3 Effective Ways to Target Vacation Rental Customers

Through digital marketing, property management companies can use search engines and social media sites to target vacation rental customers. By implementing marketing and remarketing processes, businesses can capture potential customers and place their brands in front of them on hundreds of websites that user visits. This keeps brands top-of-mind and increases exposure, both working to increase bookings.

“Most travel customers need at least six touch points with a vacation rental brand/company before they choose to book with that company,” says Daniel Hadaway, Marketing Director for iTrip Vacations®. “Retargeting is by far the most efficient way to accomplish this. Our customers love it because they see ad content that is actually more relevant to their interests than general advertising they see throughout their day.”

Targeting and retargeting website users are processes that place advertising on sites, such as Google and Facebook, in front new visitors and those who visited your website but took no action. If you’ve ever visited a website, exited it, then an ad appeared for that company on another website, you have been retargeted. These ads encourage users to take actions including booking, listing, reading and contacting companies for more information.

Ways to Target Vacation Rental Customers

Try Google Ads

One way to target potential vacation rental customers is through creating a Google ad. As the world’s largest search engine, the ad will appear in front of the user as they are on Google and other sites that work with Google. To create a Google ad, you should have a Google Ad Words account, which allows users to set a budget and select the target audience. Read more about setting up an Ad Words account and ad.

This tactic also includes the pay-per-click process (PPC), the model of internet marketing in which advertisers pay a fee each time their ad is clicked. Even though it sounds simple enough, this process can become costly if not used correctly. In short, companies create an ad, and each time it is clicked on, you pay a fee to the search engine. The user may or may not take action, so it’s important to know how to conduct a successful PPC campaign and not waste time and resources. Those not comfortable with this option, may find advertising on a social media platform a better fit.

Create Social Media Ads

Vacation rental companies that have a social presence can target visitors through ads on these sites as well. One popular option for rental managers is Facebook, which had 1.8 billion monthly active users in 2016. In order to advertise on Facebook, you must have your own website and drive traffic to that site. Listings on VRBO will not work. You should also consider how much you can spend and have an open mind for trying new things.

Once you have those items in place, decide who you want to target and their location. Facebook allows you to select custom audiences, locations, age ranges, gender, other demographics and even interests. When creating these ads, selecting a small location may prove most successful.

For example, if you own a vacation rental in North Carolina, you can target by that state or surrounding cities in the area. Additionally, if you have a current database of contacts, also target guests who previously stayed but haven’t book a rental in awhile. This process targets those at the bottom of your sales funnel and starts pushing them to the top.

Target Vacation Rental Customers Through Content

Blogs serve as another way to target and remarket to customers. Vacation rental sites that publish blog posts can use that content on social media to spotlight the area and showcase its amenities. Within blog posts, include links to other blog posts about more relevant content, which allows users to gain insight into vacationing in the area. Expert articles show your audience you know the area well and help you build trust as a credible resource. Read our first-time blog tips.

To take the blog process farther, create a email newsletter that contains content and promotes your area. Enewsletters promote exciting events, news, things to do, awards and offer special discounts to subscribers. Vacation rental managers have the option to send these weekly, monthly and quarterly, giving managers schedule flexibility. Enewsletters can also be shared through email and social media, increasing your exposure even more.

Sources: iTrip Vacations®, Paveya, 91 Digital, WordStream

Get more marketing advice from vacation rental pro Matt Landau with VRMB.