For many years an advert in the Christmas Radio Times and a printed leaflet or brochure was the mainstay of holiday accommodation marketing. And in the New Year, the public’s thoughts turn to summer holidays during the key booking period of January.

Changing times

Then came the Internet – the digital brochure.  And now we have online advertising on holiday portals, search engine optimisation, Twitter, Facebook and TripAdvisor.  A prospective guest can check live availability online, view the immediate surrounding area on Google Street View and see what previous diners think about the nearby restaurant on TripAdvisor.

All of which impact on users decision making process when it comes to choosing holiday accommodation. Research by E-consultancy.com and Toluna showed that the Internet is involved in 85% of travel purchases, if not for the booking but at least the research phase.

So where does this leave printed communications?  Even booking confirmation letters and driving directions can be emailed to guests, saving time and money for owners.  Here we look at some of the benefits and disadvantages of printed materials.

Should I invest in print?

Disadvantages

• Can be time consuming to organise.
• Expensive to organise a designer and the print run, then pay postage costs.
• Can become out of date quickly (prices, availability, offers).

Advantages

• It’s tangible, something a potential guest can hold in their hand.
• More likely to be opened by a recipient than an e-mail which could be perceived as spam.
• And it is harder to discard than an e-mail which can be deleted in a second.

Some Thoughts and Ideas

The customer process to booking a holiday cottage often involves a number of stages, such as choosing an area, booking time off work and choosing accommodation. So where are the opportunities for printed material in this journey?

• The coffee table classic – a well designed or compelling piece of print can linger in the home of the potential guest creating awareness and familiarity with the accommodation.
• Past guests – target printed communications encouraging them to stay again.  Post literature to different guests dependent on when they stayed and more importantly when they booked their holiday.
• Be creative – rather than posting a standard leaflet describing the accommodation and surrounding area and attractions, why not send something more original, such as a desk calendar, or even a diary?
• Printing customised postcards and leaving 5 or 10 in the property for each arriving party is a great way to spread awareness about the property amongst friends and family of the guests.  Remember word of mouth and recommendations are a signifaicant source of new bookings.
• Use printed materials in conjunction with online.  Encourage users to visit your website for availability and to see more photographs, or post reviews on TripAdvisor.
• Speak to guests and understand how they book holidays.  Did they receive a brochure? Did it help generate a booking?
• Track and evaluate print campaigns and spend.  If it doesn’t work, don’t do it.

In summary, it is completely feasible to run a holiday let online only and invest in no printed materials at all.  In today’s world, a more sophisticated and creative approach is required with clear understanding of what is being printed, why and what goals it will achieve are required.