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Let me tell you a little story about an awesome subscriber of mine named Amy. Amy and her husband have an amazing 5-bedroom home in Vegas (http://www.vrbo.com/419875) with a pool. Perfect for kids...
View Article“The Best” Vacation Rental Travel Guide You’ll See
I’ve gotten in the habit of posting amazing accomplishments of my subscribers for two reasons: one it acts as proof, for other owners, that smashing success is just a some hard work away, and two, it...
View ArticleHow To Pimp Out Your VRBO Listing Title
Face it. These days, travelers looking for vacation rentals don’t see much difference between your property on VRBO and the hundreds of others around it. Like it or not, most travelers just browse...
View ArticleWhy Your Email Etiquette Actually Matters
OK this is a little embarrassing but if I don’t address this issue, I feel like I’d be doing my subscribers a disservice. Last week, I sent out an email offering up the chance to get featured in a...
View ArticleVacation Rental Photographer Test: Before and After
Debbie Martin, the owner of Pilrig House Apartments, was not unlike a lot of my subscribers. Her fleet of 3 apartment rentals in Scotland was a good, thriving business. She had been a previous...
View ArticleLeaders & Laggards In The Vacation Rental Marketplace (2013)
The vacation rental industry is polarized by two distinct types of owners, Leaders and Laggards, a new Vacation Rental Marketing Blog survey finds. Contrary to popular belief, generating a strong...
View Article8 “Scary But True” Reasons We’re Losing Control
Only two or three years ago, having a website as a vacation rental owner or manager was a luxury. Now it is a necessity. I am writing this article not only because the dynamic in the vacation rental...
View ArticlePlease Sign This Vacation Rental Referral Pledge!
A top client of mine recently asked me the following question: What is one thing every vacation rental owner could do to make the industry grow as a whole? My answer, without a doubt: Cooperate with...
View ArticleMaking A Sale: Location, Timing, And Pitch
Round 1: So I’m leaving Whole Foods with a couple salads and some sushi that I plan to eat on the terrace when this large teenager in a PNC Bank shirt (we’ll call him Allen) wanders over creepily and...
View ArticleProactive Owner 101: Debi In Oregon
I swear: my clients and subscribers on this blog are going to single-handedly revolutionize the vacation rental industry. When you think about proactive owners, you think about things like this. Debi...
View ArticleHow I Got Started
When I first got into vacation rentals, my marketing budget was pretty much zero. It was back in 2007 and the sporadic marketing services and advertising consultants with whom I tried my luck had not...
View ArticleVacation Rentals Will Have To Pay Equal Taxes And Fees As Hotels
I don’t typically write on the subject of the regulation or legality of vacation rentals. But here’s an instance that I was personally consulted on (I spent quite some time as a travel writer in...
View ArticleHow Much Do Discounts Really Matter?
One of the most common questions I get in my email inbox every day goes something like this: Matt, we get plenty of inquiries but very few of them actually turn into bookings. I respond quickly, I...
View ArticleUnderstanding Guest Abandonment & 6 Ways To Avoid It
In the online commerce world, “cart abandonment” is what happens when a user selects his or her purchase, gets all the way to the payment screen, and then pretty much disappears before the...
View ArticleShould I Stay Or Should I Go?
I browse the Community by HomeAway forums frequently to gauge what owners are talking about, which kinds of challenges they are facing, and how I can potentially help resolve them. Just last week, I...
View Article“Ask Matt Anything” Question & Answer Session
This past weekend while out fishing with friends, I hooked a 300lb black marlin. It was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen in my entire life: this massive animal with a torqued torso...
View ArticleBoom! Here’s How I Beat FlipKey’s Pay-Per-Booking System
This article goes out to anyone who complains about the new pay-per-booking model of major listing sites… It goes out to anyone who doesn’t believe that we all have the chance to generate bookings on...
View Article“We Got A $12,000 Magazine Advertisement For Our Rental”
With a subject line like that, how could I not want to hear the story from Lisa and Laurie, two of my favorite newsletter subscribers? You see, in my Boost Occupancy Report, one of the many tips I give...
View ArticleIs This The Most Daring Vacation Rental Marketing Project In The Industry?
My math tutor from high school passed away on Sunday. Mr. Brent was a man who, in stature and hairstyle preference, resembled my own private Albert Einstein. He always wore the same sweater and I...
View ArticleMaking A Sale: Location, Timing, And Pitch
Round 1: So I’m leaving Whole Foods with a couple salads and some sushi that I plan to eat on the terrace when this large teenager in a PNC Bank shirt (we’ll call him Allen) wanders over creepily and...
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