Offline Marketing Tips for Vacation Rental Owners by:Shah M Karim
One the most overlooked techniques in marketing your vacation rentals is the use of offline methods to achieve those vital bookings
. Offline marketing can also be cost effective and if done regularly can achieve good results and successfully compliment your current marketing efforts.There are many Brits that would love to escape our glorious British weather and spend two weeks in a tropical destination! You just need to prompt people you know that you have a Florida vacation villa. The following are the key groups that you should target:
Friends, relatives, and colleagues: This group is an excellent source of bookings. Not only is there a trust element of renting a villas thousands of miles away from an owner that they personally know, but this method is very cost effective. You can easily send an email or facebook messages to your friends and relatives. At your workplace you can leave a flyer on the staff noticeboard. At social gatherings, such as weddings, Christmas or birthdays mention you have a Florida vacation villa. Offer them incentives like a small 'friends and family' discount or provide a 'thank you' gift voucher for referring your villa to someone they may know who is planning a holiday to Florida.
Your neighbours: Neighbours are also a good source of bookings. With neighbours why not post low cost flyers in your street informing the neighbourhood that you have a rental villa in Florida. Again, you can offer incentives like a 'neighbourhood' discount or provide 'thank you' gift vouchers for referring your villa to someone they may know who is planning a holiday to Florida.
Use local newspapers and magazines: There are many free and local newspapers and magazines where you can advertise your villas. The readerships for these papers are still significant, despite the growth of the internet. You can place a low cost advert in the classified section or you can try out a larger ad and place it in the holiday section of the news paper or magazine. However, keep the costs as low as possible with this form of advertising as the cost can quickly spiral! Remember you should have a compelling advert and you can also include special offers, such as '10% off for January'.
Newsagent / Supermarkets: You can easily place a postcode size advert in your local newsagents window. A good place would be a high street newsagent opposite a tube station or bus stop. Placing a small advert in supermarkets such as Tesco's, Asda or Sainsbury's can yield good results. Most supermarkets have notice boards behind the checkout tills or even a designated commercial advertising section. Make sure your postcard advert visually stands out amongst all the other adverts.
Community Centres, Churches, Sports Halls, Libraries: These community based locations usually have high traffic and they may have a general noticeboard. You should place a good quality A4 poster advertising your vacation villa and with any luck, this l may generate some enquiries.
As experienced Florida villaowners, have used these methods to increase enquires and obtain those vital bookings. You just never know when someone is looking to go on holiday and maybe be enticed by your Florida vacation villas!
About the author
We operate a successful vacation rental website with over 140 quality Florida vacation villas. For free resources and advice for your vacation villa visit http://www.luxurydisneyvillas.co.uk Grabbing Some Cheap Travel Deals Without Any Hassle by:Scheygen Smith Samantha Brown Says "Tune In" by:Nigel G. Worrall Travel Insurance: Worth it? by:Joe Cline Come With Us As We Travel On The Ghan Train by:Jean Morrison The Sea Stars Hotel by:Billy Bui Weekend Getaways in India by:Arvind Kaur Reservations Master: Customized European Tours With A Difference by:Toan Dinh Discover Scenic Humboldt Redwoods State Park by:Toan Dinh Eight Easy Tips For Taking Your Pet On Vacation by:Nigel G. Worrall How To Renew Your Passport by:Heather Eaton How To Sleep On A Plane by:Heather Eaton How To Rent Out A Holiday Home by:David Stuttard The Art And Science Of Responding To Vacation Rental Inquiries - Part 1 by:Michael Canson