Imagine this.... you’re a #vacationrental owner operating on one platform such as #Airbnb, #VRBO or #Homeaway. You have built your beautiful vacation rental with a new swimming pool and hot tub to attract potential guests. Everything is going great and you start receiving more reservations than you can handle. Suddenly, your account gets suspended indefinitely, because you did not follow the terms of service policy. Going through emotional waves of hurt and despair, you now do not know what to do. DON’T LET THIS BE YOU!
For starters, you should not be building your short-term rental business only on one platform. Not too mention, you should be creating your own email list. If you're trying to get your vacation rental business off the ground, it can be hard to know where to start. I have put together three ways on how you can build your email list to start marketing your business effectively.
Provide an incentive - One of the best ways to build your short-term rental email list is by ensuring that you have social media accounts on various platforms. Simply put, get social on social media. This way, you can get active in your community and connect with potential guests and guests who have already stayed with you. If you want to start with one, that’s perfectly fine too. If I had to choose one social media platform to get started with, I would choose Instagram as my main platform. It’s perfect for showcasing your short-term rental to the masses in short form videos or photos. On Instagram, here’s where you can run a sale for your followers. In order for your followers to take part, you can direct them to your website to book a nights stay. Automatically, they will be added to your email list. Another suggestion is you can run a contest, and whomever wants to take part, must tag a friend in the comments and then sign up to your email list via your website for a chance of winning a free night stay at your vacation rental. This option allows you to not only obtain the person’s email address, but also helps build up your following on Instagram. Should you not have a website, the suggestions provided can eb adjusted accordingly.
Facebook groups - Facebook groups are excellent for building your email list. Groups on this platform can be a goldmine for business owners, because some groups literally have thousands and thousands of members. The best part? You can find groups that are your direct target market. What’s even better? Some groups are FREE! For you as a host, you can find groups that are for tourists wanting to travel to your State/City for starters. Most importantly, for the Facebook group option to work, you must have a website. You will need to create a lead magnet that will incentivize potential guests to download it in order for you to obtain their email address. So think, what’s that one thing someone will download in order for you to obtain their email address?
Via guests stays - This is perhaps the easiest way to get started when building your email list and it does not require you to have a website. All you need is an email account. Before guests arrive at your property, you should be connecting with them. You should be providing them with material that will help them familiarize themselves with your neighborhood. This can be in the form of your welcome book, or even a simple two pager, which highlights top spots that guests should see and/or events that are taking place in your area. Remember, the aim is to get them to give you their email for marketing purposes. So building a connection with them is important. Throughout their stay, you should be answering any questions they may have. By the end, you will have built up a rapport with them. This is where you ask if you can email them any promotions and/or newsletters in an effort to stay in touch for future stays.
Some hosts entered into the industry because they wanted more flexibility that a 9am - 5pm job could not offer. With so many rules on platforms like Airbnb, it can become frustrating. Essentially, Airbnb would be your boss. Another reason host should consider building their email list, is suppose the platform you are hosting on is hacked and is down for a while. I mean it can happen. We have seen it happen to Instagram, What’sApp and Facebook. Ownership is important. Owning an email list, is important because you will still be able to connect with past and potential guests should any of your listing platforms go down for any reason. Although I outlined three ways to build your list, there are many more. But the above will help you get started.
Disclaimer: When gathering emails, you must adhere to your jurisdictions Privacy Laws.
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