Tips to help property owners make the most of the January bookings rush

Be bold, be different and be ready to attempt something new. That's the message from holiday lettings expert and author, Wendy Shand, who is advising property owners to do some last minute 'holiday lease housekeeping' in preparation for the January holiday bookings rush.

"It's a tough economic environment out there with many property owners vying for the same customers. If home owners want to ensure a steady pipeline of bookings for 2011, they should invest a bit of time now to ensure they stand out from the crowd," says Wendy.

She advises that all holiday home owners run through this pre-booking season checklist:

1. Who's your target market? - Do you know what category of client you want to attract? Is it families, yoga enthusiasts or walkers? Niche marketing is easier than trying to attract everyone. Once have established who your main market is, be bold in saying so.

2. Does it meet your customers's needs? Saying you have a specialized holiday property for ramblers will only work if you are genuinely able to offer what ramblers need. Think about what they'd want and add that to your ammenities.

3. Review your existing marketing - are you advertising in the best place for the type of people that you want to attract? Make sure you spend your marketing allowance on the methods most appropriate to your target market.

4. Reread your current listings - change or add anything that is out of date, does not read well or is incorrect. Will it resonate with your target customers? Emphasise the key selling points that make it appropriate for a particular audience.

5. Revisit your photos - replace any that are outdated or do not do your property justice. Add new photos, specifically of the nearby area and your house looking its greatest. If you've decided to niche market, ensure your pictures represent that niche.

6. Check out your competition - what are they doing well/badly/could improve on. How does your real estate compare? If you are doing something better, make a point of emphasising that aspect. If you're not, make changes to ensure you are on par.

7. Try something new - If you keep doing the same thing then the results will be the same, so try offering something different. What about offering little added extras that will make you stand out - like offering ramblers loaned GPS devices, local geocaching sites and packed lunches?

8. Pricing - Revisit your pricing. Is there any way that you can increase your prices by delivering added value? Instead of lowering your price to secure more bookings, try adding attractive extras which mean you can charge a premium.

9. Need additional ideas? - Order and read Holiday Leasing Expert, Wendy Shand's free book 'Empty Weeks, How to get more bookings and make more money from your holiday home'. Details below.

Article Source: http://casinoarticles.us

Wendy Shand advises parents looking for safe holidays with children and has sold over ?1.25 million worth of holidays in the last five years, and Wendy now advises property owners in the UK, France, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Asia. To get your free copy of "Empty Weeks" log onto www.freeholidayletsbook.co.uk/

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