This is the age of the Internet and everybody is putting this wonderful medium to best use to advance his or her business. If you have a vacation home, it makes sense to look for ways to rent it as profitably as possible and doing so online is one of your best options. Optimum income is possible only when you are able to have your vacation home booked back to back through out the season. This is definitely possible, provided you fine-tune your advertising keeping in mind what the customer is looking for when searching for a vacation home.
The customer is the king
This is a very common saying, which very rightly stresses the importance of focusing on the customer and his or her needs. If you keep this adage in mind, you can do no wrong. In view of the above, renting your vacation home profitably depends on two main aspects: (1) how visible is your advertisement, and (2) how convenient it is to make a booking.
- Visibility – list your vacation home on at least three or four leading vacation rental sites. The leaders in this field spend much time in cultivating and keeping their customers happy. These happy and loyal customers would browse these websites first when they need a vacation home giving you the advantage of being found first. Free listings are fine, but they are often too crowded to allow you high visibility. On free listing, your vacation home booking is more like a lottery than an advertisement.
- Convenience – most people who search for vacation homes would need to know the details of the availability the moment they find something that interests them. The need to load other pages to check availability is most often than not cumbersome and time taking. Keep in mind the convenience of your prospective customer. Have a booking calendar, which figures all the dates that have already been booked for ready reference on the same page. Also have here the booking request form simplified to the minimum, so your customer need not navigate away from the page when they wish to book the home. Convenience is one of the most critical factors when booking is made online. Speed and safety are other important factors you need to keep in mind.
Speak with pictures
Another aspect that is often ignored or not played up sufficiently is the fact that the customer wants to know how the vacation home looks like inside and out. Hire a professional photographer and shoot classy photos of your vacation home, highlighting its best features. Emphasize comfort, beauty, and luxuriant ambiance, as this is what people look for when they look for vacation homes: luxury within budget
The photographs alone would not be enough. Let the description of each photograph enhance the beauty of your vacation home and tempt the viewer to experience it. The caption should be like an open invitation to the location. The main slogan or header of the ad that invites the customer to look your vacation rental listing up, as well as the description of the facilities should make the person thrilled to have found you.
Create a niche of your own
If you want to be a leading brand in vacation rental business, you have to stand out and create a special niche for yourself. Study your competition and encourage feedback from your past and potential customers to find out what do they look for in a dream vacation home. Make a list of any two or three facilities that you can improve and maintain above your competitors.
In other words, find out a few things where you can be the very best. This would make you and your home the favorite for a particular type of customers who would always return to your property because they love what you offer – and what no one else can better.
Give a little extra with no strings attached
The most powerful promotional tool is a valuable freebie without any strings. It has been proved repeatedly that this one of the most potent marketing strategies ever. People who are gifted something valuable are so happy with the gift that they feel they have to do something to return the favor. This is turn becomes the foundation stone of a long and mutually rewarding relationship.
You want your vacation home always booked remember to be the best with at least one facility and to always go an extra mile with a smile.
Online resources:
- http://www.homeawayconnect.com/archive/10tips.htm - you will find an excellent guide that highlights what you need to do to optimize the booking of your vacation home.
- http://money.cnn.com/2006/12/21/real_estate/vacation_home_rentals/index.htm - an eye-opening article on how to rent a vacation home
- http://www.expert1031.com/1031facts/articles/crej031908.html - an interesting legal angle about IRS ruling on vacation homes. It always pays to be informed.
