Why are some advertisers
more successful than others?
The results that you obtain
for your self-catering accommodation depend on a number of factors.:
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. 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.
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.
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 judgement 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.
The .net site 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,
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 Net site 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 the countrycottagesonline.com site is the Late
Availability page. If you advertise on both sites then make sure that you add
your late availability to it. It's free for our advertisers to use, or at least
add to Late Availability on the .net site which has a link to it from the .com
site. 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. 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 4000
visitors per day that results in a daily average of 200 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.
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 appropraite 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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