Have you heard of Airbnb, Vrbo, Expedia, and Booking.com?
These online travel agencies (OTAs) have all become household names to the vast majority of travelers by creating strong, well-known brands. In theory, your formula for getting bookings should therefore be simple. Post your listings on these sites, and they’ll get booked up. But it’s not.
In an ideal world, travelers will know your company and will come directly to your direct booking website to search for and ultimately book their next accommodation. In order for this to happen, you need to have a good vacation rental marketing strategy. But before you start your marketing activities, you need to have a strong and memorable vacation rental brand.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and brands are not something that can be built overnight. First and foremost, you need to define your vacation rental branding and your messaging.
Start with the why
“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it” – Simon Sinek
The secret to creating a strong connection with your brand is having a brand association that speaks to your target audience. This is something that you need to define:
What kinds of experiences and emotions do you want guests to associate with your brand? Modern, luxurious, self-service, dependable, authentic?
How can you create the kind of association you want, and leverage it?
The answer is, to start with the why rather than the what. What we mean is rather than communicating what it is you have to offer, you should be focusing your communication on why you offer it:
- Why are you in this specific industry?
- Why is your short-term rental (STR) company different to the others?
- Why are you passionate about providing a service to travelers – whether these are vacation goers or business travelers?
This is what will speak to your audience and help create a memorable and strong connection to your company.
Of course, you cannot neglect the what, as this is the crux of your business, but it should be communicated as a by-product of the why.
A working example: Defining your why and what
Say, for example, you are an STR company with listings primarily in Barcelona.
WHY: “We believe that everyone in the world should experience the real Barcelona”
This will resonate with anyone looking to vacation and have an authentic experience in Barcelona. You are passionate about Barcelona, and everything it has to offer. You are therefore the best company to turn to when organizing an authentic stay in Barcelona. The association you want to create with your brand is – authentic and local.
When building your why, focus on your unique value proposition. The more focused your message and the more you differentiate from competitors, the better.
Pro-tip: If you are still determining your why, or you want to redefine it, we recommend this Brand Strategy Toolkit. It will guide you in building out your company’s story, messaging, and tone of voice.
Next, define your what:
WHAT: “And we have short-term rentals for you when you come”
Your brand’s DNA
Once you have defined your “why”, you will have the core of your messaging and tone of voice. This is the DNA of your brand, and it is important that this DNA shines through in all your marketing activities and communications. The words you use, and the way you communicate – can all help to bolster this DNA and create familiarity with your vacation rental brand and brand association, even before your guest has arrived for a stay.
Final Thoughts
Building your vacation rental brand will take time and is a highly strategic endeavor. The best place to start is to define what sets your company apart from competitors, and what associations you want to create for your brand. This will help you build out your messaging and from there you can start thinking about the next steps in your marketing strategy to create the strongest vacation rental brand out there.
