10 Ways You Can Increase Rental Bookings Today

Attracting new customers to your business can often seem like a fine art form. There is a lot of advice online for attracting new customers to your online store, but not much of it relates to rental websites. Then you will find when searching “increase bookings for rental businesses,” the results will be blog posts and articles relating to vacation rentals. While some of the advice they give may be helpful, it can’t beat tailored advice aimed at rental businesses that rent out physical products.

So, we have put together this guide to help you achieve your goals and attract more customers to your rental business. The advice we are offering today will help you stand out from other rental companies in your local area and attract more customers to your own rental business. Let’s take a look at ten ways you can make your rental business more visible and increase rental bookings.

1. Update your product descriptions and photos

You know the saying “you only get one chance to make a first impression,” so your product descriptions and photos should be the “hook” that brings in customers. Going through your products and updating their descriptions and high-resolution photos will have two effects. Firstly, they will make sure more visitors turn into reservations. Secondly, the more engaging your images are, the more excited visitors are likely to make a booking. Finally, great imagery sets the right expectations for your customers.

2. Focus on the products people are willing to pay for

A quick way to increase your rental earnings is by providing products that customers are willing to pay for. This will not only give you an edge over your local competitors, but it’ll also increase the amount each customer spends with your business. The biggest challenge here is knowing what products people want to rent alongside the ones you already provide. Something you can try is cross-selling or upselling products and offering recommendations to your customers to feel out wha they else they would be willing to pay for.

3. Change your rates and adjust for seasonality

It can be easy to set your rental rates and forget about them, but they won’t account for changes in demand from season to season. That’s because knowing what to charge your customers is both a science and an art. It would be best if you tracked crucial rental analytics as many rental business owners don’t. Cost is one of the biggest ways customers compare one rental business to another. If you can lower your prices during low seasons you are likely to see an increase in custom during times that wouldn’t usually be as busy.

4. Optimize your processes

Many entrepreneurs start a rental business as a secondary income. They start with a few products, and once they realize the potential of their idea, they begin to expand their inventory. As their rental business grows, they become reliant on their processes to manage their day-to-day activities. The problem with the strategies people develop is that they are often not the most efficient. Think about all of the time you may have wasted inputting data into spreadsheets. A quick way to boost the revenue generated from your rental business is to optimize your processes with rental software.

5. Automate everything you can

You probably spend a lot of time on your laptop doing repetitive tasks. For some, it may be adding bookings to a spreadsheet, and for others, it’s coordinating repairs or sending out invoices. So, indeed if it’s a repetitive task, there’s a way for your laptop to do it for you. The answer is yes, and there is rental software and maintenance tracking software that can take care of a lot of this for you. This means that you will have more time to take more booking rather than having to decline them because your too busy doing stuff your laptop could be doing for you.

6. Connect with your customers

Sometimes going the extra mile to help your customers can go a long way. Simply taking the extra time to connect with them and give them advice or answer any questions, they may have can improve your reputation. In addition, spending a little extra time during the pickup process to find out what your customers are doing with your products and if you can help them can be a significant step to take.

7. Google My Business listing

Google My Business has had an incredible impact on the rental industry; with thousands of rental businesses on Google, your company needs to have a presence. All you have to do is create a listing for your business and provide all of the information required to guarantee your presence in Google map and search results. Check out our blog post about <a href=”https://booqable.com/blog/google-analytics-rental-business/” target”_blank”>Google My Business</a>.

8. Let your website do the talking

If you don’t have a website yet, having one can do wonders for establishing your rental business. Everything is done online these days and if your rental store doesn’t have an online presence you could be missing out. There are many website builders to choose from that can help you to create your rental website. Some examples are WordPress, Squarespace, and Shopify. Check out our website builder comparison for more information. Your website content and visuals should be engaging and encourage visitors to rent from your business.

9. Promote your USPs

Among the fierce competition of local rental companies, it is essential to think about your brand’s unique selling proposition (USP). This will help to distinguish you from competitors in your local area. To identify your USP, you can look through customer reviews and what people are saying about your rental business online.

10. Encourage reviews

Reviews from customers can make or break rental businesses. Treating your customers with respect, excellent care, and trust will not only encourage them to come back but also recommend your rental business to others. If you have many satisfied guests, you can use them as an advertising tool for your rental business. One of your key focuses should be putting time into your customer’s experience, and you will be able to generate positive reviews. Social proof is key to the success of any business and people who see that others like them were satisfied with your service are more likely to shop with you.