Learn how to acquire new guests for your vacation rental through various marketing methods.

1. Vacation Rental Software
http://kigo.net
Vacation Rental Marketing
Customer Acquisition Tips
to Increase Bookings

2. Index
• What is Customer
Acquisition?
• Advertising
• Portals/OTA
• Channel Manager Advertising
• Google AdWords
• Travel Website Advertising
• Search Engine Marketing
• Link Building
• Website Optimization
• Website Optimization
• Social Media
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Pinterest
• Google +
• Content Creation
• Blogging for Keywords
• Long-tail Keywords

3. What is Customer
Acquisition?
Customer acquisition is the process of acquiring new guests for your
vacation rental through various marketing methods.
There are many different approaches your vacation rental business could
take to acquire new customers;
• Social media
• Multiple portal listings
• Content creation
• and much more…
Source: http://blog.kissmetrics.com/guide-to-customer-acquisition/

4. Knowing the current market landscape will help you to create and
effectively execute appropriate customer acquisition methods for your
vacation rental.
However big or small your vacation rental business is, retaining
customers is just as important as acquiring new ones; demonstrating
great customer relationship management and following a customer
acquisition strategy will help your business to grow.
What is Customer
Acquisition?

5. Advertising
The internet offers a plethora of customer acquisition marketing
options.
Here are some of the various advertising processes or platforms you
could adapt your customer acquisition strategy to:
• Portals aka OTA (Online Travel Agencies)
• Partner Agency Websites
• Google Adwords
• Travel Websites

6. Portals/OTA
The internet offers thousands of vacation rental listing portals and large-
scale online travel agencies (OTA) for holiday-home owners to create
property listings e.g. AirBnB, HomeAway/VRBO, HolidayLettings.
They can be used as great customer acquisition platforms for increasing
exposure to your vacation rental property and building a customer
database.
Source: http://www.vrmintel.com/how-to-increase-your-bookings-with-portals/
http://www.vacationrentalmarketingblog.com/passive_income/

7. Portals/OTA
Since portals have large marketing budgets, their websites hold the
potential to reach millions of customers looking for a vacation rental
therefore you can expect an increase in booking leads.
Portals are a great starting point for gaining exposure and a powerful
marketing tool but since they include thousands of vacation rental
listings, the competition is very high. Find Out More
Source: http://www.vrmintel.com/how-to-increase-your-bookings-with-portals/
http://www.vacationrentalmarketingblog.com/passive_income/

8. Channel Manager Advertising on
Partner Agency Websites
For vacation rental owners, a channel manager is a valuable tool to
manage multiple listings on portals/OTAs and keep property info up-
to-date all from one platform.
Additionally, it is also a great window for connecting with partner
agency websites and increasing chances of customer acquisition
through referrals.
Source: http://www.letstalkseo.com/understanding-pros-and-cons-of-affiliate-marketing/

9. Channel Manager Advertising on
Partner Agency Websites
It can boost your internet visibility and traffic; partner agencies can
refer your property when they are fully booked and vice versa.
However, do expect sharing a commission with your agency partner
when you acquire a customer referred by them. Find Out More
Source: http://www.letstalkseo.com/understanding-pros-and-cons-of-affiliate-marketing/

10. Google AdWords
Google AdWords is a useful tool to consider when creating your
customer acquisition strategy; businesses make an average of $2 in
revenue for every $1 they spend on AdWords.
No matter what your budget, AdWords can be set up quickly meaning
you will see an increase in traffic to your vacation rental website
almost immediately.
Source: http://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2012/08/13/google-adwords-facts
http://www.hallaminternet.com/2012/google-adwords-pros-and-cons/

11. Google AdWords
Not only does your vacation rental advert appear when guests are
looking for what you have to offer, you are given the chance for
ultimate exposure on the internet’s largest search engine.
However, you do pay for clicks regardless of whether a visitor converts,
you are restricted on advertising space and although it is set up
instantly, it does take time to ensure all your landing pages are relevant
and to ensure your campaign is working. Find Out More
Source: http://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2012/08/13/google-adwords-facts
http://www.hallaminternet.com/2012/google-adwords-pros-and-cons/

12. Travel Website Advertising
There are thousands of travel websites that you could advertise your vacation
rental property on to maximise customer acquisition; TripAdvisor, Booking.com,
Expedia etc.
Travel website HolidayLettings, from the largest travel community TripAdvisor,
attracts more than 57 million unique visitors every month - a colossal exposure
opportunity for your vacation rental listing to reach the millions of visitors on the
TripAdvisor network.
The downside to advertising your property on a huge travel website agency is that
it can become when quite costly when there are other less competitive and
effective customer acquisition marketing methods.
Source: http://sparkloftmedia.com/blog/resources/tripadvisor/

13. Search Engine Marketing
Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is the process of increasing visibility of your
vacation rental website in search engines by producing SEO (search engine
optimization) rich content.
A marketers ultimate aim is to appear at the top of Google search and in turn,
drive customers to their website. Two way vacation rental managers can
effectively execute SEM are by:
• Link building
• Website optimization

14. Link Building
Link building is an important contribution to SEO for growing the link
profile of your vacation rental website; the more links you have, the
higher your page rank.
Link building is inexpensive yet effective. There are many ways you can
link build and target your guests; from community forum participation
to creating videos.
Source: http://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-seo/growing-popularity-and-links/
http://seo-writing-techniques.blogspot.com.es/2010/03/pros-cos-of-link-building-back-linking.html

15. Link Building
Achieving a high page rank will increase traffic to your website and in
turn, acquire customers.
However, link building can be a lengthy customer acquisition method;
it requires continuous effort and could be months before you see any
results. Find Out More
Source: http://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-seo/growing-popularity-and-links/
http://seo-writing-techniques.blogspot.com.es/2010/03/pros-cos-of-link-building-back-linking.html

16. Website Optimization
Operating an SEO optimized vacation rental website is essential for
building a great customer acquisition platform; it will help you to
present your properties professionally and therefore increase booking
leads.
Ensuring that your website is rich in appropriate keyword
content, performs properly and is easy for your visitors to navigate
around, will increase your chances of being referred by search engines
therefore a rise in property bookings.
Source: http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2259693/SEO-Basics-8-Essentials-When-Optimizing-Your-Site

17. Website Optimization
Creating a seamless visitor experience can be time consuming
especially when evidence of customer acquisition isn’t instant.
It can also be quite easy to fall into over using keywords; it is important
to create fresh and informative content so that your vacation rental
website holds authority. Find Out More
Source: http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2259693/SEO-Basics-8-Essentials-When-Optimizing-Your-Site

18. Social Media
Another vacation rental marketing approach to consider when creating
your customer acquisition strategy is social media.
With most businesses nowadays, large or small, comes a social media
presence on an abundance of networking platforms:
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Pinterest
• Google +
Source: http://blog.kissmetrics.com/master-social-customer-acquisition/

19. Facebook
With 1.1 billion users, Facebook is the ultimate free marketing tool for
businesses to create a social voice.
Share a mix of informative content and property information with your
fans to encourage interaction and expand your reach.
Source: http://blog.bufferapp.com/social-media-stats-studies

20. Facebook
Almost half of online customers now expect businesses to provide
customer service through their Facebook page.
With this statistic in mind, it is worth implementing Facebook into your
customer acquisition strategy.
Your own Facebook page can however be time consuming and a ‘like’
doesn’t necessarily constitute a booking lead. Find Out More
Source: http://blog.bufferapp.com/social-media-stats-studies

21. LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the World’s Largest Professional Network where you and
225million members can build a professional identity.
As a vacation rental manager, it is a great learning platform for
engaging in discussion with other property owners and gaining an
insight into the vacation rental industry.
Source: http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/3199-Using-LinkedIn-for-Your-Ecommerce-Business-Pros-and-Cons

22. LinkedIn
In terms of customer acquisition, LinkedIn is a valuable social media
tool for establishing and exposing your brand by sharing your
professional opinions.
However, it does have its drawbacks; it is primarily a business-business
network making it difficult to target your customers and acquire new
booking leads.
Source: http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/3199-Using-LinkedIn-for-Your-Ecommerce-Business-Pros-and-Cons

23. Twitter
As of May 2013, Twitter has 500million users; a powerful social media
platform vacation rental managers should utilize for customer
acquisition.
An astounding 92% of engagement with a brand’s Tweets are link clicks
– a great opportunity for vacation rental owners to share short
informative bursts about the industry, connect with customers in real
time and promote vacation rental properties.
Source: http://www.grosocial.com/blogposts/pros-and-cons-of-twitter
http://expandedramblings.com/index.php/march-2013-by-the-numbers-a-few-amazing-twitter-stats/

24. Twitter
The trick with Twitter is that you are limited to 140 characters so you
are restricted on how much information you can send out to followers.
Also it is quite easy to get lost amongst the 400million tweets sent per
day so it is important to produce interesting click-worthy content.
Source: http://www.grosocial.com/blogposts/pros-and-cons-of-twitter
http://expandedramblings.com/index.php/march-2013-by-the-numbers-a-few-amazing-twitter-stats/

25. Pinterest
As of June 2013, the virtual pin-board social network Pinterest, has
48.7million users including vacation rental marketplace HomeAway.
Visual marketing generates more engagement which comes hand in
hand with Pinterest’s primarily imaged based network.
Vacation rental managers can create informative and easy-to-digest
photo boards for guests and drive traffic to their vacation rental
website.
Source: http://expandedramblings.com/index.php/pinterest-stats/
http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/33513/Visual-Content-Trumps-Text-in-Driving-Social-Media-Engagement-INFOGRAPHIC.aspx

26. Pinterest
The downsides to Pinterest for vacation rental owners are that photos
are ‘repinned’ and often the original link gets lost which unfortunately
means no traffic.
The target audience is heavily uneven with 80% of Pinterest users being
women.
And, currently Pinterest is more lifestyle focused, not business. Find
Out More
Source: http://expandedramblings.com/index.php/pinterest-stats/
http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/33513/Visual-Content-Trumps-Text-in-Driving-Social-Media-Engagement-INFOGRAPHIC.aspx

27. Google +
Since Google + is the second largest social networking service with 359
million active users, it should definitely be considered when creating a
customer acquisition strategy.
As it is a product of the most valued search engine, it is a great SEO tool for
vacation rental managers to increase website visibility and acquire
customers.
Source: http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/05/02/report-google-bigger-than-twitter-with-359-million-active-users
http://www.forbes.com/sites/quickerbettertech/2013/05/20/six-ways-google-is-about-to-transform-your-small-business/
http://www.viralblog.com/online-marketing/6-pros-and-cons-of-google-for-small-business/

28. Google +
Equipped with all of Google’s fantastic features, Google + enables you
to expand your content distribution, tap into specific audiences and
connect with others in the travel industry.
Guests can even make payments to you via Gmail with Google Wallet.
However Google + is still relatively new and yet another network that
takes time to manage – you can use this to your advantage though and
establish your ground ahead of competition.
Source: http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/05/02/report-google-bigger-than-twitter-with-359-million-active-users
http://www.forbes.com/sites/quickerbettertech/2013/05/20/six-ways-google-is-about-to-transform-your-small-business/
http://www.viralblog.com/online-marketing/6-pros-and-cons-of-google-for-small-business/

29. Content Creation
A great way to increase traffic to your vacation rental website and
acquire new customers is to create SEO rich content.
Websites with more pages = more leads. Producing interesting and
relevant content on a regular basis will attract new customers as well as
retain existing guests. Vacation rental managers can do this by:
• Blogging for keywords
• Using long-tail keywords
Source: http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/32985/20-Revealing-Stats-Charts-and-Graphs-Every-Marketer-Should-Know.aspx

30. Blogging for Keywords
Bearing in mind that almost 70% of blogs that post weekly have
acquired a customer, it is a very useful customer acquisition tool for
vacation rental owners to utilize.
Creating up-to-date content rich in relevant keywords to your vacation
rental will increase chances of guests finding your website in Google
search.
Source: http://www.inboundmarketingagents.com/inbound-marketing-agents-blog/bid/158057/Blog-Frequency-Impacts-Customer-Acquisition-SEO-Help
http://serviceblogger.com/blogging-101/3-sales-lead-generation-blogging-tips

31. Blogging for Keywords
Offering information will encourage sharing of your blog posts, your
insightful and interesting properties’ website and increase booking
leads.
However, the key to successful blog posting is consistency. It is important
for your business to invest time and creativity into researching and
creating quality SEO content. Find Out More
Source: http://www.inboundmarketingagents.com/inbound-marketing-agents-blog/bid/158057/Blog-Frequency-Impacts-Customer-Acquisition-SEO-Help
http://serviceblogger.com/blogging-101/3-sales-lead-generation-blogging-tips

32. Long-tail Keywords
Long-tail keywords are less popular keywords which have less search
volume and less competition for Google search rank, but they are not
to be undermined when creating your customer acquisition strategy.
Conduct keyword research using Google analytics to create a bank of
long-tail keywords that you can build your vacation rental website
landing pages and blog posts around.
Source: http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2255280/The-Resurgence-of-Long-Tail-Keywords-in-SEO
http://www.calculatemarketing.com/blog/techniques/benefits-of-long-tail-keywords/

33. Long-tail Keywords
If your vacation rental is based on a beach in Thailand, you will appear
higher in search results, receive more website visits and increase
chances of customer acquisition if you construct specific keyword
content e.g. ‘Beach Villa Rental in Koh Samui’.
Long-tail keyword research and construction of relevant content on
your vacation rental is a long process that requires the upmost
dedication.
Still, it is an excellent opportunity to stand out from the competition.
Find Out More
Source: http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2255280/The-Resurgence-of-Long-Tail-Keywords-in-SEO
http://www.calculatemarketing.com/blog/techniques/benefits-of-long-tail-keywords/

34. Customer Acquisition Tips
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