Whether it's your website, your business page on Facebook, or your airbnb vacation rental listing - nailing your digital presence could mean the difference between business, or lack thereof. No matter the channel, successful digital marketing most always stems from identifying your target client and marketing to their pain points. Therefore, perfecting your vacation rental profile means knowing your ideal guest, understanding their needs, and positioning your rental as the best solution.

In addition to being the solution to your guests vacation needs, you must also cut through the clutter of ALL the other listings, and provide an authentic, positive and memorable guest experience before your guests even step foot in your home. To  make things even more interesting, this all has to happen within the confines of your listing site. To do this well can be challenging. However, given the current travel market, the drive for authentic experiences, and the surge of shared-economies - I deem this a challenge worth pursuing. If you are reading this, I'd say you do, too. To make this challenge a bit more manageable, here are a few tips to consider when perfecting your vacation rental profile: 
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​Don't Over-Promise and Under-Deliver
When making large ticket purchases on the internet, such as a vacation, convincing your consumers to trust you is one of the biggest hurdles. One of the best ways to grow trust is though social proof, meaning - guest reviews. Now, the quickest way to get yourself a bad review is by not being upfront or honest about your offerings. To avoid this, definitely do not over-promise and under-deliver, and don't leave out important information that would change the guest experience.

That said, there are ways to be honest without selling yourself short. For example: if your house is a block from the beach, do not list it as "oceanfront." However, be sure to let your guests know just how quickly they can walk to public beach access. If your loft is in the middle of a busy, downtown district, I wouldn't say "city noise is a problem." But I certainly would say something like "located in a lively, urban area," so guests know what to expect. 

Market to Your Ideal Guests
If your property is an ultra sleek bachelor pad in the nightclub district, I probably would not describe it as "family-friendly." If your property is a yurt on an organic goat farm, I wouldn't recommend marketing to business travelers. These examples are extreme, but you get my drift. Often times we are afraid to define a niche because we don't want to "miss out," however I assure you there are plenty of business travelers, just as there are plenty of families looking for rentals. If we can identify and market to our ideal client, we end up offering a much more positive guest experience. This leads to better reviews and more business. 
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There you have it, folks - a few tips to help perfect your vacation rental profile. Oh, and one last piece of advice - don't forget to block out a few weekends for your own enjoyment before your listing calendar fills up! If you need any assistance putting these tips into action, email me - I love this stuff. 

I swear a lot. I have to remind myself when I am teaching yoga to use words like "seat" instead of "ass" and "challenges" instead of "bullshit." I eat meat, I love wine (anything with bubbles), I worry too much, and I can't get enough of the Kardashian's. This does not necessarily paint the most perfect image of me, so... why am I telling you this? 

Because it makes me a real person. 

Now don't get me wrong - I am also hyper-organized, motivated, intelligent and well-spoken. I have excellent customer service skills, I can manage myself in front of a crowd, perform under pressure, and teach a heck (hell) of a yoga class.  But if that was all I told you about me, would you relate? 

Here's the thing - there is SO much NOISE out there today. By noise I mean marketing and advertising. We are constantly being sold to, marketed to, fed content and click-baited. That being said, pause for a moment and think about what you actually choose to click on and engage with. 

If I had to guess, it is highly likely you choose to dive deeper into topics you feel passionate about, news that affects you or your community, articles that help you improve a skill or teach you something that you can apply to your work or daily life, and probably also a few vice clicks as well - sports, celebrity gossip columns, etc. I can only assume you do not like to be tricked into clicking on something, only to find out you have been led somewhere entirely different. 

My point? You click on things you CONNECT with. If I am a representation of my brand, and I want to connect with you, then I have to share a bit of my story with you. I have to be transparent or you probably won't trust me. This does not mean that I have to tell you my deepest, darkest secrets. It does not mean I have to tell you what I have for breakfast everyday. I can still maintain a level of privacy, professionalism, and clarity with my content while sharing a piece of what makes me and my business unique. 

When your brand can set itself apart from others by being authentic and honest yet still very clear with your messaging and mission - THIS is what will separate you from the noise. From there, the people who are a good fit for your business and your services will connect with you and likely stay loyal because they trust you. Need help figuring out how you can do this with your brand? Let me know, I am happy to help!

#TransparencyIsTrending