Getting independence from the OTAs usually means a couple of things. You have to work hard at it and have to know what your goals are. It’s no good just cutting ties with Home Away or Airbnb and declaring you are going it alone. Not if you want to continue to drive traffic to your site, or listing on a local site anyway.

Today’s guest says she is now 80% free of the listing sites, but still needs them for initial traffic, and that’s a savvy thing to do. In this episode, Canadian owner Lynne Arbuthnott describes how she uses content marketing, remarketing and persona-based targeting to reach her ideal demographic and generate a healthy repeat business.

Lynne is also the founder of VR Supplies – a company specializing in products we all need to operate a professional business, from hotel-quality sheets and towels to amenity kits and dispensers.

In this episode we discuss:

• Why listing sites still have a place in a marketing mix
• The importance of knowing your ‘why’
• Ideal guests and the ones to avoid
• Staying on the right side of the neighbors
• Multiplying an email list
• Why you need to know your market and adapt promotions to suit them
• The most important things a new owner needs to consider when starting out

Links

VR Supplies

Constant Contact

The Quail’s Inn

Home Away reviews