Landing Success: Improving Your Web Marketing

Many successful owners extend their marketing outreach by writing short internet travel stories about their area. These often include a "hot" link or URL address that takes readers to a "landing" or "jump" page.
What, I can hear you asking, is a landing or jump page? It is simply a brief pre-page that potential guests read and submit data to before entering your main website. And it is important for several reasons:
1. When possible guests are welcomed, rather than just dumped onto a website, they feel acknowledged. This is important because it supports the continuation of communication with you. If that thread is broken, you will loose contact with your potential guest and most certainly the reservation.
2. Using a landing or jump page enables you to capture critical data. If your page asks the guest to provide some basic data, you are gaining valuable sales information both for now AND in the future.
3. Don't, however, ask for too much information - just the right information. Their name, email address and possible travel interest is enough.
4. Because you have asked for information, you owe the visitor an absolute promise of privacy regarding the information supplied. Your IT programmer can write this into your page, but you need to reassure your site visitor that the page is secure and that you do not sell or share any information provided.
5. Keep your copy short. A landing or jump page is only a lead-in. It is not the great American novel about your vacation rental. Website designers call this shorter text a 'teaser'. It should say welcome and move the validated site visitor onto the main site.
6. Consider linking different landing or jump pages to different interest stories. If your program includes a counter, you can easily see which text and approach draws the most guests to your site. That kind of insight is extremely valuable in focusing your marketing efforts.
7. Develop a follow-up program. Properly designed, your landing or jump page will provide you with valuable information that can lead to increased reservations, but ONLY if you follow through with a consistent telemarketing plan. When do you let possible guests know about early booking discounts for the winter holidays? In June or December 1st? It will make a difference.
More information about designing a landing or jump page is available on the internet, that wonderful source of information for the busy business person. Do a search and give the idea some thought.
I promise that the more you consider having a landing or jump page, the more you will see the value of the marketing material it will capture. So take a jump, consider something new and, I bet, you'll land more reservations and increase your revenue. And that will make it all worthwhile!
--------------------- MEMBER INPUT:
Do YOU have a great internet idea? We all know something that will help another owner. Let us know. We'll spread the word.
I look forward to your calls and emails. You can reach me at 206-343-7777, ext. 920 or <a href="mailto:Ana @vroa.org">Ana @vroa.org</a>Ana @vroa.org
-----------------------
TOP PROPERTY: Echo Lake Lodge &amp; Cottages - Fayette, Maine <a href="http://www.echolakecottages.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">(echolakecottages.com)</a>echolakecottages.com
Sometimes there is a rental so perfect that guests return again and again, because, well, it just feels like home. One such property is the Echo Lake Lodge and Cottages in beautiful Fayette, Maine. Situated only 15 miles from the state capital, it is surrounded by peaceful pines on a quiet country road.
This vacation rental draws its guest back each year by practicing a successful marketing program that makes sure guests know that wonderful kayaking, fishing, swimming and canoeing are all available. Built in 1936 by the water's edge, this owner can well be proud of both the lodging and the memories shared with guests.
Well done Echo Lake Lodge and Cottages!
 ======================
VROA OWNER NEWSLETTER Published weekly for all Members Copyright - Vacation Rental Owners Association Read this and all prior newsletters at <a href="http://www.VROA.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">(VROA.org)</a>VROA.org
Director &amp; Editor - Ana Kinkaid, <a href="mailto:Ana@VROA.org">Ana@VROA.org</a>Ana@VROA.org Publisher - William May, <a href="mailto:William@VROA.org">William@VROA.org</a>William@VROA.org P.O. Box 21305 Seattle, WA 98111-3305 Voice: 206-343-7777, ext. 920 Fax: 206-628-0839 Email: <a href="mailto:info@VROA.org">info@VROA.org</a>info@VROA.org WEB: <a href="http://www.VROA.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">(VROA.org)</a>VROA.org

We want to keep you posted and publish occasional newsletters that can include news, information, opinions and data. Read everything we know.

Blog

AirBnB Lists Anything Everywhere All at Once

Inside information from a reliable not-for-profit group. Speak your mind. Listen with open ears. For Vacation Rental Professionals

<div style="text-align: center; margin: 5px 5px 5px 5px;"><a href="https://VRAi.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> <img style="width: 100%; height: auto;" src="https://REDSTONE.NET/images/Blogs/948/01/Tiny Home.jpg" alt="AirBnB Tiny Home" /> </a></div>
AirBnB&rsquo;s quest to make every home in the world into a "shared&rsquo; living space shows their appetite for growth and profitability even at the expense of those they serve.
AirBnB and others are really nothing more than an easily distributed list of classified ads. Albeit with the ability to print more quickly, include more information, display pretty pictures and allow consumers to instantly buy the product.
Because the Internet has simply remove the burden of mechanically compiling, editing and printing a media, like many Internet businesses in most industries, companies like AirBnB entice investors that they can "Scale" without limitation.
Other than governmental intervention, there really is no obstruction to listing every space, everywhere in the world all at once. (My apologies to the movie of similar name)
A close look at comments made by AirBnB&rsquo;s immature CEO Brian Chesky reveal a fatal flaw in the company&rsquo;s vision. As the economy has stalled and consumers are traveling less, which means a flattening or downturn in travel expenditures in total.
Some vacation home owners are squealing about dropping rental income which can be directly attributed to negative economic news. These investors are the ones who jumped on the AirBnB gravy train that was running fast and furious during Covid.
But now that demand is lower, what dose the CEO do? He runs a campaign to entice far more people to put their homes into rental. He foists grandiose projects about AirBnB&rsquo;s income which misleads home owners into thinking they will follow in his footsteps.
It seems as if AirBnB will list any kind of "Lodging" in any kind of area and do so willingly. AirBnB&rsquo;s argument must be that they have become so much the "Darling" of the lodging industry that they can attract enough new guests to fill every property.
Unfortunately that has never been the case. Smart lodging managers have always used all other possible media - such as VRBO, Expedia, Booking.com, TripAdvisor and many more. But even with heavy use of all possible advertising websites, supply can outstrip demand.
Chesky&rsquo;s ploy will hurt existing AirBnB properties and short-change those he misleads into listing. But why should he care? The more inventory he gets the better for AirBnB, even if all the "Vendors" make less.

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Oprah is an Alien And Other Internet Facts

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<div style="margin: 5px 5px 5px 5px;"><img style="width: 100%; height: auto;" title="Oprah is an Alien" src="https://REDSTONE.NET/images/Blogs/569/Oprah.jpg" alt="Oprah is an Alien" /></div>
On the Internet people say Oprah Winfrey is really just an alien, that she is secretly married to Barack Obama and that she never actually did a TV show. They say she used a hologram, stole TV advertiser money and sent it back to the planet she came from. (Michelle is actually a man I heard!)
Randy Jones from San Antonio lives with 1,000 cats all named Wilbur. Cindy Rigmore from Alberta has lived her entire life on a diet of egg shells and whiskey, and is 91 years old.
There is a man in Sherwood Forest who calls himself Robin Hood, but lives in a mobile home.
I believe every word of those because I read them on the internet. Or should I? Especially when there are so many anonymous devious trolls out there. Unfortunately, no one is immune from crazies on the Internet.
For decades, I have helped lead numerous businesses which have served hundreds of professional clients and tens of thousands of consumers. They are happy and many have become life-long friends and business partners.
These are the honorable reliable people who know the facts.
Occasionally leaders have the responsibility to handle unpleasant tasks like setting rules, collections, contracts, addressing conflict and even managing litigation. In the many companies I have been asked to operate, consulted for, or invested in, those tasks are always handled with respect and courtesy.
But it is not a fun job - especially when those affected, often resort to online defamation. The outcomes are not always desirable. My long-time colleague Catherine used to say, "If you don't stand up for something, you will fall for everything."
With the advent of the Internet, anyone can write anything they want about anyone else, and pretty much without lability. Benjamin Franklin said, "Freedom of the press is limited to those who can afford to buy one." And today that means every crack pot, crazy and coward.
As my Communications law professor put it, freedom of the press means you can publish anything, but you are forever liable for everything whether wrong intentionally or not.
Today the whiners, complainers and defamers are always the losers with nothing better to do with their time because they have done little and tried even less. They have nothing better to do (truly nothing better) than to assail those who pursue goals and try to do good.
We should hope that today's newly minted trolls go back to the planet they came from but, of course, that won't happen because rude behavior, presumptive stupidity and nutty people have been around forever. It is just that now they have a bigger pulpit to spray crazy from.
Because online posts are often anonymous, intelligent discerning people do not believe anything they hear on the Internet, especially from unknown people. Fools believe everything they read and they certainly believe - with their twisted little minds - that Oprah is an alien.

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Expert Says Photos Best Return on Investment

In a recent blog post on his website VacationRentalMarketingBlog.com, Matt Landau proclaims professional photos to be the most effective marketing tools to increase bookings and revenue.

Landau says, "When you have limited resources, you must examine the return on investment (ROI) of everything you do." He then lists the Top 10 cost-effective Vacation Rental Marketing Activities.

Number one on his list is professional photos which he illustrates by providing a cost versus benefit graph clearly showing photos as the best investment.

Other steps, such as building a private website, increasing your paid listing rank, soliciting reviews and trying to speak with guests by phone also are beneficial.

While hiring a professional photographer is indeed a good idea, to this day many professionals have still not discovered or mastered the art of creating High Dynamic Range (HDR) photos. 

Without that even the best cameras, a photographic education and lots of experience prohibit the photographer from creating truly accurate photos such as those HDR can create.

HDR photos are not easy and they are not cheap, but the benefit of having compelling and accurate photos attracts more guests, more bookings and more revenue. 
 
Landau posits an analogy about whether a government should invest $10,000 to cure ten Malaria patients or the same amount to save a single AIDS patient. Tough call of course, but it illustrates that spending money on great photos is by far the most cost efficient treatment for vacation rental marketing.

Matt Landau is the Founder of the Vacation Rental Marketing Blog, an online resource for vacation rental owners and managers. He is also the owner of Los Cuatro Tulipanes vacation rentals in Panama, and a columnist for HomeAway and FlipKey, the world's two largest vacation rental marketplaces. 

http://www.vacationrentalmarketingblog.com/top_10/

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Professor John Edwards: Insects & Music

<img style="max-width: 100%;" title="Professor John Edwards" src="https://static.redstone.net/Images/blogs/204/01/JohnEdwards.jpg" alt="Professor John Edwards" width="418" height="516" /> Professor John Edwards
Did you know that insects live in very cold places? John Edwards knew.
In fact, Professor John S. Edwards was known around the world as one of the pioneers of insect developmental neurobiology. And I was fortunate to be able to call him a friend. He died this week and I find his passing more unfortunate than any public leader or celebrity.
Some years ago, a friend invited me to help out with an organization called Gallery Concerts; a group dedicated to having period music instruments perform chamber music in the small spaces there were designed for. The concerts are sheer delight.
At one of the first meetings I sat next to a gentle white haired man with a goatee who glowed with his enthusiasm for the music. Later I was to learn he glowed about just about everything. If the term "twinkle in his eye" was created for anyone it was John.
He was a leading scholar in the ecology of high-altitude insects, cold tolerance of Antarctic insects, the role of insects in ecosystem regeneration following volcanic eruptions, and the evolution of insect flight. A New Zealander, John earned his Ph.D. at Cambridge. At the University of Washington John taught entomology, human ecology, served as the Director of the Undergraduate Biology Program, Director of the UW Honors Program, and was appointed Emeritus Professor of Zoology in 2000.
Although a humble man, others noticed his exploits. He earned a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Senior Humboldt Research Award, and a Jacob Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award. He was a University Liberal Arts Professor, named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and of the Royal Entomological Society of London. He served as Program Director for Developmental Neuroscience at the National Science Foundation.
Art Davidson says, in his account of the first winter ascent of Denali (Minus 148&deg;), "My first meeting with John reaffirmed the legend. I had traced the sounds of a concert through several corridors at the Institute to a short figure hopping about from leg to leg while vocalizing the entire woodwind section of an orchestra. "
Other than the fact he was a professor in biology, I knew none of this even after years of attending meetings and concerts with him.
I made a particular mistake once - by mentioning to John that my son had applied to attend the University of Washington. He prodded relentlessly and learned that Taylor was interested in Biology, specifically astrobiology. I could see John's temperature rising. He wasn't "Hoping from leg to leg" but almost.
He asked in that pleasant way that borders on professorial curiosity, that Taylor simply must telephone him for a tour of the department.
After reading about the Professor on line, it took Taylor several weeks to summon enough courage to call. But when he did - John needed no prompting to remember his name or why he was calling. A whirlwind tour took place a few days later where Taylor was introduced to everyone with such lavish praise that my 6'6" son stood even taller than usual when retelling the tale.
<div style="margin: 5px 5px 5px 5px;" align="center"><img style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;" title="American Pika Mount Denali National Park" src="https://REDSTONE.NET/images/Blogs/204/01/pika.jpg" alt="American Pika Mount Denali National Park" />
<div style="text-align: center;">American Pica</div>
</div>
Some years before John had patiently suffered through my telling of how our family had driven to all the way to Mt. Denali (Mt. McKinley) that summer and Taylor, then age 12, had found and photographed a rare Pika; which sent the visitor center biologists into a tizzy.
Who could know an important professor would remember such a small thing from years earlier; but during the UW tour John quizzed Taylor relentlessly about the Pika, where it was found, what time of day, what type of terrain.
Taylor was impressed at John's curiosity. He was proud to be considered important but then somewhat astonished when John casually mentioned, "You may find it hard to believe but I was on the expedition that did the first winter ascent of Denali."
When Tay recited this story at home hours later I saw in his eyes the look of admiration that a young boy can have someone suddenly explodes his idea of what is possible in life. You can be a scientist, you can climb mountains, you can write eloquently, you can win awards, you can be a gracious considerate person, you can be an impressive senior citizen who still cares about what a 12 year old boy cares about. Astonishing.
Today when we learned that John has passed away, things stopped for a few hours for Taylor and I. We went about our work but cared about this man we spent little time with. We admired his work. We admired his attitude. We admired him.
Although I did not have the chance to see John much in the last few years, Taylor and I did think of him occasionally. When watching a science TV show, when the subject is insects, biology or science in general, when daring people climb tall mountains, when university life is depicted - the Pika story is retold and then someone inevitably says, "you might find it hard to believe. . . ". And we smile.

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