The Billboard Effect is a very real phenomenon in marketing. It is the power to be in many places at one time, driving direct traffic to your website.
The Billboard Effect was developed by the largest companies in the USA and around the globe. Take Coca Cola for instance. There is hardly a store, a sporting venue, a community event, or time watching television or listening to the radio that you don’t hear a commercial or see a sign about Coca Cola.
Online Travel Agencies (OTA’s) of the world are just such companies. The VRBO’s, the Airbnb’s, the TripAdvisor’s and Booking.com’s need what you offer. These conglomerates want you as much as you need them. So, working with them is absolutely a positive for you in that they are your Billboard Effect! They spend millions of dollars a year on advertising and marketing the industry to the world. With this, you in turn get the exposure you need for your vacation rental property owners. But how you harness this great marketing opportunity can make a real difference in your own bottom-line revenue.
Be smart about working with the OTA’s. They are good solid players in the market. But use them like they use you. They cannot operate without your properties, but they will never tell you that they need you! So, in return for using you, and your properties for capital gain, you can use your properties for your own capital gain.
💡 Tips & Best Practices
When possible and safe to do so, always display the specific address of the property on your website and the OTA sites. If this isn’t possible, then use a consistent name for the property e.g., Beach Palms of St Augustine or Twin Towers of Orlando. Whatever the name is, make sure it’s on all the sites and especially your own. This way a Google Search made for the property name will most likely show your website and property page on the #1 position in the SERPs and prospective guests will click on it
Tip #2 - Use the same photos on all your channels
Always use the same initial 3 photos of the property. With the advent of Google Lens and the increased market share of the Chrome browser which has Google Lens built in as an option to search for the same exact property image on the web.
Tip #3 -Brand Your PhotosAdjust your photos so your Company Logo is displayed on the TVs on the listings. Subliminal messaging is super impactful, and it is free display advertising for your brand!
Make sure you are represented as your company as the contact for the OTA site whenever possible. If you want to personalize it, you can use a name but be sure and add your company name as well.
Tip #4 - Show the Price Comparison Tool in your email campaigns and website
With our tool, you can show guests (and back up your claim) a Best Price Guarantee! This is all done in real time and there is no other product or service in the vacation rental market that has this dramatic impact on the conversion of your guest and making them your client for life!
