February 10, 2021
How to Create a Vacation Rental Owner Newsletter
For professional managers, a vacation rental owner newsletter is a great way to build your current client relationships as well as attract new inventory. With a limited marketing budget and time constraints, you may wonder if it’s worth the effort.
It is. According to Hubspot, email marketing generates $38 for every $1 spent, making it one of the best ROIs for marketing spend.
An owner newsletter should address not only your current management clients, but also your prospects. This is a place for you to show that you’re the best in the market. It’s a place to showcase your expertise through educational and informative content—not a place to bombard your subscribers with generic promotional content.
So, what should your owner newsletter include and where should you start?
Don’t feel the need to create entirely new content just for the newsletter. The best marketers have mastered reusing content across multiple platforms. Try to get creative by combining social media posts, blogs, infographics, and videos. Think of your newsletter as a highlight of all the content you’ve created. Keep it simple, but keep it high-quality.
Get your creative juices flowing with a few content ideas for your vacation rental owner newsletter:
Content Ideas for a Vacation Rental Owner Newsletter
Timely Transparency
A great content source for your newsletter is to simply talk about what’s going on. Be transparent with the happenings of your company and the surrounding climate. Did Airbnb just make a big announcement that will affect your business? What about news regarding your local regulations? Talking about these subjects will not only build trust with your audience, but also positions your company as the expert on short-term rental management in your market.
Market Trends
Creating your own local reports on market trends, or even sharing information from reports that you’ve come across in the industry, is a great content idea. You could share your findings and takeaways from something like the Rented Annual report or this Ultimate List of Vacation Rental Statistics.
Owners will like to see that they have made the right decision using the property as a short-term rental as opposed to long-term. Show some clear data on why they are right! This will, again, display your expertise in the industry and create interesting content for your audience.
Property Owner Tips
If you’re struggling with content, put yourself in your owners’ shoes and think about helpful tips they may find valuable. Provide some interior design inspiration, sharing pictures from your own management portfolio or images found from other sources like Pinterest or Houzz. You can also share DIY projects that increase home value (and nightly rates).
Another pro tip: interview other experts like accountants and insurance agents who can provide relevant insights to your audience. (They’ll probably share your content with their own network, too!)
Local Picks
Since you are in the business of hosting vacationers, you’ve likely already got a pretty good collection of favorite things to do and see in the area. Share that with your owners—perhaps a hole-in-the-wall restaurant or that new swanky cocktail lounge.
Consider framing these recommendations as your top recommendations for out-of-towners—most homeowners love making a positive impression on their friends and family when they come to visit. For instance, you could write about entertaining holiday guests in your December newsletter, or the best rainy-day activities in March. This is also a great opportunity to mention some of your rental inventory and if you have an owner discount program.
Company Info
Finally, you should include any new updates about your company. Make it personal and relatable! Did you just bring on a new summer intern? Give a little profile on them. Or maybe you just had an exciting company “virtual retreat”. Show that you are real people, and not a faceless corporate management company.
People like to work with people. As they get to know your staff, you’ll help establish rapport and retention. If owners like working with you, they’re more likely to stay with you—even if a competitor tries to undercut your rates.
Why Homeowner Marketing Matters
The vacation rental industry is getting more crowded, and managers need to do whatever possible to stand out and retain clients. An owner newsletter can help you do just that!
Remember, the goal is not to sell your services in this newsletter. You ultimately want to create content that positions your company as the trusted local expert and gives your subscribers helpful information they actually enjoy reading. Constantly aim to provide value, and you will see success.
This post was written by JJ King, friend of Rented and founder of VRM Leads. JJ and his team help local vacation rental management companies connect with new property owners through targeted outreach. Visit their website to learn more or check out the VRM Leads Blog to read more about growing your vacation rental business.
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