This category is about Holiday Home Marketing and is for UK holiday letting owners looking to improve their marketing and drive more bookings.

Whether you own an individual holiday home, apartment or holiday cottage complex Boshers holiday home marketing posts are for you. As Holiday Home Insurance Specialists Boshers are proud to share many tips, guidance and articles.

Subjects covered include increasing your holiday letting bookings, quality assessment schemes and social media hacks. Check out these posts: Year round holiday let occupancy, Quality assessment schemes for holiday lets, How to increase off peak bookings, Social Media hacks to increase your off peak bookings.

Is your holiday home ready for the Rugby World Cup?

Holiday Home Marketing

International sporting events have the potential to captivate, engage and inspire a nation. If proof were ever required we need only to cast our gaze back to 2012 and the London Olympics; 900 million people tuned in to watch the opening ceremony of a games that kept everybody on the edge of their seats for the entirety of a summer.

So with the dawn of a Rugby World Cup hosted on home soil for the first time in 24 years now less than nine months away, is the tournament an opportunity your holiday home letting business can afford to miss out on? Is your holiday home ready for the Rugby World Cup?

Will your guests be watching or interested in the Rugby World Cup?

The statistics indicate that whilst many of us won’t be motivated to get down to the local ground on the average Saturday, we’re more than happy to get behind our team when the World Cup steamrolls into town:

5 million applications for tournament tickets were made in 17 days; that’s four every second!
650,000 people applied for tickets to see England’s Pool A showdown with Australia at Twickenham Stadium; enough to fill the stadium eight times over.
5 million people tuned in to watch Jonny Wilkinson kick for World Cup glory in 2003, with many of them welcoming the trophy home in a Trafalgar Square parade.

How close will you be to the action?

The following venues will be hosting World Cup games in 2015;

Brighton Community Stadium
Elland Road (Leeds)
Kingsholm Stadium (Gloucester)
Leicester City Stadium
Manchester City Stadium
Millenium Stadium (Cardiff)
Olympic Stadium (London)
Sandy Park (Exeter)
St James’ Park (Newcastle)
Stadium MK (Milton Keynes)
Twickenham Stadium (London)
Villa Park (Birmingham)
Wembley Stadium (London)

How can you attract and cater for the World Cup rugby fan?

Get ready now

Don’t wait until the tournament is upon us; begin your promotion now. Your blog and the latest news section of your website will be a great place to show your guests what you’ll be doing for them during the tournament.

Here are a few things you can be telling them about:

Where can they watch the games?

Some will want to watch from home, others to get together in front of a big screen and cheer their team on. Ensure you give visitors to your website and holiday home information on local pubs and venues showing the games.

Are there local events?

A huge element of this year’s World Cup is family engagement. A series of events will be taking place across the country before and during the tournament so keep an eye out for any that may be of interest to your visitors.

Do your research and make sure they’re featured in your welcome pack and promoted on your website.

Customise your welcome pack

It can be as simple as adding in a tournament planner / itinerary, or perhaps even some rugby related paraphernalia or snacks to eat during the game.

Remember there is only one chance to make a first impression so it pays dividends to ensure it’s a good one.

Is it time for a new television?

One thing you may have noticed before a ball was kicked at last year’s FIFA World Cup is that retailers know it’s time to cash in. There will be deals on televisions before the Rugby World Cup so is it time to upgrade?

Technology such as High Definition (HD), 3D televisions and Home Cinema Systems have become commonplace amongst many holiday homes across the country; is yours up to scratch?

If the television is sorted do you have any way of your guests recording the game to watch in peace once the kids are in bed or they’ve returned from a great day out?

If you’ve gone to the expense of giving your guests a great television experience make sure it’s clearly promoted and communicated on your site and by your holiday home letting agent. If you do go so far as to upgrade your television, ensure that that your holiday home insurance sums insured are sufficient and that you have the correct levels of cover for your needs.

Here’s to a great World Cup!

Boshers are specialist providers of insurance for holiday homes and cottages. For more information on how a specialist insurer can help and support your holiday home business, please give us a call on 01237 429444.

January 29, 2015/0 Comments/by admin

Ten benefits of using a holiday home letting agent

Holiday Home Marketing

If you own and run a holiday home have you ever considered using the support and expertise of a specialist holiday home letting agent?

If you haven’t, we explore ten benefits of using a holiday home letting agent that you could enjoy:

1. Saving time

Answering emails, the phone ringing off the hook, updating availability after the call, making sure you’re ready for changeover, taking payments, booking the plumber.

Owning a holiday home can be incredibly rewarding but it also takes time and even more so during the peak summer season. A letting agent can take this administrative burden away from you, allowing you to focus on the things you enjoy.

2. Taking payments

Many of your guests will want to pay quickly and easily over phone with their debit or credit card. PCI compliance, which allows you to take these sorts of payment, can be costly, time consuming and arduous to set up.

3. Chasing payments

As well as taking time, chasing people for money is not a task that many will relish, let alone enjoy. Your booking agent will not only take up the mantle for you, but also have systems in place to ensure that not a penny is missed, allowing you peace of mind that you’re not missing anything when times are fraught with booking activity.

Your letting agent will have these facilities in place, meaning you needn’t worry about missing out on potential bookings as a result of the payment methods you can accept.

4. A larger shop window

The Internet is an extremely competitive environment and getting your holiday cottage seen is vital to your success in driving holiday letting bookings. Holiday letting agency websites will boast good levels of traffic, driven by proven search engine optimisation (SEO), pay per click (PPC) and scoial media campaigns, potentially putting you in the shop window for even more bookings.

Many agencies will be able to tell you how many visits their sites gets, how many bookings they expect to generate and how often your cottage is being seen so you can keep a handle on progress.

5. Marketing and Specialist Support

Working with a holiday letting specialist can be extremely beneficial. You’ll benefit from the shared knowledge they’ve gained from managing not only your own holiday cottage property but also all of the others on their portfolio. They’ll know the best way in which to market your property, where to market it and how to gain the maximum level of bookings.

6. Their database of potential guests

Thousands and thousands of families, couples and individuals will book their cottage stay through a holiday lettings agent each year. Your agent will be able to promote you directly to those that have previously shown an interest in cottages just like yours; putting you right in front of a captive audience.

7. Complaints, disputes and issues

Whilst every holiday homeowner will want to give his or her guests the most pleasant stay possible, sometimes issues with your visitors will arise. With such a vested interest in the property these issues can sometimes become tense and stressful.

Lettings agents will be experienced in dealing with any disputes that arise from time to time and be able to achieve the best possible outcome whilst also diffusing the situation and keeping you stress free!

8. Keeping up to date with legislation and regulations

Regulations for holiday homeowners move a pace and at times it may be hard for individual holiday letting owners to keep up to date with the sheer volume of information they need to be aware of.

Do you know how often your gas boiler should be checked? Who should be checking it? When your appliances need to be portable appliance tested?

Lettings agents will be able to steer you through this potential minefield, keeping you informed and mitigating risk where they can.

9. Introducing you to reliable tradesmen, housekeepers and professional services

Reliable tradesmen, housekeepers and providers of other professional services, such as holiday home insurance advisers are key to the smooth operation of your holiday letting business. Your holiday letting agents will be able to recommend a list of people that they and their owners have had experience in dealing with. Indeed they may even offer a service to meet and greet your gas engineer when your boiler is due its annual service and safety check.

10. More bookings

Ultimately the role of your holiday home letting agent is to bring more custom through your holiday cottage door. All of the above will enable them to do that, whilst also freeing up your time and potentially lowering your stress levels!

Is now the time to use a specialist in every area of your holiday letting business?

Boshers offer specialist holiday home insurance to owners across the UK. For more information on how a specialist insurer can help and support your holiday home business, please give us a call on 01237 429444.

November 18, 2014/0 Comments/by admin

How to attract guests to book your holiday home for Christmas

Holiday Home Marketing

Whilst traditionally a time spent with family in the confides of our own home, more and more of us are now packing our bags and heading for a holiday cottage to celebrate Christmas.

How to attract guests to book your holiday home for Christmas

Here’s our advice on how to attract guests to book your holiday home for Christmas, including how you can prepare your holiday home for festive visitors and make sure they have a very merry Christmas.

When do people book holiday accommodation for Christmas?

No matter what time of year, the first port of call for many holiday home bookings is Google.

During the spring months, as you can imagine, those searching for holiday home accommodation for Christmas is at its lowest level.

However, search volumes for key phrases associated with this topic begin to increase as early as July, with exponential growth seen right through to November, when search is at it’s highest of around 1,250 people looking to book a stay in a holiday cottage.

*Average monthly searches made for Christmas holiday home accommodation.

How can you increase your chances of appearing in front of these people?

If you’re looking to attract visitors for Christmas you’ll want to be appearing in front of them during the months of August right through to December.

There are two potential ways in which you can do this; the first is by ranking naturally in search engines, with the second by advertising on a Pay Per Click Basis (PPC).

If you want to rank naturally, you will need to have content on your website that supports this. If you’ve not already got a page devoted to your Christmas offering then you should add one. The sooner you add this the sooner you’ll be ranking.

Also consider other content you can provide visitors with; where can they go for Christmas lunch? Are there festive events happening? Which local attractions are open or are there added attractions such as ice rinks in place for a yuletide skate?

When placed into well-written blog posts this will have the dual benefit of giving your visitors a festive feast of information and increasing the number of key phrases you can potentially rank for.

If you find competition too fierce then you can also advertise using Pay Per Click.

The key here will be doing your research and working out what search terms people are using to locate properties such as yours, and then driving them to a page that tells them everything they need to know about Christmas in your holiday cottage to increase conversion.

Always keep an eye on the amount you are spending on advertising against the bookings you are gaining in order to ensure your profitability.

Welcoming guests to your holiday cottage

So you’ve got those potential visitors to your website and dazzled them with relevant content, what next?

There are plenty of things that you can do to make your guests feel at home.

If you have a welcome pack have you considered doing something a little different for Christmas? Including a few minced pies for example?

Have you thought about how you will communicate all of the Christmas information that’s on your website? What they can do, when they can go and where they can eat great local produce and food?

Perhaps even arranged a Christmas lunch discount for your guests with a local eatery?

Will you be decorating your holiday home with a tree or some other decorations?

Remember that your taste will not always be the same as your visitors so ensure any decorations are kept tasteful and minimal.

A final myth buster – Christmas lights

If you erect a Christmas tree in your holiday home many will believe that the Christmas lights will need to go through the expense of having a portable appliance test PAT once a year.

This isn’t necessary; the HSE indicate that they’ll be fine to sparkle long into the night as long as the user has checked for any obvious signs of damage or defect.

November 10, 2014/0 Comments/by admin

Marketing a Listed Holiday Home

Holiday Home Marketing, Listed Buildings

Marketing a Listed Holiday Home and telling a story

As a nation we’re a traditional bunch; committed not only to celebrating our history but also protecting our heritage. One challenge for owners of heritage holiday homes and holiday cottages is how to approach marketing a Listed holiday home to attract more bookings. From 17^th century forts to traditional country cottages there are more than 375,000 listed buildings across the UK.

English Heritage explains listed buildings help us to acknowledge and understand our shared history, to mark and celebrate a building’s special architectural and historic interest.

95% of those owning and marketing a listed holiday home are likely to be under the Grade II listing; making their property ‘nationally important and of special interest’.

Whilst this may cause planning permission headaches for owners’ eager to make significant changes or develop their home it also provides major opportunities for marketing a listed holiday home by telling a story which differentiates your property from the competition.

The target market for listed building owners

When weighing up the size of the market you’ll perhaps need to look no further than the continued success and popularity of The National Trust, with more than four million members making multiple visits each and every year.

Perhaps more telling is the passion of those members; 80,000 of us now volunteer our time to The Trust and numbers continue to grow.

This enthusiasm is not merely limited to voluntary time and one day excursions; many now actively seek accommodation that matches their interests and will pay a premium to stay.

Things to consider when marketing a listed holiday home

65% of listed buildings across the United Kingdom are in excess of 300 years old. With time comes a story and telling yours will be a vital element to marketing your listed holiday home.

Here are just a few things to consider when telling your story and promoting your listed property:

Whilst many websites will predominately be focused toward the mod cons does yours actively tell the story behind the building, the area and the people that created it? Your website will often be the first research port of call for any prospective guest so you’ll need to differentiate and emphasise what makes your listed property different from others they may stay in.

Is your story supported by great photography that really shows of the architecture and the uniqueness of the building and its contents? Getting a professional may cost a little but results that do your building justice may well lead to more bookings.

Many listed holiday homes have been lovingly restored for their guest’s to enjoy; information on the restoration along with photography can further strengthen someone’s understanding of the property and their relationship or draw to it.

Have you considered having a section of your website devoted toward the heritage and the history of your listed holiday home? This needn’t be reams and reams of text; remember your website visitors will be looking to get information quickly so utilise bullet points, short facts, figures and photos.

If your potential guests are actively looking to stay in a listed property think about what they’ll want to do during their time away from your holiday home. Are local venues and attractions, such as National Trust and other historical venues covered and promoted?

Have you thought of approaching local venues to potentially team up and offer discounted accommodation or admittance, particularly during shoulder or winter months when visitor numbers will likely be significantly lower?

Would they be willing to have a link to your holiday home website on their own site? If they are this will not only put you in front of more potential visitors but also have a positive impact on your search engine rankings.

Do you highlight local events that could be attended? If you blog in advance of events you’ll rank in Google for those search terms, potentially attracting visitors looking to attend and stay nearby.

If you promote your listed property through a letting agent have you told them about the history and what makes your property special?

Make sure that your story is not only told through your website but also through every marketing outlet you have. Include information in your tweets and your Google+ and Facebook pages.

All of these points are aimed at emphasising the historic and unique qualities your listed property brings. Sometimes it’s great to stand out from the crowd!

Feel free to leave your tips and experiences of Marketing your Listed Holiday Home in the comments below.

Boshers are specialist providers of Listed Holiday Home Insurance. For more information on how a specialist insurer can help and support your holiday home business, please give us a call on 01237 429444.

August 13, 2014/0 Comments/by admin

Marketing your holiday home as dog friendly

Holiday Home Marketing

The Dog Friendly Holiday Home Market

A dog has long been regarded as a man’s best friend and for a nation of pet lovers it doesn’t stop there; from your pampered pooch to the fastidious feline, an estimated one in three UK households now has a pet to call their own.

The question for owners has long been what happens to their animals while they’re on holiday?

36% of respondents to a recent survey indicated a pet was their biggest cause of worry while away, with 72% indicating it was at least a concern. When combined with the potential costs of boarding facilities such as kennels this has led to two in five of us now bringing them along with us!

Benefits of marketing your holiday home as dog friendly

Reaching a wider marketplace

With an estimated 40% of guests now looking for pet friendly holiday accommodation it’s becoming increasingly hard for holiday homeowners to ignore this potentially lucrative marketplace. If your holiday home is located in an area suitable for the pet owners among us you’ll be opening up your holiday home to an increased number of would-be guests. Marketing your holiday home as dog friendly will increase your bookings.

13% of people have indicated they’d rather go on holiday with their pet than their partner!

Paying a premium to stay with you

Not only will the volume be greater, but guests are also willing to pay a premium for pet friendly accommodation, understanding that an increase in potential tariff will be less than the cost of kennels or pet boarding and accommodation, which can be five times the cost to take them on holiday with you.

Year round bookings

Certain places including beaches will prohibit animals during busier summer periods. This means that dog owners in particular can look to enjoy a break during the winter and shoulder months, giving you greater bookings around the year.

Marketing your property to pet owners – communicating the right things

In order to attract these potential guests you’ll need to make sure you have all of the information they’re looking for:

When someone visits your website or reads your marketing literature they’ll be looking to understand if your holiday cottage is suitable for them. As whether or not you allow pets is an important part of their decision making process ensure it’s adequately highlighted. Imagery can be a quick and easy way to convey that you’re a pet friendly location.
Manage visitor expectations by outlining what you do and don’t accept, along with the facilities available for their pets. Having clearly communicated ground rules can also help with any issues that arise with guests during or after their stay.
Remember that your visitors are likely to be active if they’re bringing pets such as dogs. Providing information on where they can go, local walks, along with places to visit and enjoy with a pet can sway and secure their decision to stay with you.
This information should be included in all of your marketing materials, from your website to your welcome pack, where a nice treat for the pet can be an added extra when your guest arrives.
If you have a holiday letting agent make sure they know you’re able to accept pets so they can update their own details and promote you to those looking to stay in pet friendly accommodation.

The Potential Pitfalls to Pet Friendly Accommodation

Whilst there are many benefits to opening up your holiday home to pet owners there are also some other aspects you’ll need to consider:

Some guests may have allergies that would prevent them from staying in pet friendly accommodation.
If you’re going to be promoting your accommodation as pet friendly you’ll need to commit to and invest in it. This will include providing adequate facilities for pets such as dog mats and bedding to considering appropriate flooring.
Pets will cause a greater wear and tear on your property, particularly if you have a large amount of soft furnishings.
If pets are staying in your property during winter and wetter shoulder months the costs of cleaning can be significantly increased.
Consider your neighbors and nearby accommodation; if none currently offer pet friendly accommodation will there be complaints from potential barking and animal noise?
Ensure that your holiday home insurance does not exclude damage by pets

Feel free to leave your tips and experiences of marketing your holiday home as dog friendly in the comments below.

Boshers are specialist providers of holiday home insurance. For more information on how a specialist insurer can help and support your holiday home business, please give us a call on 01237 429444.

August 5, 2014/1 Comment/by admin

Five online tips for marketing your holiday home to walkers

Holiday Home Marketing

Promoting your holiday home to walkers online

In 1988 the Proclaimers confidently claimed they would walk 500 miles and may well be prepared to walk 500 more. Whilst that’s far enough to arrive in Barcelona from our North Devon base and still have a few miles in the tank, many of us have followed them by strapping on our own walking boots opening up opportunities for marketing your holiday home to walkers.

Whether marching on moors or plodding the Peak District, we’re a nation that loves the great outdoors. If you own a holiday cottage with natural resources on your doorstep you’ll want to ensure your guests know all about them from the point they begin looking for their break to the moment they leave.

Here are five online tips for marketing your holiday home to walkers

1. Is there information on your website?

For many people the first step in selecting their holiday accommodation will be online research. The words ‘holiday cottage’ are searched for on Google more than 2,500 times in the UK each month. If you market your own property this will be your biggest shop window; your opportunity to explain why they’d stay with you rather than go elsewhere.

Remember that there are a wide variety of guests that will want to enjoy local walks; some will be looking for more challenging terrain whilst others for a more leisurely stroll with a stop off point for lunch. When highlighting local routes also explain the level of difficulty and always link it back to your target market.

The more content you have surrounding a subject area the more Google will understand what your website is about. If you’re attempting to attract and promote your holiday cottage to walkers having informative content on this area will be a key determinant of your ranking success. It will also increase engagement with those visitors looking to get out into the countryside as you’re providing them with information they need in order to support their decisions; you’re ticking their box.

If you’re using a holiday letting marketing and management company let them know about your intention for marketing your holiday home to walkers and provide them with information on walk’s near to your holiday cottage so they’re fully aware of what you think makes your cottage different.

2. Get blogging!

There are many different benefits to blogging for a holiday cottage; it can increase the regularity with which Google crawls your website, the number of key terms you rank for and as a result, the amount of people that visit your site and the level of engagement they have with it.

A great asset of local walks is the views, the photos and the visual. If you have recent photos from local walks, for example sunrises, sunsets, breathtaking views that go on forever, put them onto your blog. This content doesn’t need to be generated just by you – why not encourage your visitors to share their photos with you?

3. Are you using social media?

Twitter and Facebook provide the ultimate opportunity for sharing photos and experiences. A photo can help you to stand out from that crowed Twitter newsfeed and have been known to regularly attract more re-tweets, spreading your word further.

Facebook also gives the opportunity for your guests to share their walking photos. If you can, encourage them to do so. Social groups are usually bound together by common interests, so their friends and family on Facebook are potential new walking visitors to your holiday cottage.

4. Gaining the right visibility

Effective online marketing is inextricably linked to creating visibility with the people you want to reach. Establish if there are any opportunities for you to feature on websites that would be frequented by walkers. Do they have an accommodation section? Are there opportunities to take part in walking forums and discussion groups to highlight your local routes?

5. The big picture

If you’re looking to attract walkers to your holiday cottage it’s vital that you communicate with them and find them. Blogging and adding content to your site will enable you to rank more and engage with the new website visitors you’re reaching. Social media and other websites will allow you to extend your reach further, building dialogue and discussion.

July 25, 2014/0 Comments/by admin

Marketing your holiday home as suitable for walkers

Holiday Home Marketing

Hiking, walking and exploring – a growing Holiday Home market

Fresh air, stunning views, great company and the sun on your back, what could be better than enjoying a walk in the British countryside?

Your doctor will likely agree; from lowering stress levels to a reduction in potential coronary complications, studies indicate there are many benefits to getting out for a daily walk. NHS research has recently shown that those walking an extra 2,000 steps a day were 8% less likely to suffer from a cardiovascular event.

Combine this with the fact it’s an activity that is relatively cost free, is able to be enjoyed by all age groups and that we have an abundant natural resource waiting to be explored, you’ll quickly understand the growing popularity of walking amongst self-catering holiday home guests. We explore how you can make your holiday home walking friendly and opportunities for marketing your holiday home as suitable for walkers.

So how do you ensure that your holiday home is able to keep up with the ground swell of walkers marching toward your property?

Provide them with the information they need

Make life as easy as possible for your visitors to find the most appropriate local walks and routes. Some will be looking for challenging terrain, others for a leisurely stroll towards a beer garden or something they can enjoy as a family, so it’s vital they’re able to easily understand which routes are going to be most appropriate for them.

Also think about other things they may wish to do while out walking. Are there picnic facilities? A beach, woodland or great local pub? Play areas for the kids or wildlife viewing areas? If so how far are they away from your holiday home and how long in minutes may the walk be?

Answer all of the questions your visitor may have.

Think about how to and where to communicate this information

The most obvious place to provide your guests with this information will be in your visitor information pack but the journey toward that walk will begin long before they step through your door. Ensure your website has sufficient information on local walks and scenery in order to make sure they know they exist.

Use what is around you to your advantage in marketing your property. The old adage remains that a picture speaks a thousand words; if the walks are incredibly scenic ensure photography and images form a large part of your communication here.

These can also be used in your social media activity; photographs can break through the clutter of a heavily populated Twitter or Facebook news feed, gaining more likes and re-tweets along the way.

Remember social groups are bound together by common interests so always encourage guests to share with their Facebook friends and Twitter followers.

They are your potential guests of the future.

A place to put muddy boots and clothes

With just a few tweaks you can make your holiday home more suitable for walkers, at very little expense. Not many of us would be unwilling to admit that the British weather can be somewhat inclement at times. With that come muddy boots and wet clothes. Consider having somewhere that boots and trainers can be placed and stored, either at an entrance or in a porch or patio area. This will avoid mud being trampled through the interior of your home.

Also look at installing facilities where sodden clothes can be hung and aired. If you don’t have masses of room for this there are plenty of space saving options available on the market.

Services your visitors may need

Whilst we hope your guests will have an enjoyable experience of the great outdoors sometimes things will go wrong. Whether that’s a tangle with some unfriendly brambles or a twisted ankle ensure your guests are provided with the contact information of local services, such as accident and emergency or doctors practices, along with a first aid kit within your holiday home.

June 18, 2014/2 Comments/by admin

Marketing your holiday cottage

Holiday Home Marketing

What motivates your guests to stay at your holiday cottage and are you using this to increase bookings?

When we make decisions, no matter how large or small, logic and reasoning will more often than not play a role in the outcome.

Choosing a holiday destination is no different; visitors will be looking to find the answer to their needs as an individual, a couple or as a family unit.

So what is it that drives visitors to stay with you? The likelihood is that they’ll have compared and contrasted your offering with that of others that fit a similar profile or destination group.

Yours will be the one that most closely aligns with their desires and matching budget.

Having the answers to someone’s holidays needs is of paramount importance in creating enquiries as a holiday homeowner. The growing popularity of accommodation that boasts green credentials or offers opportunities to pursue hobbies and activities such as surfing, cycling or walking suggests that if you are marketing your holiday cottage to these groups and provide them with what they want you’ll potentially be reaping the booking benefits.

A good holiday letting agency will have access to a large number of potential visitors and be able to place you in front of your chosen market.

If you market your own property here’s four things to consider when marketing your holiday home to your target market:

Focus on what your visitor want and need

A temptation when marketing a property can often be to first think of what you have to offer rather than what the visitor wants you to offer. The two are by no means synonymous and it’s vital to ensure that in all of your marketing communications you’re highlighting the things visitors’ want from your holiday home, rather than what you think they want.

What are the three things they love about your cottage? Is it the short walk to the beach, the local family bike trails or the big open spaces for the kids to play in?

Have you asked them or do you regularly seek feedback, both positive and negative?

Different demographic groups will have different needs so make sure you know what they are and you play to your strengths accordingly.

Where do you find these people?

You have chosen a target market and you’ve understood what those people want from your holiday home.

Now where do you find them?

Apply logic to where you need to spend your marketing time and learn from the time you’ve already spent. For example, if you don’t get any gain from your Facebook page review why that is and respond to it. Is it because your advertising has been targeting the wrong people? Is it because you’ve been putting the wrong sorts of posts on? Or your target demographic is actually on Twitter instead?

Find the marketing avenues that are going to deliver results for your time and money. Make sure you research this and find where you are best going to gain visibility with your target audience.

Once you’ve found your marketing avenues continue to think about what it is your visitor wants in all communications.

Learn from the past

Marketing is all about learning. Make sure that all of your activity is measured and reported on. This can seem like an arduous task but can in its simplest terms be asking where your visitors heard about you. Your website will be a big tool in your promotional armory so ensure you’re continually monitoring your performance.

Don’t panic at failure or bask in glory; take those statistics and learn from them. By continually learning you’ll be building on what’s working and avoiding what doesn’t. This will perpetuate more success from less investment.

Don’t leave anything on the shelf

It can often be incredibly satisfying when a visitor tells you that their stay was even better than they expected. If you’ve exceeded expectations then that’s fantastic but make sure this isn’t happening because you’re simply not telling people about the things that make your holiday cottage what it is.

It’s a competitive market and you’ll not want to be leaving things for potential visitors to assume or to work out for themselves.

As we’ve said, the key to reaching any target market will lay in identifying your target, understanding what it is that’s most important to them and delivering this message to them where they’ll receive it. Of course there is always the option of putting your holiday letting property in the hands of a local holiday letting agency to manage the bookings and take the strain for you.

For further information and if you require a quotation from a specialist for your holiday home insurance call our team on 01237 429444.

June 17, 2014/0 Comments/by admin

Marketing your coastal holiday home as surfing friendly

Holiday Home Letting, Holiday Home Marketing

Making small changes to your coastal holiday home will appeal to guests looking for surfing friendly holidays

With more than 7,000 miles between Britain and Hawaii it may seem the two are quite literally poles apart, if not only in terms of geography but also meteorologically given the potential inclemency of a British summer.

There is however one unifying factor; our continued and growing love for surfing. Whilst the sport was first introduced to the world by Polynesians from Tahiti and Hawaii more than five centuries ago, the United Kingdom has now become something of a spiritual home to surfing, offering some of the best breaks in the world with large appeal for those seeking a surfing friendly holiday..

No longer the fraternity of a bleach blonde elite, the sport is now attracting an increased and broadening demographic; whether it be families, children or grandparents, they’re all grabbing the board and learning the skills.

We take a look at how holiday homes can cater for those enjoying the waves on their surf, boogie or body boards when they get back from a day at the beach.

Providing your guests with information

You’ll want to make your guest’s lives as easy as possible.Ensure you have information in your cottage on tide times, the best local beaches and breaks to surf, along with relevant safety information and contact details for surf schools or services.

This information should also be incorporated into your website. Feeds from places such as Magic Seaweed will be able to provide your visitors with up to date information without you having to provide it yourself.

Remember your website should be a content hub for your visitors, with all of the information they require to help them make their booking decision.

Storage and washing

Enjoying the British sea for any great length of time will usually incorporate a wetsuit. Having somewhere for your visitors to wash down and hang their suits when they return from the beach is a low cost and great addition to your holiday home.

Outside Showers

With the beach comes the sand and unfortunately not all of it will be left at the beach!

Having an outdoor shower is an effective way of keeping the sand outside of your coastal holiday home. If you have one of these showers ensure the plumbing allows for the water connection to be terminated from the inside. Many holiday home insurance claims come from frozen pipes in the colder months and an outdoor shower is a prime target for this. Ensure that if your holiday home is unoccupied during the winter, the water to the shower is turned off to limit the chances of any potential damage.

You’ll also need to limit the risks of slips and trips by installing items such as anti-slip mats.

Storage areas

If your holiday home is of a size where you are able to designate an area for the storage of gear and boards then this is also a very good idea. Look to utilise any outbuildings or storage facilities that you have to minimise the wear and tear on the interior of your holiday home.

Hire or bring Surf Boards

Encourage your guests to bring their own surfboards or provide information on where they can hire wetsuits and surfboards and book surfing tuition. Guests should have their own liability insurance, which extends to surfing, either via their own home insurance policy or through membership of an association such as Surfing GB.

We recommend that holiday home owners don’t supply their guests with their own boards as the liability implications for the property owner are very high.

Boshers are specialist providers of insurance to holiday homes and cottages. For more information on how a specialist insurer can help and support your holiday home please give us a call on 01237 429444.

June 4, 2014/0 Comments/by admin

Eco Holiday Cottages and Solar Panels

Eco Holiday Homes, Holiday Home Letting, Holiday Home Marketing

Sustainable Tourism: The benefits of Solar

One of the most significant developments in the tourism sector over the past decade has been the continuing growth in demand for accommodation providers and owners of holiday cottages to be green and eco-friendly.

Now is the time of sustainable tourism.

Worldwide tourism accounts for an estimated 4% of all carbon emissions and of that figure a whopping 38% is attributed to international air travel. This has brought about a sharper focus on the impact travel has on the world in which we live and a potential move toward more and more of us enjoying what Britain has to offer hopefully draws nearer.

The World Tourism Organisation recently found that one in three people now consider the environmental credentials of their potential destination, with 40% willing to pay a premium to stay in such accommodation.

Many holiday cottages have embraced their green credentials and identified opportunities to not only reduce carbon emissions but also costs.

With the British summer now promising to flourish into full bloom we look at the benefits of solar power for your holiday cottage.

Potential Cost Savings – The Feed in Tariff

The first thing to say is that the sun is free and with that there are potential cost savings for holiday homeowners. This is not only in the form of reduced bills but also through the government’s Feed in Tariff. This provides payment for all the energy produced by the solar panels at your holiday home. You will have first call on the electricity generated by the solar panels with any surplus fed back into the grid.

Shouldering the cost of energy

You won’t always be able to control if your visitors turn the lights off before they go out for the day, if they leave the heating on at a high level or the television running in the living room.

Potential energy bills can continue to creep upwards as an increased number of holiday homeowners begin to fill ‘shoulder’ months when the weather can be colder and the bills higher; 60% of energy costs are attributed to heating and water.

Solar power has been proven to reduce heating costs, which can directly increase the margins of profitability for your holiday home.

Reducing your carbon footprint

As we’ve already highlighted there is an increased visitor awareness of the carbon footprint holiday cottages have. Solar systems have been estimated to reduce the carbon emissions of the average holiday home by in excess of one tonne of C02 over the course of a year.

That’s the same amount of CO2 emitted by a flight taking off from London Heathrow and touching down at Sydney International airport!

Selecting a supplier

The cost of solar panels and their installation has dropped significantly during the past few years, which has made it an even more viable option for many holiday homeowners. As renewable energy is such a fast moving market it is suggested that you get more than one quote when looking at installing solar panels on your holiday cottage to ensure you get the most competitive price. The Energy Savings Trust have really useful resources and offer impartial advice including a `find an installer’ facility. Visit their website and select England, Wales, Scotland or Norther Ireland depending on where your holiday home is located.

The insurance Implications

There are insurance implications associated with having solar panels on your holiday cottage. You’ll need to ensure the buildings insurance definition in your holiday home insurance policy is wide enough to cover damage to the solar panels due to an insured peril such as storm damage.

All holiday homeowners enjoying specialist holiday home insurance provided by Boshers are covered for this as standard in their policy.

May 14, 2014/2 Comments/by admin