Savvy Marketing for Florida Vacation Rentals

As the first reports of oil coming ashore in a small part of the vast Florida coast line, everyone is praying for the residents in these areas. The news is a constant reminder that there are vast quantities of oil in the water that is moving toward shore. What can the vacation rental property owner do to market their property?

As a vacation rental owner in the Florida, most of your marketing has probably been done for you. The beautiful surroundings have driven vacationers to your shores for literally generations. So you may have done only minimal marketing. Now is the time to learn some new skills.

If you don’t have a Facebook page, now is the time to get one. This is important enough that it must be done before you go to bed tonight. Now is a good time to read up on how to get followers to your page. Add a tie into Twitter. This is where you can put up to the minute updates about your property.

If you are not familiar with Facebook, it is free to set up a page. Set up either the normal page or the fan page. Either one will allow you to moderate comments. This is important because some people tastes regarding what are appropriate for a public forum may differ from your tastes. Send out invitations to past guests and those that are staying this year for starters.

Date stamped pictures are a must of what your property currently looks like as well as a commentary on the condition of the closest beaches. As guests stay in your vacation rental, ask them to leave comments on your page about their stay.

Be proactive in planning for the worst. If the oil comes ashore on the beaches your guests would normally use, be ready with plan “B”. Now is the time to be working with local golf courses, mini-golf courses, zoos, water parks, and any local attractions that your guests would enjoy in lieu of the beach.

If your property does not have a swimming pool available, see if you can make arrangements for guests to visit local swimming facilities. Gather all the information about discounted tickets to all attractions that are close by. Work with your local chamber of commerce or convention and visitors bureau to get information on what discounts or specials that they are aware. It is a great time to get to know your fellow business owners and see if you can do a little mutual back scratching.

Bargain hunters will be looking for discounted properties for golfing vacations now and through the winter months. Make a realistic decision about what you can rent your property for and still make enough to cover your costs. Unfortunately this is about survival, not about making a great profit.

Good times will return to this incredibly beautiful part of the world.  People around the world love this area. The whole world is holding its breath hoping against hope that BP will get the oil spill under control. The vast majority of the beaches are still in pristine condition.

So get the news out if your beach is still beautiful and open for business. Market, market, market. Don’t be afraid to try some new strategies.

Posted by on Jun 12th, 2010 and filed under Advertising & Networking, Advice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response by filling following comment form or trackback to this entry from your site

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