Success w/Marketing to Special Occasion Groups?

Question

QUESTION: Has anyone had success going all in on marketing to groups celebrating milestones?

Partner and I bought our first STR in Western NC. Big 5 BR home with gorgeous views of a lake and mountains beyond. As most know, this region was hit hard by Hurricane Helene. Currently it's slow season and it's even slower than usual from what I understand.

We are thinking about how to build demand through targeted marketing strategies. One idea I have is that we could go all in on becoming a home targeted at groups celebrating milestones (birthdays, weddings, family reunions etc). I’d plan for extra amenities like special decor or concierge services.

Has anyone had success with the strategy? If so, what were the key ingredients or tactics you used to make this work? How / where did you market?

Appreciate any insights on this. We are really worried about lack of demand being a continued issue since our town may not even open our lake this summer due to storm contamination 🥲

Andrew Steffens · Answer

In general I have unfortunately never gotten much return on any social media marketing. We get inquiries all of the time on Airbnb/VRBO/etc for large group functions at our properties, even if we say in the listing it is not allowed. I think if you set up your platform listings appropriately you will do well.

You could also contact local wedding and event coordinators and make them aware of your listing.

Collin Hays · Answer

Targeted marketing would come via social media, which is usually priced on a $ per impression or $ per click basis.

You could certainly reach this demographic, but it could also cost you substantially more than the return.

For the money, your best bet is probably a dedicated website for your property with the key words that you want to convey. An SEO specialist can help with this. A dedicated Facebook page would also be a big contributor. It is possible that over time, Google ranking metrics recognize the uniqueness of your key words, and you move up in the rankings organically (without a cost to you), so that you can be found easily on Google searches for your location.

Patrick Osterling · Answer

Hi @Katherine Lewis, good idea! I would study AvantStay and some of their properties in your area or NC generally. They specifically specialize in group vacations, so kind of similar, and no doubt have spent a ton of money analyzing and figuring out what works. They claim to market on dozens of online channels, and they seem to know the right amenities to feature, have great design, services, experiences etc. Best of luck!

Michael Baum · Answer

Hey @Katherine Lewis, I have always felt this was a tougher row to hoe overall.

It's not that it couldn't work, but the juice might not be worth the squeeze.

If you go all in you have to do it for the long haul. It takes a lot of time to build up a reputation in the wedding/event space. There will be a lot of things to take into account.

Do you have a nice big building like a beautiful wooden barn or pavilion? You have to make it special.

Relating to services. If you provide any kind of substantial services like catering, car service, etc you will change you tax situation and no longer can file under Schedule E.

This tax change could trigger even with offering contacts for those services as it could be construed as contractors. I would check with your CPA to make sure you want to offer up those services.

Sarah Kensinger · Answer

You would need to tap into what the market may draw because not all markets could support this type of guest avatar.

You may be able to get just enough bookings to at least cover your monthly expenses by leaning into your listing and how you market the property. The marketing copy and photo captions, professional photos, and weekly activity on the OTA listing, makes a big difference in bookings. Even the subpar situations we have no control over. Lastly, I would also try and tap into any MTR market you could possibly have in your area.

Success w/Marketing to Special Occasion Groups?

Success w/Marketing to Special Occasion Groups?

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