Vacation Rentals Marketing Strategy | Top 5 Marketing Tactics

The competition is fierce when it comes to marketing your vacation rental. There are hundreds of properties on listing sites you must outperform to drive traffic and get bookings. You’ll need a strong vacation rental marketing strategy to target your listing to potential guests properly to stand out.

Marketing is a difficult task. The vacation rental industry is extremely competitive finding the best tools, tactics and overall strategy to outrun your competitors takes a lot of trial and error. However, there are a few elements that every successful vacation rental marketing strategy must include, read on to find out.

Defining the Pillars of Your Vacation Rental Marketing Strategy

Before deciding on your vacation rental marketing strategy there are a few things to settle on, let’s call these the pillars of your marketing strategy. You may not be able to set them in stone right away especially if you’re only starting your short-term rental business but, through initial research and trial and error, you will be able to identify them. 

1. Your target audience

Before setting off to attract guests you will need to identify who they are. Surely your property will not be ideal for everyone visiting your locality. There are two ways to go by this:

Look at visitor trends:

Look at what your local city or state is famous for and who are the people who visit often. What do they prefer? Are they primarily families, group of friends or a mix of both? What’s their level of income? Once you have your answer to these questions, build a persona based on this to target.

Look at your property:

Alternatively, look within your property and identify its strengths. Think about what group of people will be more interested in it. Define your persona based on this and target them. However, make sure your persona fits within the scope of the type of people who usually visit your locality.

Defining your target audience will not only help you tailor your marketing efforts more effectively but also ensure that your offerings align perfectly with what your guests are looking for.

2. Your unique selling proposition (USP)

One of the most important steps in marketing your property is defining your unique selling proposition (USP). This is what sets you apart from the crowd and convinces potential guests to choose your place over others. 

To start, think about what makes your property truly unique. This could be its prime location or maybe your standout feature lies in your amenities, like a state-of-the-art fitness center, a luxurious spa or an infinity pool with breathtaking views.

Unique experiences also play a huge role. Perhaps you offer personalized excursions, cooking classes or exclusive access to local events and attractions.

Once you’ve pinpointed what makes your property different, it’s time to craft your value proposition. This is all about clearly articulating the value and benefits guests will experience when they stay with you. By thoroughly understanding and effectively communicating your USP, you can attract the right guests and ensure they recognize the exceptional value you offer. This not only helps in standing out in a competitive market but may also allow you to charge more.

3. Your competition

Take the time to investigate your competition. What are their strengths? Do they boast a prime location or superior amenities? Understanding their advantages can help you identify areas where you need to improve or differentiate yourself.

Equally important is recognizing their weaknesses. Are their rooms outdated? Do they have limited amenities? Knowing these shortcomings can give you valuable insights on how to position your property more favorably. 

Now examine their pricing strategies and marketing tactics. Look at their listings to find out how they price their rooms during different times (weekdays and weekends) and the kind of promotions they run to help you refine your pricing model and enhance your marketing efforts.

4. The local market

Understand the demand in your area to maximize occupancy rates. Identify peak seasons like holidays, summer vacations or festival periods when travelers are most likely to visit. Local events such as conventions, concerts and sports events can also boost demand, offering opportunities to attract more guests with targeted promotions and pricing.

Stay informed about trends in travel preferences. Are travelers increasingly seeking eco-friendly accommodations, pet-friendly properties or extended-stay options? Keeping up with these trends allows you to adapt your offerings to meet evolving guest expectations.

The Top 5 Marketing Tactics to Strengthen Your Vacation Rental Marketing Strategy

1. Build your brand

Creating a strong brand is crucial for making your property memorable and appealing to guests. Start with developing a clear brand identity. This means designing a logo, choosing a color scheme and establishing a tone of voice that all work together to reflect the essence of your property. Make sure these elements resonate with your target audience and convey the right message about what they can expect when they stay with you.

Now, craft a compelling narrative around your property that highlights what makes it special. Share the unique attributes and experiences that guests can enjoy, whether it's the rich history of the building, the breathtaking views or the personalized services you offer. A well-told story can create an emotional connection with potential guests, making your property stand out in their minds.

2. Determine the best distribution channel mix.

If you only remember one thing from this guide, make it this: finding the right mix of distribution channels is critical to effective vacation rental marketing. 

Your vacation rental distribution strategy determines whether you can get your listings in front of and convert your target audience. Popular sites like Airbnb, VRBO and Booking.com are great places to start. Each platform attracts different types of travelers and offers unique features, so consider which ones align best with your target audience and the amenities you offer. 

If you feel like these are too mainstream for you, consider niche websites. Niche channels, like local listing sites, specialize in specific areas - but their expertise lies in something other than a geographical location. They cater to specific groups of travelers who have specific needs and do not always look for accommodations on OTAs. Listing on niche channels can be extremely profitable as you can reach and target travelers specifically looking for what your rental has to offer.

Protip: Using a vacation rental channel manager, such as Hostaway, can help you manage your listings across multiple channels and keep your availability, pricing and calendar up to date at all times.

3. Create a direct booking website

Having your own direct booking website is essential for attracting guests and boosting your revenue. Make sure your website looks professional and is easy to navigate. It should provide detailed information about your property, complete with high-quality images that showcase its best features. An easy and secure booking process is also a must, so guests can reserve their stay without any hassle.

To help more people find your website, focus on search engine optimization (SEO). This means using the right keywords and content to improve your site’s ranking on search engines like Google. The better your SEO, the higher your website will appear in search results, making it easier for potential guests to discover your property.

Did you know? With Hostaway’s direct booking template you can design your vacation rental website in minutes.

4. Set the right price

To attract guests and stay competitive, it's important to set your prices based on what’s happening in the market. Look at what similar properties in your area are charging and adjust your rates according to demand and seasons. For example, you might charge more during peak holiday periods and less during quieter times to encourage bookings.

Also, consider using dynamic pricing tools. These tools automatically adjust your rates in real-time based on factors like occupancy levels, current demand and market trends. This way, you can maximize your revenue by always offering the right price at the right time.

5. Encourage Reviews

Every vacation rental manager's marketing strategy should include reviews. They give you credibility and inspire trust in travelers, the majority of whom want to read about other guests' experiences before booking a rental.

Positive reviews can not only help you get more bookings, but they can also provide you with valuable feedback from guests to help you improve your business.

Using a review automation tool built into your property management system is the best way to encourage guests to leave reviews. You can use these tools to leave an automated review on your guest's profile and then send them an email asking for a review in return. If your guest does not respond to your review request within a few days, you can send a reminder email or text message to them.

Keeping Your Vacation Rental Marketing Strategy Relevant

Every year, vacation rental marketing becomes more difficult as competition grows and consolidation shapes the industry.

Whatever strategies you employ, it is critical to understand that vacation rental marketing does not stand alone. It is inextricably linked to other fundamental aspects of property management, such as listing distribution and revenue management.

If you can get your vacation rental company's departments to collaborate, you'll have a much better chance of effectively increasing your bookings, occupancy and revenue.