It doesn’t take much math to realize that direct bookings are more profitable and a much more sustainable approach to running your business in the vacation rental industry, and we want to help you increase your direct bookings in the Emerald Coast Market.
Direct Bookings vs. Online Travel Agencies
Online Travel Agencies know that direct bookings are more profitable and a more sustainable approach to running a business in the vacation rental industry. They have developed a business model off of understanding direct booking behavior, and then charge you the fees for their knowledge of this strategy.
What if we can level the playing field? What if we told you that an online booking can happen on your website or over the phone directly at scale, and at a much higher net profit? In return, this strategy will grow your business with direct bookings!
If you seek the answer to these questions and more, then you are in the right place. We have dedicated our lives and minds to understanding how to drive direct bookings for vacation rentals, and over the last decade, have done it over and over again with the same results:
More direct bookings, more net profit, more control and more sustainability!
We are not saying that online travel agencies are not useful, but they should only be a small percentage of your total bookings when you can drive 60 to 80 percent of your bookings through your website or phones.
How to Grow Direct Bookings?
It all starts with distribution and consistency. Once you understand the behavior of travelers coming to the Emerald Coast market at scale, you then can implement a strategy to capture these bookings. Are they on Facebook, Google, email, text, Instagram, Bing, etc.? These are just a few of the channels that we know travelers begin their booking journey on, and we know these channels convert. After your distribution channels are defined and in place, then you follow up with the consistency of giving them the information and value they want.
We know that many guests who travel to the Emerald Coast market do so multiple times a year. Why? Because the trip can be made by car or cheap airfare to the destination within a day, and the trip is affordable to the masses. This is exactly why staying in front of these people consistently is going to convert time and time again into a direct booking with your business. Why let the online travel agencies do the same thing and charge you a premium?
Where Can You Start in Growing Your Direct Bookings?
The secret to this process is simple, you just have to start the process. It’s all about change and tracking the results. We have helped hundreds of vacation rentals and hotels throughout the United States grow direct bookings and lower online travel agency dependency with this strategy. Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Sevierville, Destin, Panama City, Fort Walton, Miramar Beach, Hilton Head and many others.
We just started working with our second client in the Emerald Coast market, and both have seen great results with direct bookings.
Recent Emerald Coast Client Testimonials
Here is what our Emerald Coast clients have to say:
“IMEG does what they say they can do. They have an extensive knowledge of SEO, PPC, Social Media and various other marketing strategies that in return have helped our business drive direct bookings. For example, our organic web traffic (including direct bookings) is up over 50% in the first 6 months, and our social media engagement is up even more than that. We are spending less than half the money we spent last year on marketing and our numbers are up! So we definitely can back IMEG on the fact that they produce.”
Micah Berg
Real Joy – CEO
“Working with IMEG has been a great experience. We came to them with objectives in mind that we knew were going to help us grow our business. After our first meeting with IMEG, they were able to come back to us with plan of action to help us build the needed technology to support both the website and marketing strategies needed to get our business in front of our target audience. Their team has over a decade of experience in the tourism industry, and I would recommend them to any company that is looking to grow.”
Michael Friedman
Vacation Rental University
“IMEG has been the agency of record for Henderson Park Inn for over 5 years now. IMEG understood our objectives early on and has helped us grow our digital presence every single year since starting with them. Most importantly, we have grown our business with their help and ultimately that has been what has made our relationship special. If you are looking to grow your business inside the tourism industry, there is not a better agency out there that understands how to produce real results with return on investment.”
Shannon Howell
Henderson Park Inn
We Would Love to Help You!
If you know your business can become more profitable and lower its online travel agency dependency, then we can definitely help you take the next steps with bringing it to fruition. Call or email us with a time that works for you to connect, and we will provide an analysis at no cost of your current structure, and from there we can help you implement a strategy that is guaranteed to produce results. Let’s Grow!
