Letting Holiday Property in the UK – Marketing Ideas

Posted on by

In an increasingly demanding holiday market place there is still a lot we can do to help increase our bookings. We are often being asked how others are doing, in order to help give them an edge.

There is no broad brush answer as there are many aspects to marketing and presentation that may make that all important difference.

Hot Tub Lodges - CotswoldsThe most important of all however is know who your existing and potential customers are and try to look through their eyes at what you are offering in all forms of your marketing.

Every holiday maker is different of course with differing demands, just as every holiday cottage is different. People will only rent your cottage or lodges if they find a good match between their needs and desires and what you have to offer.

When letting holiday property, it is vital that you have a thorough understanding of what makes your cottage or lodge holiday special, and that you communicate this to potential guests with your advertising and marketing strategy.

Self-Catering Web Awards 2013
It was very interesting to see the results from the Self-Catering Web Awards 2013 which were announced back in January which highlighted a few good ‘Best Practices’ – there are some very useful ideas worth looking at http://selfcateringwebawards.com/blog.

Following this, ‘Rental Tonic’ published a very interesting article entitled – “Self Catering Web Awards: Why the winning websites made it” which highlighted some excellent thoughts that I am sure we can all learn something from.

The following are a few shared thoughts & recommendations that may help us all take more bookings in 2013:

  • Showcase your highlights & best features on your home page and make sure they are visible – Why should someone have their holiday with you?
  • Bring your holiday cottage / lodge to life through strong, evocative & striking imagery
  • Make your holiday cottage as cosy looking and inviting as possible
  • Introduce floor plans to help customers visualise their holiday cottage or lodge
  • Clearly display & share your customer testimonials & on your web pages
  • List up to 6 key highlights and advantages over others and present these clearly
  • Clearly indicate your availability & last minute deals
  • Offer short breaks across more of the year and maybe introduce more flexible start days out of season
  • Communicate with your guests & potential guests regularly via newsletters, email, social media
  • Offer your customers a discounted holiday option or discount referral option to their friends to encourage recommendations
  • Keep your website up to date with fresh content & imagery
  • Make sure it is easy to contact you and make it easy for them to reserve a holiday with you
  • Offer your guests local deals, recommendations and services i.e. local discounts on attractions, dining, fishing & boat hire etc.
  • Encourage early bookings with early season offers rather than having to discount heavily at the last minute
  • Make sure your guests leave with happy memories, encouraging them to recommend you & book early for next year

We hope that some of these ideas may be useful to you. If you wish to share any ideas or look at any joint marketing initiatives we will of course be delighted to discuss these with you.

Good luck!

All at Waterside Breaks

About us: Waterside Breaks specialises in holiday cottage & lodges by the water throughout the UK.

Blog Focus: Letting your holiday cottage