Whether you like it or not, you need to market your rental business for it to succeed in the long term. Having great products is a good start but marketing your rental business is what brings in the money. Unfortunately, many rental business owners overlook promotion. Many assume it’s too expensive and time-consuming, but that isn’t true.
Of course, many of the promotional advice you’ll see will point you towards spending heaps of money with ads on Facebook, Instagram, and Google. However, you can’t put all your investment into these alone, and you need to diversify your efforts to get more fruitful results from your marketing. Essentially, it would help if you had a robust online foundation, and your focus should be getting it seen by the right people in the most efficient manner possible.
Promoting your rental business is about more than just sharing images on social media and buying ads. It’s a process that requires focus to achieve measurable results.
In this guide, we will share seven low-cost ways to promote your business online with examples to inspire you.
Get seen in Google search
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 the information required to guarantee your presence on Google Maps and in search results.
You can also use some of the other techniques we’ve discussed to increase your local SEO ranking in Google search and get seen by more people. This means more traffic for your rental business and more money for you. You don’t have to make marketing your full-time job to achieve great results with local SEO.
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Get yourself included in local guides
Local guides are a lifesaver for tourists who are visiting somewhere they are unfamiliar with. They can find activities, restaurants, hotels, and more things that they can do while in your local area. So, why not showcase your rental business there? (If it’s relevant to tourism, of course).
Search online for local guides to your area and reach out to ones that seem helpful and will be read by a decent audience. Then, reach out to them to see if you can be featured. Again, the likelihood is that it is someone local to you, and they would love to share your rental business in their guide.
Get more 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 company to others. In addition, 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 rent from you.
Start with building your rental website
Every new rental business starts with a website to get their first bookings.
Build a strong presence on Instagram
Instagram has become an essential marketing tool for your rental business. Its photo-first layout means that you can make a significant impact if you upload the right content, and it’s easier than writing long posts elsewhere. That’s why you must have stunning images that stop people scrolling and draw their attention to your rental business’s Instagram profile.
Whether you primarily serve locals or tourists, you need to have a strong presence on Instagram. Most people planning a trip will look to Instagram for inspiration, and you want your brand to be visible to them. This allows you to engage with them before they’ve even arrived and connect with customers to form a relationship early on. Check our Instagram guide for rental businesses.
Find influencers to promote for you
Undoubtedly you’ll have heard about businesses using influencers to market their business. It can be a very effective way to get many eyes on your business for minimal effort. It can also be used for rental companies and micro-influencers to bring their audience to you.
You can reach out to influencers who you think would be interested in using your rental products. This could be an athlete who loves cycling trips, for example. You could also keep an eye on influencers in/visiting your area and reach out to them for a free rental in exchange for posting you on their social media.
Create an expert roundup
Using blogs to get more traffic to your website is excellent, but it can take a lot of work, particularly if you’re not a natural writer. One way to make blogging work for you can be to get contributions from other bloggers and experts. This way, you can create content without putting as much time and effort into the actual creation process.
You should seek out experts in your niche and ask them to contribute to your blog. Once you have 3-5 responses, you can compile them into a list to publish on your website. You’ll be given your audience great content from relevant sources and encourage contributors to share your website with their audience.
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Create email marketing campaigns
Email marketing is seen as one of the best ways to attract and retain customers when you’re a small business. Getting people to sign up for your newsletter can be as easy as asking them on your social media and website. It is quick and easy to set up and has been noted as one of the most cost-effective ways to market a small business.
Once you’ve got them hooked, you can share stories, promotions, new products, and more to build a relationship with them and increase bookings. The best part is that once you’ve written a newsletter, it can be automatically sent to your audience without you having to go through sending emails one by one.