Direct to Guest Advertising For STR Bookings

Cape Coral, Florida
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Direct to Guest Advertising For STR Bookings

Joe R.
Investor · Cape Coral, FL · Member since 2017 · 39 posts · 35 votes

Hi All,  

Is anyone doing direct to guest advertising to book their short term rentals? Any success stories or points to be cognizant of?  What's been your experience with it? 

Curious if anyone is having success going direct to guest and not using sites like Airbnb, VRBO, etc.  

Looking forward to your feedback.  

-Joe

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Joe Garretson
Investor · Castle Rock, CO · Member since 2021 · 79 posts · 104 votes
3y

Hi @Tyler Solomon, episode 680 of the BP podcast covered this very topic in depth. The guest is a huge proponent of getting away from relying on OTAs like AirBnB and VRBO because as he rightly points out with data, you are beholden to their rules and at their mercy for your income in so many ways. I'd recommend going back and listening to the episode as he has some great suggestions for word of mouth and referral and using that weird feature of our smartphones to do the unspeakable and call your guests after they check out. 

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  • John UnderwoodPro Member
    Investor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes
    3y

    I have been extremely happy with Vrbo and haven't felt a need to do this.

    FB groups and marketplace would be  places you could advertise for free. A free Google business page is another great place to advertise. 

    1Reply
  • Tyler Solomon
    Lender · Austin, TX · Member since 2022 · 223 posts · 244 votes
    3y

    Sounds old school, put put up flyers in/around town if you are close to a social hub / small city. Get creative with how you market the property, not everything has to be digital these days!

    1Reply
  • Joe Garretson
    Investor · Castle Rock, CO · Member since 2021 · 79 posts · 104 votes
    3y

    Hi @Tyler Solomon, episode 680 of the BP podcast covered this very topic in depth. The guest is a huge proponent of getting away from relying on OTAs like AirBnB and VRBO because as he rightly points out with data, you are beholden to their rules and at their mercy for your income in so many ways. I'd recommend going back and listening to the episode as he has some great suggestions for word of mouth and referral and using that weird feature of our smartphones to do the unspeakable and call your guests after they check out. 

    6Reply
  • Andrew SteffensBusiness Member
    Tampa, FL · Member since 2022 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    3y
    Quote from @Joe R.:

    Hi All,  

    Is anyone doing direct to guest advertising to book their short term rentals? Any success stories or points to be cognizant of?  What's been your experience with it? 

    Curious if anyone is having success going direct to guest and not using sites like Airbnb, VRBO, etc.  

    Looking forward to your feedback.  

    -Joe


     We have had some success with the following:

    - Make a spreadsheet with all of your bookings.  They all give you a phone number for the guest and you can use tools like Twilio to build text campaigns to past guests.  All OTA's markup one way or the other so they will get an automatic discount booking direct.

    - VRBO and a few other OTA's do give you email addresses, so you can build an email campaign as well.

    - StayFI allows you to make  a login portal to your WiFi similar to hotels.  All they need to do to access the wifi is provide email.  It captures and stores this info.  This is good as one reservation on a larger house may have 6-8 or more adult guests that access wifi so you can market to them as well.

    - Leaving literature on the kitchen counter encountering booking direct next time.

    - Using SEO to push your direct booking site.  A lot of guests have wised up recently to the 10-15% service fees and are seeking direct bookings.

    I hope you find this useful!

    [email protected]813-563-0877
    Vacation Rentals of Florida53 Reviews
    WebsiteView Page
    3Reply
  • Leslie Anne Morris
    Real Estate Agent · Smoky Mountains, TN · Member since 2022 · 1k+ posts · 984 votes
    3y

    I have success with Google ads.  Social media works as well if you can get a big share.

    1Reply
  • Joe R.
    OP
    Investor · Cape Coral, FL · Member since 2017 · 39 posts · 35 votes
    3y

    Many Thanks All For Weighing In -- Its Appreciated! 

    0Reply
  • Luke CarlPro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Tennessee Florida · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 5k+ votes
    3y
    Quote from @Joe Garretson:

    Hi @Tyler Solomon, episode 680 of the BP podcast covered this very topic in depth. The guest is a huge proponent of getting away from relying on OTAs like AirBnB and VRBO because as he rightly points out with data, you are beholden to their rules and at their mercy for your income in so many ways. I'd recommend going back and listening to the episode as he has some great suggestions for word of mouth and referral and using that weird feature of our smartphones to do the unspeakable and call your guests after they check out. 


    Yes agree here look into Mark Simpson
    Podcast Guest on Show From Surviving on $30/Day to 30+ Properties Thanks to Blue-Collar Skills
    1Reply
  • Tyann Marcink
    Rental Property Investor · St. Louis, MO · Member since 2019 · 63 posts · 52 votes
    3y

    We are running ~40% direct this year (and have gotten our revenue from Airbnb down to only 7%).

    Key factors: branding, communications, guest experience

    Mark Simpson has a few books with the latest one being the Book Direct Blueprint (I'm a co-author).

    2Reply
  • Janel Kolbo
    Rental Property Investor · Tampa, FL · Member since 2021 · 39 posts · 37 votes
    3y
    Quote from @Joe R.:

    Hi All,  

    Is anyone doing direct to guest advertising to book their short term rentals? Any success stories or points to be cognizant of?  What's been your experience with it? 

    Curious if anyone is having success going direct to guest and not using sites like Airbnb, VRBO, etc.  

    Looking forward to your feedback.  

    -Joe


     Mark Simpson was just on Real Estate Rookie with Ashley & Tony last week. Great episode that breaks down exactly how to do direct marketing. He wrote the book on it! Episode 243

    1Reply
  • Mike Eichler
    Realtor · Pocono Pines, PA · Member since 2019 · 183 posts · 108 votes
    3y

    While I don't think this is necessary, I'm sure it wouldn't hurt as long as it would not cost you much. Some ideas could include posting on your social media to get family and friends to book. Offering discount codes on Facebook groups and other places like that. Finally, you could reach out to previous guests, especially ones that left very positive reviews, and offer a discount to stay with you again.

    I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any more questions.

    2Reply
  • Austin Keller
    Rental Property Investor · Las Vegas · Member since 2022 · 12 posts · 3 votes
    3y
    Quote from @Joe R.:

    Hi All,  

    Is anyone doing direct to guest advertising to book their short term rentals? Any success stories or points to be cognizant of?  What's been your experience with it? 

    Curious if anyone is having success going direct to guest and not using sites like Airbnb, VRBO, etc.  

    Looking forward to your feedback.  

    -Joe


     I would recommend looking for a copywriter to build your email and SMS list, they can then take that list and make an email or text sequence consisting of 3-5 messages past guest will receive weekly. To give you some numbers here: 5 messages sent to 100 past guests for one property gives you 500 extra opportunities to close a direct booking (for that one property) just through sending text and email campaigns. It can increase your direct booking rate dramatically if you choose the right writer.

    1Reply
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