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Vacation Rental Marketing: Updating a Property Listing

You created a stellar vacation rental advert months back now and it seems to be attracting guests, so why the need to update the property listing? In order for your vacation rental business to grow, it is really important to keep on top of industry updates and adjust your marketing strategy according to seasons, events etc. Keeping the property description up-to-date will further establish business credibility to customers and help the property to stand out above competition.

Image: ActiveRain - Good Property Descriptions

Re-evaluating the property description will allow you to construct an updated version that reflects the needs of previous guests or a new clientele you wish to attract. Improving a vacation rental listing can take no more than an hour yet have a lasting impact on bookings.

Are you wondering how you could update a vacation rental property listing? Here are 6 areas with room for improvement:

Headline

The headline is the first thing potential guests will see so make sure it grabs attention over other property listings. Updating the headline according to seasons is a great marketing strategy to boost bookings during low season e.g. if you have a log cabin in Norfolk, England, adapt the headline to something like 'A Magical Winter Log Cabin in Norfolk'.

Or if you are noticing a particular customer pattern and would like to categorize the property into a niche market, the headline is the perfect place to start e.g. Gay-Friendly Miami Beach Apartment.

Property Photos

If the decoration or layout of the property has been updated, make sure the property photos reflect the changes. After the headline, the property images provide a first impression for potential guests so make sure it's the correct one.

A creative way you could market the vacation rental is to update the listing with images of the property during a season. Updating the listing photo gallery during winter with images of the property decorated in Christmas decorations will help to sell the experience at the vacation rental and increase booking chances.

Amenities

Make sure the amenities the property listing offers are up-to-date; offering a service that is no longer available doesn't look great on your behalf and may land you in hot water. Equally, if you have added new amenities to the property but haven't updated the amenities list, you are missing out potential customers.

Also, adjusting the amenities according to the season is an excellent way to catch the bookers eye, a snow sledge is not going to attract guests in the summer whereas a surf board will.

Availability Calendars

Ensuring that the availability calendars on the vacation rental listing are current is so important. Not only can guests view exactly when the property is available, it helps you to manage the property efficiently.

An outdated calendar will increase chances of costly double-bookings and damage the reputation of your vacation rental business.

Dynamic Pricing

Adding dynamic pricing to the property listing will maximize bookings and keep you one step ahead of competitors. By taking into account seasonal changes, public holidays etc. and planning your prices in advance, you can keep your availability calendars up to date.

Real-time pricing means that guests won't see the differing costs between high and low season. That way you can maintain professionalism and guests are less likely to feel like they aren't getting a good deal. Dynamic pricing ensures that the listing page is always updated with the appropriate price.

Property Reviews

Potential guests rely heavily on what previous guests have to say about the vacation rental you are marketing. The more recent the review is, the stronger the influence it will have on vacationers looking for a property.

If you have received more recent reviews than the ones that are already on the listing, add them! It is the easiest and best way to dramatically increase bookings.

We hope we have given you an idea of some of the ways you can refresh a property listing to increase chances of bookings. Please feel free to share this post, add any comments or more vacation rental marketing ideas in the comment section below:

If you are in the market for a vacation rental software to manage dynamic pricing or availability calendars, consider using Kigo. You can contact one of our vacation rental software experts at [email protected] or on the phone Europe: +34 512 702 104 ‧ USA: +1 877 977 8837 ‧ Asia: +66 (0) 92 471 8426

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