Vacation Rental Marketing Since I just signed up and committed to a blog post per day for NaBloPoMo ( National Blog Post Month) it seems a good idea to make my first post on blogging and a reflection on something I read this morning – on a blog, of course. With hundreds of thousands of vacation rental listings worldwide (millions perhaps), we all need something to differentiate ourselves from the competition, and content marketing seems to be the most effective way to go. You’ve Got To Be Different It was on a day trip yesterday out to Fort Morgan, Alabama and then across to Dauphin Island, that it struck me forcibly that the choice of vacation rentals is so huge, savvy owners have to do something different. Mile upon mile of beachfront houses on stilts, almost all with For Rent signs outside, got us talking about the challenge of being unique; offering something that the others aren’t, and how difficult it must be to stand out. But in fact it’s not that tough when all an owner has to do is promote effectively. · Get your voice out there · Show up everywhere as an expert on the area · Generate some confidence This is called Content Marketing and it goes beyond paying for a listing site and hoping the bookings will come. The Buffer post has some great points and I would encourage anyone thinking of starting a blog, to read it. It references a Rand Fishkin definition I really liked: “Content marketing exists to build familiarity, likability and trust.” Isn’t that what we want to do? When the choice is massive, people will gravitate to something they feel they know and are comfortable with. If I was looking for a rental down in this area and read some blog posts on the Dauphin Island Ferry and its dog friendly beaches; the pretty town of Fairhope, and maybe a list of what to do and see in Mobile, I would be more likely to choose the property the blog writer owned. Why? Because the owner has shown a commitment to making my stay more enjoyable. So there it is. Are you already blogging and see the impact from it on your enquiries? Let me hear from you in the comments. Oh, and if you want to join me on NaBloPoMo you can sign up here (till November 5th)
