If you choose to advertise on one of the holiday letting portals, there are a few things you can do to make the most of your listing and generate as many bookings as possible.
Photographs
This goes for photographs you use elsewhere too. Having professionally taken shots, taken on a bright sunny day with blue sky in the background will go a long way to selling a property. Make sure the property is clean and tidy for the shoot, removing items such as tea towels and bins from shots, set the dining table and dress with flowers.
Think about which photographs are used and their order. Holiday letting portals will ask for a lead photograph. This is the image which appears on search results and encourages users to click through to your full listing. So it is very important to choose the best image, be it an external shot, a view shot or an internal, make sure it is the most impressive representation of the property. The order of the rest of the images should follow a pattern; such as starting with the exterior and view shots, progressing to the living, dining and then bedroom shots, possibly finishing with a couple of local area beach or attraction shots.
Description
The written description is another key selling tool. Read other listings in the same area and ensurte your headline, bullet points and paragraph text reflect the key selling points, such as ‘free wi-fi’ or ‘five minute walk to the beach’.
Think about the user and what they are looking for, such as what is in the area, how close to the nearest beach or attraction, is there parking and is there a view. Keep paragraphs short and explain the benefits rather being factual about the property. For example; ‘a two minute walk to the beach’ could become ‘no need to drive to the beach and pay in the often full car park when you can stroll down at your own leisure’.
Availability
Most portals will include an availability calendar which users can refer to and see if their preferred week is available. Keep this up to date by blocking out dates which become unavailable. This will avoid fruitless enquiries for unavailable weeks.
Pricing
Check similar properties in the region and what other owners are charging in the area. The Internet has made comparing properties far easier and has made the market very price sensitive. Ensure the price is competitive at all times of the year, from the peak August weeks all the way through to the winter.
Enquiries
Answer e-mail enquiries promptly, as potential guests may well have contacted a number of owners at the same time. Replying quickly with helpful answers will improve the chance of converting enquiries into bookings. Where telephone enquiries come in, think about who will answer the phone and how contactable they are. Make sure there is an answer machine service on the designated number.
