Six: Don’t be afraid to accept online bookings

Online booking acceptance is rapidly becoming the norm across the industry, with most new listing sites not even offering any other way for transactions to occur. 

It might not be what you’re most comfortable with. But it is what the traveller wants.

In fact, a study performed by HomeAway found that 92% of vacation rental travellers want the option to book online.* Which comes as no surprise that they’re pushing online booking as the new standard for their members.*

Simply put, travellers like the convenience of instantly confirming bookings and the protection that comes with it. And to deny it to them this capability, is to deny bookings. Probably not in your best interest…

So don't be afraid to accept online bookings, and don't be afraid to list with sites that force you to do so exclusively. Pretty soon, it won't even be an option.

Going beyond listings sites:

In what world would YOU ever send $1,500 of your hard earned money, to a business that’s "supposedly" located halfway across the country (or world for that matter), but you've really never heard of them before until now, and you can’t find them anywhere else besides the listing site you just found them on?

Our guess is that world probably doesn't exist. 

And yet, we still see so many vacation rental owners expecting travellers to do just that... but then wonder why they’re having a hard time getting more bookings?

You'd probably do a ton of research before making your decision on whether or not to even call them. Maybe you'd send them an email, just to make initial contact. But in the meantime you'd Google their business, check out their competition, etc... And only if, IF you found enough signs to convince you that it's the best decision to take, would you then give them a call.

And that mentality is the same one people have when they're looking to book a vacation rental.

In fact, vacation rental marketing guru, Matt Landau, performed a survey that showed over 70% of people will independently research the property and property owner outside of the listing environment, even before they decide to make contact.*

It's because - like we mentioned in tip #1 - vacation rentals are owned and operated by individuals, not multinational corporations that everybody recognizes like Marriot or the Holiday Inn. It's a lot easier for them to gain a traveller's trust that it is for you.

And that level of trust is exactly what you need to maximize your occupancy rates and take your vacation rental business to the next level.

So how do you earn that level of trust and put the 70% odds on your side?

By building a brand.

NOW:

The truth is, we know how intimidating it can be when you're not exactly sure what it is that you need. Especially considering how limited most budgets are for people just starting out in this industry.

But neither of those reasons make establishing your own professional brand any less important.

Owners who support their advertisement listings with an actual brand and independent online presence (which means things like a professional website, active social media profiles, local directory listings, SEO, PR, etc…), have occupancy rates as much as 40% higher than those who only use listing sites.*

So if you've already fully implemented the first 6 tips laid out in this article, then it's time you move beyond listing sites because there's still a lot of room to grow.

Here's how to get it done the right way;