Podcast http://traffic.libsyn.com/cottageblogger/VRS061_-_January_Mash_-Up_with_Matt.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | RSS As promised, here is the January monthly mash-up with the one and only vacation rental marketing maestro, Matt Landau. We just hit the record button and let it flow and what a lot we covered. From how to turn questions into blog posts to a couple of featured owners, Matt and I explored the inner world of our great industry in a sort of ‘fireside chat’. Video was the theme of the day as my featured owner was Bali and St Barts owner, Thibault Masson, a previous guest on the show, and Matt talked about Philippe Alexis who owns his vacation rental in Marrakech. Thibault took up my recent challenge to create a short video for his Bali villa and did a fantastic job. He answered three questions he is often asked: Is it safe to drive in Bali? Can we swim in the sea? What is the weather like in the winter? Using video to answer common guest questions is a great way to start out with this medium, and you can create a YouTube channel with just a few short videos. Philippe has been using Will Franko’s ‘video handshake’ to respond to guest enquiries mainly because he feels his written English skills don’t allow him to express all he wants to say about his home and location. Using the video method allows him to share his personality with his prospective guests – and it works! What a great January #vacationrental mashup with @cottageguru and @bookmorenights. Another feature we will offer regularly is our favourite resources. Matt and I discussed a number of resources in this episode – one of which Thibault has been using to promote some special offers – Lead Pages. My featured resource was Guesty – an Airbnb inspired service product that delivers support services to guests and owners. The commercials are great but I have yet to talk with an owner who is using the service so if you are and would be interested in sharing your experience, please let me know. Renting Your Place was Matt’s choice this month. Part of this resource are the data and analytics it produces to track the rental activity in different locations. So, if you want to find out occupancy or rate statistics for vacation rentals in a particular zip code in San Diego for example, you can purchase a data report. There are plenty of free analytics too so check it out. Finally our conversation turned to the new Vacation Rental Marketing Makeover that Matt launched a couple of weeks ago. The lucky recipients were Alanna Schroeder (also a previous guest on this show) and Holly Webb. Alanna has her vacation rental in Kauai while Holly Webb is proud owner of a property in Yosemite National Park. Matt shared how he chose both Alanna and Holly for the project and it proved that the more you give, the more you will get back! Over the next few months, both owners will be working on their content as Matt, together with Jonathan Murray from MyVr and Sarah Brubaker from Web Chalet help them create new sites. This was our second mash-up and we really enjoy getting together and bringing it to you. Is this helpful? Are there any burning questions you would like answered? Let me know and we’ll feature them next time. Links discussed: Digital Handshake Portent Yesware Philippe Alexis (Location Marrakech) Thibault Masson VRS030 Alanna Schroeder – The Distinguished Guest MyVr Web Chalet Guesty Will Franco Where you can find Matt: Website Twitter Facebook Google+
