
When creating your website, be sure to include high-quality photos of your holiday home. You should also include a description of your property, as well as information about the local area. In addition, you should
list any special features or amenities that your rental offers.
If, however, creating your own website is not in your skill set then Websites for Holiday Homes is the one stop shop you need to be using.
Final Thoughts: How to Market a Holiday Home
These are just a few of the many ways that you can market your holiday home rental website and secure bookings from potential guests.
It really pays to have your own holiday home website because you'll have more control over how you're marketed and how much you spend on marketing. A professional website will also help improve your image and make
your business appear more credible to potential guests.
So if you're thinking about how to market a holiday home, remember to focus on utilizing SEO, social media, holiday rental listing sites, local advertising, and email newsletters. Don't forget to get holiday home
insurance registered with the Financial Conduct Authority.
With these tips, you'll be well on your way to attracting visitors from all over the world who are looking for their perfect holiday home away from home!