By James Gatheru
You finally saved up and bought or built that ideal holiday home. You have even gone ahead and furnished it with the hopes of having a peaceful retreat whenever your family needs it.
You might also be hoping to make some income out of it as a vacation rental but have no idea where to start.
As an owner of a vacation rental, you may be wondering how you can drive traffic to your product and increase sales. It is an issue that most commercial property owners often grapple with.
With online listing platforms such as Airbnb getting ever more popular, competition in the industry is rife. Besides having it listed, your product needs to stand out and grab the attention of your consumers.
In this breakdown, we look at five ways to boost sales for your vacation rental space.
Branding
Your brand informs how the market sees you. Brand information is a promise you make to all your consumers- indicating what your product entails.
Without proper branding, your potential consumers are left guessing what your product is about, leading to ambiguity and misinformation.
Therefore, to convince consumers that yours is the right product, controlling your brand narrative is crucial.
Kick start the process by understanding your target market and its needs. Show them how your product meets those needs.
For example, who can benefit most from your rental? Is it suitable for a young couple on a honeymoon? Is it a family-oriented space? What attractions/amenities can your guests expect to enjoy during their stay?
The branding you go for should highlight the key deliverables you intend to make to clients. It is the connection between what you are offering and what your target market seeks/values.
Memorable experiences
Aspire to give the most memorable experiences to your clients. This tip is often overlooked by some of the big players in the hospitality industry, such as hotels.
The good news is, you can take advantage of their lapse by offering curated vacation rental experiences. How? By connecting with your clients and offering more personalized products.
For example, some of your guests may not have time to search for reliable car suppliers. You could offer them a dedicated car service as part of their competitive vacation rental package.
Also, learning a little about your clients’ preferences will help you know what complimentary items you can give them. That could be anything from a welcoming fruit basket to a complimentary bottle of wine.
Another small yet significant way to render a personalized touch is by including a welcome manual containing information on nearby attractions your guests might like.
One of the most obvious ways to get a feel of what particular clients like is through one-on-one conversations.
Therefore, being easily reachable and promptly answering their queries gives you valuable insights into how you can make their stay memorable and have them as repeat guests.
Have the right team
Partner with other businesses that complement your business goals.
For vacationers, their goal is to get away from their daily hustle and bustle and have some time to unwind. Your vacation rental serves as a springboard from which they can visit local attractions in a personalized yet cost-effective manner.
Consequently, partnering with some of the best tour companies in Kenya is a way to add value for your guests. You can secure discounted tour deals for whichever parts of the country your guests wish to visit.
Not only will your clients love the budget-friendly arrangement, but they will also relish the fact that they can always opt for a customized guided safari during their stay.
Such partnerships allow you to set yourself apart from the competition as your products will always be appreciated for their extra options.
Not only that, since you will be dealing with professionals such as masaimarasafari.in that deliver truly memorable wildlife safaris and beach holidays to their guests.
Develop a professional website
Your client’s first point of interaction with your business is most likely online in this digital world.
Aside from listing your rental on leading property platforms, it is equally important to have a professional website dedicated to your rental.
Apart from communicating your brand information, the website will also help you convert online traffic into sales.
When a client searches for vacation rentals within your geographical area, your will be among the first suggestions that google displays.
With a professionally managed website, the client can get more information about your listing, contact you directly and even pay for their booking.
It thus goes without say, that investing in good images and layout for your website goes a long way.
Make sure that the site is constantly optimized for search engines as this guarantees that your site will consistently rank among the first batch of suggestions identified by google.
Reviews
As mentioned before, your website is likely to be your guest’s first point of interaction with your business.
One of the best ways to receive positive feedback and commendation from past clients is through user reviews.
While these might also attract some negative feedback, reviews are a free marketing tool to leverage your sales.
Even with negative reviews, your positive response to them will likely convince prospective clients that yours is a dependable product. Where negative feedback is given, always strive towards a resolution of the problem.
To prompt your guests to give their input, ensure that you keep an updated mailing list through which you can politely request a review at the end of their stay.
The mailing list will also come in handy when you wish to communicate any new discounts and product offers to your loyal repeat customers.
