Gift certificates are a great present anytime of year, even though they get the most attention at Christmas. How are you addressing this in your rental property advertising?
Gift certificates are easy to create, and very easy to manage. Some initial ideas on how to incorporate gift certificates into your property marketing include:
* Adding a line to your email signature that they are available
* Including a promotional line on your charge card receipts
* Including a promotional line about them in your follow up email or thank you card to guests
* A postcard or table top display in your rental unit
The list goes on and on and I’ve outlined additional ideas and strategies to implement them in The Booked Solid Blueprint. No matter what action you take, make sure you’re promoting gift certificates! They are a winner for everyone!
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Here’s some great news for all vacation rental owners with FlipKey reviews - Google Local has added FlipKey reviews as part of their local listings. If you are using FlipKey, you will most likely see an increase in traffic and bookings as renters love to see qualified reviews. And because these show up at the top of the Google Organic search results, all the better for reaching your renter!
Here’s an example showing reviews in the Santa Barbara market. Where you see “reviews” to the right of the listing is where they are linked to.
When you click through to reviews, you get a list of reviews that will look like this.
It’s clear that FlipKey’s role in the vacation rental market continues to grow, and it will be interesting to see the role that reviews play. One thing is for sure though, the power of the Google Local and FlipKey reviews are an important tool for vacation rental owners.
(If you haven’t yet listed on Google Local, check out this earlier post on the importance of Google Local to your property advertising. It will give you step-by-step guidance).
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Of course you’ve heard the buzz about Bing….have you noticed the buzz around Bing Local?
Many of the Search engine experts debate Bing Local’s ability to ever surpass Google’s Local search. But that doesn’t mean they won’t have a significant reach and impact. Like Google Local, Bing Local is free, and it’s a simple process to sign up. I recommend all vacation property owners interested in boosting their SEO and their visibility do so.
What’s a Bing Local listing?
Bing Local lets users find rental property’s in the areas they are searching. Because local listings are returned in search results, your renters will be able to find you easier.
There’s really no reason not do list your property. It takes less than 15 minutes, including uploading up to 10 pictures. You can edit it any time you want. Here’s the steps you’ll take.
1. Go to Bing Local’s Listing Center.
2. Setup a Windows ID (If you don’t already have one)
4. Enter your business info (property description, web site, specific information) as wells as your contact info.
5. Select as many as 6 categories in which you want your website listed (this is great for being associated with your top keywords). (Don’t know your property’s keywords? See previous posts on keywords for your property marketing, or contact us about our keyword services).
6. Upload up to 10 photos (I was disappointed there was no video uploads, but I’m sure this feature will follow down the road. They do feature a slideshow of your photos in your free local listing).
7. Verify your location on a map.
8. Submit
They will send you a verification letter, to confirm your address. Once you receive that, and respond, you’ll be listed!
(You can read more on the importance of Google Local & Yahoo Local, and instructions for listing with both, on this post on local property advertising).
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Please take this opportunity to really dive in to your keywords and really understand how your renters look for information about you. Twitter is a fabulous tool for incorporating those keywords into regular tweets so you can drive traffic to your web site or ad listing. It’s a mistake to think a tweet about your rental or rates is going to generate rentals for you. That’s not the point. The point is to create value by tweeting helpful information about your rental, the area you’re located in, local activities, and specials as well. Don’t just talk about rates and availability though. Understand what your renters are looking for, and then respond to that. It all starts with your keywords.
Here’s an example for you. Here’s a list of some of the top keywords for a Pocono Mountain Rental. These words represent the top ways (from Google) that people search for a vacation home in the Poconos. Now think about the impact it would have on FREE traffic if you started ranking for some of the keywords in your area. There are many ways to do this, and now Twitter is another excellent opportunity for you.
Well, since I’ve been writing about the importance of print components in your property advertising, I thought I’d round it out with a comment about the importance of having note paper in your rental as well. When you print brochures and / or postcards, this is an easy thing to add on for little additional cost.
Hotels always have note paper in their rooms….it’s handy for the guest and it provides ongoing promotion for the hotel. The same is the case for your rental, it’s just another way to keep your name out there….and it’s very inexpensive. Guests appreciate the little personalized touches, and paper is something they always need.
Here you want to consider a simpler drawing or photo of your house….and you can go black and white or color. You could invest in a line drawing of your house, or you could use a black and white or one color photo (B/W or 1/C is typically less expensive to print).
Since notepaper is about giving the user space to write….I just include our address, phone, and web site along the bottom of the paper.
For specific guidance on creating a note paper for your vacation property marketing, check out the Booked Solid Blueprint, which will guide you through content creation as well as give you some great resources for inexpensive and quality production. Whatever you decide, make sure that printed materials are a part of how you advertise your property.
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Gift certificates are a great present anytime of year, even though they get the most attention at Christmas. How are you addressing this in your rental property advertising?
With 
Here’s an example for you. Here’s a list of some of the top keywords for a Pocono Mountain Rental. These words represent the top ways (from Google) that people search for a vacation home in the Poconos. Now think about the impact it would have on FREE traffic if you started ranking for some of the keywords in your area. There are many ways to do this, and now Twitter is another excellent opportunity for you. 
