Marketing - using the Internet
Internet companies or own website?
For many owners, the Internet will be the main method of advertising their property. There are three main ways discussed on this page to go about advertising on the Internet:
- have your own website
- use Internet companies that advertise holiday accommodation
- using other websites.
But which one should you use? The answer is – all of them! They work hand in hand, and all are necessary to maximise the presence of your cottage on the web.
Think of the Internet as a spider's web, with your website at the center and with the other websites you advertise with round the outside.
If you get your marketing right, then the agencies will send potential guests directly to you, or to your website where you can really sell your cottage to these guests. The more agencies (and other websites) that you use, the better.
The Internet companies are good at getting your cottage noticed, which would be difficult if you relied solely on your own website, due to the large numbers of other websites for self catering properties.
The other advantage of using agencies as well as your own website, is that the more relevant websites that mention your own website, the better it may do in the Google rankings.
Have your own website
You are no doubt proud of your holiday cottage, and your own website is a great opportunity to really tell potential guests all about the cottage and to tempt them into making a booking!
Your own website is a one-stop place for all the information that guests need to make up their mind about your cottage, including:
- what your cottage looks like - inside and out
- availability
- prices
- terms and conditions
- how to book
- your local area
- contact information.
The website should provide lots of pictures, especially of the rooms, garden and any nice views from the cottage. People want to see what the cottage looks like and a picture is a powerful way of getting people interested. People may reject a holiday cottage if they can't see what the inside of a cottage looks like! They may rightly ask 'is the owner trying to hide something?'
Don’t underestimate the value of your own website. When guests tell you that the pictures and information on your website helped them decide to book your cottage, you will be very happy that you decided to have your own website.
A good website can be expensive to purchase, or difficult to build, which is why HowToHolidayCottage offers you off-the-peg websites at very competitive prices.
Internet companies
There are many Internet companies that will advertise your holiday cottage, and a good company will be very good at getting your cottage noticed on the web. They are absolutely necessary to get your cottage known to as many people as possible.
Using these companies works hand in hand with having your own website. To maximise your bookings you need to use both.
While Internet companies are essential, the amount of information that they display about your cottage doesn’t really sell your property in the way that you can on your own website. So, when find a a company to use, ensure that they have an Internet link that points to your own website.
Choosing a good internet company
With so many Internet companies who all want to advertise your holiday cottage, how do you choose? Here’s some tips to help you choose.
Choose several, not just one
There is no one ideal agency, and you want to provide maximum exposure for your holiday cottage so we recommend that you choose a number of companies. The more companies that you have out there telling the world about your cottage, the more bookings you are likely to have.
As we said above, the agencies will get your cottage noticed, and will point potential guests to your website. The more agencies and other websites that point to your website, the better.
So, especially when you start out or when business is slow, choose a range of companies. After a season you can review which ones worked for you. The off-the-peg websites that HowToHolidayCottage provides capture that information for you.
Choose ones that get good Google rankings
Go to Google and enter the sorts of words and phrases that you think people would use to find your holiday cottage, and see which companies come high in the rankings (you want the company advertising your cottage to appear high in the rankings).
When searching, remember to use any words or phrases that describe the selling points of your cottage, e.g. seaside, dog friendly, child friendly... etc.
Look at what they charge
Find out what the company charges and what you get for your money. How many photos? Are there charges for updates?
Some companies are free to use, so these obviously prove good value for money even if they don’t get you that many bookings.
How easy is the website to use?
Have a go at using their search facilities to find a cottage that matches yours, e.g. your area, dog friendly, seaside cottage etc. Was it easy or difficult?
There is no point in paying good money if people will find the website too difficult to use. The same applies for websites that are unattractive.
Using specialist websites
As well as using Internet companies and your own website, there will be many other specialist websites you can use to advertise your property.
Have a look on the internet, looking for websites that are relevant to your property, i.e. the facilities you provide, and the type of holidays that people might take at your cottage and your local area.
For example, if you are in a location that is ideal for sailing, then look on the Internet for websites that specialise in sailing and see if they also advertise accommodation. Maybe your local area is ideal for hill walking or skiing. This can be especially useful when there are local events such as sailing competitions.
Similarly if your cottage is dog friendly then look at pet websites. You may be surprised to find out how many websites are dedicated to offering dog-friendly accommodation!
Maybe your cottage is near venues for sporting or cultural events.
The list is endless, and many of these sites will advertise for free.
The more websites that advertise your cottage the better. They will direct guests to visit your website, and may assist in boosting your website in the google rankings.
