Congratulations, your web traffic is higher than ever, you are seeing more leads now and you are closing and bringing in more guests than years past. I guess this means your inbound marketing program is over, right? Not quite, social referrals and social medias are worth their weight in gold and now is the time to turn your guests into advocates!
The last stage of an inbound lead is to make sure that guest will tell their friends about their stay at your rental property. Now this may sound easy, give them a phenomenal experience. However, what we have found is that people are much less likely to post on social mediums with positive experiences. So your company may give someone the best vacation they have had but this doesn't translate directly to comments on your wall, photos, or any social activity. You need to engage that activity now.
There are a few ways to go about this so I'll cover a few do's and don’ts.
Do- Ask guest to share their vacation photos with you
Do- Offer incentives for return guests
Don't- Ask for "likes" out of nowhere
Do- Give people a reason to visit your social mediums
Don't- Reply to any rude comments with attitude or negativity
Do- Share any pictures of genuinely happy guests
Do- Host giveaways tied to your social sites
Don't- Try to sell from your Facebook page or other social sites.
These sites are meant to be organic and people on Facebook, Twitter or other social sites are rarely looking for vacation rentals there. However, they are looking for what their friends approve of and social acceptance. You can gain publicity on these sites based on happy clients who are willing to share their memories with you.
So how do you get people to share their pictures and thoughts? Giveaways, specials, and other incentive based campaigns are a great way. Instead of blasting your followers with a pretty sunset and asking them to "like" it, instead offer a chance for your guests to share. A giveaway I like to offer is to ask people to share their pictures on your wall, the picture that gets the most likes gets a free night or two at one of your vacation rental properties. This encourages sharing, builds a community of happy guests, and is a great way to build repeat customers!
Other excellent ways to do this include your CRM system. Set reminders for quests stays or important dates. If you have a couple honeymoons at your property, send out a happy anniversary card with a free night stay, if a family stayed for a week and have not rebooked 11 months after their stay, send a card reminding them that you enjoyed their company and want to make sure they have vacation plans this year. The possibilities are endless but the goal is to remain the same, turn your clients into advocates!
