Why
are some advertisers more successful than others?
The results
that you obtain for your self-catering accommodation depend
on a number of factors which are outlined below:
Facilities
and competitiveness on the site
We find
that any self-catering accommodation that offers extra facilities
always books first. Swimming pools are top of the list, followed
by saunas, spas, games rooms etc. It's the holiday cottages and houses with the 'wow' factor that always let well. Some of these could be advertised on a lamp post and succeed, let's just say that price is not a major factor when it comes to bookings.
Even if you have a single
simple cottage, it's always good to try to differentiate it
from the rest. You don't have to go to a lot of expense, you
could for example offer a fondue, or cappuccino maker, or
a massage chair, or barbeque. Your location is supremely important; people still want recognised holiday areas, beach holidays, national parks.
We are
just as concerned about the owner with one cottage as with
a cottage complex. We appreciate that it's much cheaper to
advertise a complex and will do our best to promote your individual
cottage. We understand that there is demand for all types of self-catering accommodation, even non-holiday areas can achieve high demand for short lets, especially near major cities, because of people visiting family for weddings, christenings and other such functions, or for short term work assignments.
Identify
your target market
Who are
you aiming for in terms of decor, facilities and style? If
you want to attract families, do you provide cots, high chairs,
play equipment? Perhaps you're offering a romantic hideaway.
Ensure that it looks like one. Paint a picture of what you're
trying to sell your target market. Is it a romantic hideway,
just for 2, with roses over the front door, luxurious bedroom
with king-size bed and own private en-suite bathroom, or is
it a cottage, double room with king-size bed, en-suite. Which
sounds more appealing to a couple looking for a romantic weekend?
Present
your accommodation well
It's
amazing how many owners upload poor quality, badly taken photographs
that do not display their self-catering accommodation at its
best. Visitors make a judgment based on the very first image
they see. They will only investigate further if the image
attracts them. Do you know what that image is? The most important
image on the .net site is the small 200 pixel wide image that
appears on the search or Feature pages on the .net site. This
image is the one that most people will see and will click
on for further details if they initially like what they see.
Be critical. Make sure that this is your very best image.
Both sites can display up to 6 images. We are amazed at the number
of people who upload the minimum of photographs. It begs the
question ''what do they have to hide?". People want to know
exactly what they're getting for their money, so show them
around. We want people to have a good time on holiday, so
if you're ashamed of your accommodation or are not prepared to clean and maintain it to a high standard, please do not advertise
it with us.
Use
the area to 'sell' your self-catering accommodation
It's
easy to let any cottage close to a beach during the summer,
or near a popular tourist attraction, e.g. Alton Towers. The
difficulty is in attracting guests for the rest of the year.
This is where a certain amount of effort on your part is entailed.
We want you to have good results but we cannot perform miracles.
We have sections on the .net site with space for local attractions
and annual events but it's amazing the number of people who
do not bother to complete these. A cottage near the beach
in Dorset is wonderful and easy to let during the summer but
why should anyone stay there in November, even though it's
nicely furnished? People need reasons. Give them reasons.
Use the
Events Pages on the sites to promote events in your area
linked to your accommodation. Write and let us know about
them. If they're regular annual events and we have the time,
we'll create a permanent web page on the .com site to promote
the event.
Trends
Many
people are now opting for self-catering short breaks rather
than weekly lets. They're also tending to book last minute.
If you're new to self-catering, we would advise that you offer
short breaks all year round and charge accordingly. Use Late
Availability to promote your mid-week breaks and other useful
services of the site accordingly. One of the best used pages
on both web sites is the Late Availability
page, make sure that you
add your late availability to it. It's free for our advertisers
to use. It will get
you better results. OK it's a bit more work but will be
worth every minute.
Use
all the services available to you
We find
that the people who get the most out of the Country Cottages
Online sites are those who are prepared to present their accommodation
well, are aware of the services on offer, and use them and all these services are included in the advertising fee you pay. We don't charge extra for advertising in different categories - it's all inclusive. For
example, we're pleased to produce Feature Pages to better
present the cottages to visitors according to interest. For
this reason, there are Feature Pages for 'luxury cottages',
'pet-friendly cottages'. New suggestions are always welcome.
The development of the sites is a continuous process.
The Late
availability pages on both sites receive about 5% of visitors
each during peak periods. On 8,000 visitors per day that results
in a daily average of 400 visitors looking at the Late Availability
pages, so it's well worth adding unbooked periods to them.
Ensure
that you have comprehensive Statistics
Advertisers
on Country Cottages Online have 3 ways of monitoring results
from the service.
-
Automatic
recording. Each time a visitor looks at your complete
record on the www.countrycottagesonline.net site, it's
recorded and you can view these simple stats via your
owner menu on login.
-
Automatic
recording via your own website. If you have your own website and a visitor
clicks on it, assuming that you have stats for your site,
you will be able to monitor the number of visitors that
Country Cottages Online sends to you but do please note
that because we display considerably more information
and either up to 3 or 6 photographs in a record view,
visitors do not necessarily have a need to click through
to your own web site. Some sites display only 3-4 lines
of text so that visitors have to click through to view
more.
-
Manual
recording. If visitors simply look at your entry on
search pages and call your phone number directly (as many
will do because they have enough information displayed
to make a decision), keep a note of which site sent them
to you. In these days of the proliferation of viruses
and spam, we emphasise the phone for bookings and enquiries.
The above
method of monitoring stats is not perfect, and time consuming,
but it's the only way that you will know which portals perform
best for you. If you would like hosting for your own website
(or a new site or web page) with comprehensive stats, then
please take a look at xe-website-solutions.com
for details.
Maintain
a good relationship with your advertiser
We find
that we work best with and produce ever improving results
for advertisers who are prepared to make an effort and work
with us. If your self-catering accommodation is of a high
standard, with extra facilities like swimming pools, tennis
courts, saunas, hot tubs etc., either in or close to any city
(especially London, Bath, York, Stratford-upon-Avon, Edinburgh),
or close to a tourist attraction, or beach then it's easy
to let during peak seasons. If none of these apply, or it's
outside peak season, then you will need to emphasise the area
and events.
People
usually go on holiday in a certain area for a reason - it's
not just because your holiday home is beautiful or has three
bedrooms. They go because the area has something to offer,
or there is a special event, or they want to visit relatives,
or a combination of reasons. Attractive, comfortable well-priced,
and nicely presented accommodation simply gives your property
the edge over others in that area. The most successful advertisers
spend time marketing their accommodation. They tell us and
update their record with the fact that they're within 30 minutes
drive of the NEC so that we can add their property to that
particular page, or point out that they provide an internet
facility so that we can identify cottages with internet (a
good selling point for many holidaymakers).
It all
comes back to knowing what you can expect from the service.
Some people spend a lot of money advertising on a large number
of sites, add their advert willy nilly without considering
images or content, and sit back waiting for the bookings to
flood in. They don't monitor their statistics and have only
a vague idea about actual results. Other treat the whole marketing
experience as a science and discuss their requirements and
ask appropriate questions. Politely. I think you can guess
which clients we prefer.
How
to ensure that your visitors want to repeat the experience
Being
helpful and courteous to guests might sound rather obvious
and patronising, but the basics are sometimes lacking. Make
your guest's visit easy - provide them with a location map
with confirmation of the booking. A small welcome pack is
always appreciated with tea, coffee, sugar, milk, biscuits,
or provide an optional larger pack for a fee. Your guests
will appreciate a drink and snack on arrival, especially if
they have travelled a reasonable distance. Ensure that the
property is equipped with toilet paper! Leave your guests
some information (preferably with maps) of the nearest supermarkets.
If they arrive on a Saturday they will most probably want
to go shopping soon after arrival, and there's nothing worse
than getting lost in an attempt to find the nearest supermarket
when tired and hungry.
You should
also provide a folder with details of things to do and see
in the area. Your local Tourist Information Office will be
able to provide plenty of free leaflets. Keep this updated
with events for the month, films and showing times at the
cinema, theatre etc.
Cleanliness
is next to godliness
Maintain
high standards of cleanliness. People expect high standards
of any accommodation. It's the only way to build up repeat
bookings and recommendations.
Any
questions?
Call
us on 01245 425 718 during office hours and we'll be happy
to discuss your requirements and point you in the right direction.
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