Holiday Cottage Marketing

[SilliamWhale]

how do you do it?

I have agents who take 25% which I think is a lot but don't have enough of my own bookings yet to go independent.

Have my own website which admittedly is a shocker - needs sorting out this winter.

Girlfriend likes facebook so puts stuff on every so often and also I'm on holidaylettings.co.uk and do leaflets.

It has been suggested to me to join other forums etc. to make you the "go to" place for certain things eg someone I knew did a lot on Greyhound forums and loads of rehomed Greyhound lovers and their dogs went there.

How do you keep putting it about?

 

[Jock]

Neighbour converted old farm buildings into a couple of holiday cottages a few years back.
Marketed it themselves the first year but couldn't get the numbers they had budgeted for.

Been doing it through an agency ever since and seem happy with that now.
25% does seem quite a cut to be taking. Are they all about that?

 

[Countryboy]

Suggest keep well away from doggin' and cottaging forums Silliam

 

[JNP]

You can get in touch with your local tourist information centre/tourism board and get onto their official lists and websites

 

[Princess Pooper]

Perhaps difficult whilst you are using an agent still but have you considered online booking? When we used to stay in holiday cottages it was always a bit last minute and I would be trawling websites at 2am in the morning trying to book somewhere for the next week. Making call after call and even when you got a person not an answerphone then being told sorry we've booked it gets very laborious. The joy of some good websites is you can see a price and availability and even if full online booking not available then you could fire an email off and provisionally book it so when they open up their emails the next morning hopefully you are 'in'. Your site has neither prices nor availability so I would probably not even consider you although you are in a nice area (Sorry!) . Glad to see you are building a farm page as that is one of the first things I am after we like to stay on a farm and also to know a bit of info about it.

 

[Thick Farmer]

how do you do it?

I have agents who take 25% which I think is a lot but don't have enough of my own bookings yet to go independent.

Have my own website which admittedly is a shocker - needs sorting out this winter.

Girlfriend likes facebook so puts stuff on every so often and also I'm on holidaylettings.co.uk and do leaflets.

It has been suggested to me to join other forums etc. to make you the "go to" place for certain things eg someone I knew did a lot on Greyhound forums and loads of rehomed Greyhound lovers and their dogs went there.

How do you keep putting it about?

A mate of mine does it locally and uses a combination of his own marketing and an agent.

He's as tight as a ducks arse and wouldn't part with 25%. I will find out who the agent is if you like.

 

[furrowedbrow]

@Princess Pooper the site does have a place to check availability and pricing here http://www.greatnashfarm.co.uk/house-booking/

 

[SilliamWhale]

Neighbour converted old farm buildings into a couple of holiday cottages a few years back.
Marketed it themselves the first year but couldn't get the numbers they had budgeted for.

Been doing it through an agency ever since and seem happy with that now.
25% does seem quite a cut to be taking. Are they all about that?

They are often around 25% or a bit less, even more at times! Its a tricky one because the right type of agent can get you the right type of people and keep prices high even after taking their cut. That said I think times are changing fast and will agents exist in 10 years? I can see how they used to work hard for their 25% - brochures, letters, promo etc. but now when lots of pensioners are internet ready it makes you wonder (but there are still a lot that aren't on web etc.!)

 

[SilliamWhale]

Perhaps difficult whilst you are using an agent still but have you considered online booking? When we used to stay in holiday cottages it was always a bit last minute and I would be trawling websites at 2am in the morning trying to book somewhere for the next week. Making call after call and even when you got a person not an answerphone then being told sorry we've booked it gets very laborious. The joy of some good websites is you can see a price and availability and even if full online booking not available then you could fire an email off and provisionally book it so when they open up their emails the next morning hopefully you are 'in'. Your site has neither prices nor availability so I would probably not even consider you although you are in a nice area (Sorry!) . Glad to see you are building a farm page as that is one of the first things I am after we like to stay on a farm and also to know a bit of info about it.

It does have booking online via holidaylettings link but good point, its obviously not that clear!. That is a good portal to be fair. Good point about farm page etc. I need to re-do site in the winter, had a bloke recommended as good and cheap and he was poor value for money with 0 design skills!

 

[SilliamWhale]

A mate of mine does it locally and uses a combination of his own marketing and an agent.

He's as tight as a ducks arse and wouldn't part with 25%. I will find out who the agent is if you like.

Would be interested to hear who he with. As I said before though some agents do "earn" their extra by keeping prices up rather than down but its whats at the end that matters.

 

[SilliamWhale]

Any more advice on the website or ideas much appreciated

Or maybe some of you can tell me how you do it?

One of my places averages about 22 weeks of the year but the sleeps 10 one is more difficult to fill all year and is only about 13-14 weeks but it is fairly new (and don't say split it into 2 - not allowed!). Get both up to 30 weeks and tidy money will be made!

 

[Princess Pooper]

It does have booking online via holidaylettings link but good point, its obviously not that clear!. That is a good portal to be fair. Good point about farm page etc. I need to re-do site in the winter, had a bloke recommended as good and cheap and he was poor value for money with 0 design skills!

Fair do-s yes it does, saw it immediately this morning but not when I was looking last night which is perhaps indicative that when tired (and when I would have been booking) it's missed so sorry you would have missed out! You need to be able to catch the eye of idiots like me (sorry can't do other smilies as using wrong browser at present!)

 

[balerman]

Whoever you use,they need to come up on the first page of Google when a relevant search is typed in.Our lot take 25% but I think they earn it,how can you get your page to comme up on Google with your own website.People down the road from us use Hoseasons,who take 35% but they do get a few extra weeks to us but I doubt it is more profitable.

 

[jade35]

'

Fair do-s yes it does, saw it immediately this morning but not when I was looking last night which is perhaps indicative that when tired (and when I would have been booking) it's missed so sorry you would have missed out! You need to be able to catch the eye of idiots like me (sorry can't do other smilies as using wrong browser at present!)

Agree with @Princess Pooper and nearly wrote a similar post. Price, availability and facilities are important when looking. Have used this website several times as a basis to work from when trying to find a cottage http://www.lastminute-cottages.co.uk/ . The last few years have booked cottage about a month before holiday and have found the cottages and/or websites on internet.

Lovely pictures of your cottages on your website but I found the availability calendar very off putting. The agents website is okay and comes up reasonably high on google search but the company I booked with this year have a good, fairly easy to use website and the 360 degree view of rooms for some cottages was a winner from the children's point of view http://westwalesholidaycottages.co.uk/

 

[Thick Farmer]

It does have booking online via holidaylettings link but good point, its obviously not that clear!. That is a good portal to be fair. Good point about farm page etc. I need to re-do site in the winter, had a bloke recommended as good and cheap and he was poor value for money with 0 design skills!

I cant find your holidalettings link either.

I can recommend someone who did a very good job (I think) on my fencing website at a very reasonable rate.

For someone as computer literate as yourself you could have a site that can be updated with recent news and pictures, blogs etc. as that will help keep it in the first page of google.

 

[SilliamWhale]

I cant find your holidalettings link either.

I can recommend someone who did a very good job (I think) on my fencing website at a very reasonable rate.

For someone as computer literate as yourself you could have a site that can be updated with recent news and pictures, blogs etc. as that will help keep it in the first page of google.

Yes I know i should be able to do it myself. Winter job and a copy of websites for dummies I think!

Also thanks to @jade35 @Princess Pooper for the advice, much appreciated.

 

[Princess Pooper]

Yes I know i should be able to do it myself. Winter job and a copy of websites for dummies I think!

Also thanks to @jade35 @Princess Pooper for the advice, much appreciated.

I am assuming that this is a relatively new venture. As time goes on you should find you build up a regular customer base who book - probably the same week - every year. If they don't then there is something wrong with your offer (I'm sure they will though!).;-) You could encourage this with a small discount if booked within a certain timescale eg 10% off if you book again within a month of your current stay. This is what Center Parcs do. If they are booking via you not your agent you're still retaining more money. Also ask for feedback from visitors (not just comments in visitor's book). Look around at other websites to see what you think looks good. Good luck I'm sure things will pick up.

I'm not saying this is a fantastic website but these people have a big holiday set up and have been doing it for a long time http://www.wood-farm.com/default.htm and are obviously doing something right as they get very booked up. We stayed there several years on the trot. My main criticism was that they didn't give more information to guests about their farm and farming. A lot of people visit a farm specially and although we as guests as farmers are well informed it is a great chance to get some info across to Joe Public, they had plenty of outbuildings they could have put some posters, photos, leaflets, farm exhibits in.

 

[Penmoel]

I thought @jamesy has a good website,http://www.brecks-selfcatering-orkney.co.uk/ a question for Jamesy, out of interest how many bookings come direct from that do you know?

 

[jade35]

Also have a look at what the opposition are doing in Devon and Cornwall etc. re websites. Would also suggest that trying specialist walking magazines may be useful for the larger house out of main season. Also farmhouse website (Cartwheel?)
Organic? if so mention it on website.

ps pester Clive for a specialist section for holiday cottages/bed and breakfast accommodation on the forum

 

[Gulli]

farm cottage holidays are good if you are looking to stay somewhere. mate of mine used to advertise his place on there, don't know what they charge though