marketing

  1. Matt Landau

    $10,000 to go without your smartphone for 1 month

    One of the big shifts I've made over the last year is in recognizing creativity is THE muscle all homerunners need to start exercising more consistently and pronto -- said another way, it is the LACK of outside-the-box thinking that gets even the most innovative companies stuck in their...
  2. Matt Landau

    How Did OLD BAY Take Over The World?

    OLD BAY is a limited edition brand that we can emulate. It is valuable, it is authentic, and it is niche! What started as a family-owned, locally-headquartered, and specialized spice eventually got acquired in 1990 by McCormick Spice Company (adding to its portfolio alongside brands like...
  3. Matt Landau

    VRMB 2022 Trends Report 1.0

    An annual distillation of patterns to keep an eye on as you grow your vacation rental business into 2023 and beyond.
  4. Matt Landau

    Does "Leverage Convert Knowledge Into Power"?

    I recently came across this quote (above) and realized how many of the most successful vacation rental pros I know are masters of leverage AND how many of the most knowledgable vacation rental pros I know could use leverage in fun new ways to thrive (however they may define that). So I wanted...
  5. Matt Landau

    Creative Counter-intuitive Messaging

    UPDATED: March 14, 2024 This past week Miami came out with the following commercial to dissuade partiers from choosing it for their Spring Break shenanigans. It was a brilliant example of the "Why our destination is NOT for you" messaging we've explored before... **** "7 Reasons Casco Viejo...
  6. Matt Landau

    Limited Edition marketing for the win!

    This week’s discussion all about niche marketing ideas comes directly from the golf course! @CJ sent me the following photo of a vacation rental owner who scatters golf balls with contact information around the backyard of his golf course-front vacation home in Georgia. This is a cheap...
  7. Matt Landau

    Draped Blankets (and more staging) For The Win!

    Lately I've found myself especially drawn to hotel and vacation rental photography that uses props or staged items to evoke a warm, welcoming scene or aspirational vignette. With our exploration of "first mover" marketing plays, I have to think staged photography is right up there at the top of...
  8. Matt Landau

    Ever Heard of Storm Watching?

    Storm Watching is a creative marketing strategy by the destination of Tofino on Vancouver Island in British Columbia...turning lemons into lemonade...taking a low season and turning it into something new and aspirational. Stoke the fire, pull a chair up to the window, and snuggle into a down...
  9. Matt Landau

    The Difference Between Selling and Championing

    What do Japanese whiskey, oysters at a hardware store, and limited edition basketball jerseys have in common? We'll get to that in a moment... This week I had the chance to see many of you (@Megan C @MichelleR @Matthew @BrianO @BlakeM @AndyM @Nars @StacyW @GregoryF) at the NWVRP Conference in...
  10. Matt Landau

    My Lesson Learned from $795/hr Copywriter

    From last week's discussion about marketing the word "boutique" (which has evolved like a beautiful living document 🌱) I was inspired to share a lesson I learned from a $795/hour copywriter. Tell ‘Em What You’re Going To Tell ‘Em Next, Tell ‘Em Next, Tell ‘Em What You Told ‘Em OK so this isn't...
  11. DAngotti

    Persona-Based Marketing: The Small Tweak That Delivers Massive Results

    Most owners and managers respond to the same inquiries and questions frequently. And the more advanced folks use automation such as canned messages and auto-responders. But very rarely do we realize that not all guests are equal, and that responding in the same way to everyone is actually...
  12. Matt Landau

    What's the ROI of your mother?

    IDEA Some marketing activities -- like listing sites and email newsletters -- are common. But other activities that generate equal (if not BETTER) results are far less obvious. I spent the last week with over 500 vacation rental virtuosos at the Streamline Summit in Scottsdale, AZ. And one of...
  13. Matt Landau

    You Gotta Tell 'em, Tell 'em, and Tell 'em Again

    Disclaimer: This may sound stupid simple but it really works. I recommend you try. IDEA To solve a fellow VRMB Community member's very important messaging question, we recently spent $700 for one hour with a copywriting consultant. Yes, this is a huge amount of money. But I had been following...
  14. Matt Landau

    "Build your business as if you'll own it forever, but could sell it tomorrow"

    Only after publishing this week's Unlocked Interview with Eric Broughton of InhabitIQ -- who is buying up various property management software companies -- have I (finally) come to (fully) understand the (irreversible) way our cottage industry is evolving: Starts out fragmented = large number...
  15. Matt Landau

    Don't Sell. Storytell!

    I was out to dinner at Marcus Samuelsson's restaurant Red Rooster last week. (Yes, the same restaurant that was featured in "10 Oxtails.") Trying to decide on an adult beverage. When the waitress suggested a wine I had never heard of before. "So two sisters, separated at birth, one raised in...
  16. Matt Landau

    Profit Center Logic

    With shrinking margins becoming a real concern (it seems like every new service takes a piece of the pie) owners and managers can compensate by either increasing profit or decreasing costs. This post is about decreasing costs in the form of a "profit center" -- a strategic way to leverage...
  17. Matt Landau

    Unconstrained Demand

    This week's tip is inspired by our interview with @ambercarpenter of DemandIQ (full interview below). It is aimed at anyone who has a website and a basic property management software. "Unconstrained demand" is the traveler demand for your vacation rental property(s) without the constraints of...
  18. Matt Landau

    What Unconventional Metrics Could We Measure?

    Our special industry deserves it's own special metrics (and vocabulary). “We cannot improve what we cannot measure," is a popular small business mantra because it gives everyone on the team common metrics or benchmarks to measure. Occupancy, revenue per property, profit per property…etc...
  19. Matt Landau

    The Ultimate Recipe for Building a Vacation Rental Lifestyle Brand ft. Bob Garner

    @BobG and his husband, Ian, have built their Casal dei Fichi into a powerhouse of repeat bookings, positive environmental action and the profitability needed to achieve a fun, balanced lifestyle. In this episode Matt and Bob dig into the how's and why's, and explore a 'two loops model' for...
  20. Matt Landau

    6 Ways To Emanate "Lifestyle Brand" Vibes

    I use the term "lifestyle brand" to describe a vacation rental business whose marketing leads not with the property, but the vibes (or lifestyle) guests experience when staying there. You can immediately feel a lifestyle vacation rental brand when you come in contact with it. For instance...
Back
Top