Welcome to Boostly Podcast Season 11 Episode 98. This is a recap of my interview with Brian and Kati where we talked about something that you need to do for your ideal guest to find you.
Here's the audio for this episode:
Here's the video for this episode:
Timestamp
00:00 Start
00:30 Why you don't get bookings
01:30 Your Ideal Guest
02:50 Real estate photography vs vacation rental photography
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Audio – Boostly Podcast
Transcript from the Episode
Brian: We've been talking about this, but I wanted to put it like right on paper, or on a screen, your ideal guest only exists to the extent that you communicate that to them in images and words in your listings and websites. So we could do this exercise all day long. But if it doesn't translate into you changing something, you know how you're getting across to people on your listings, and on your website, it's all for naught, it really has no effect whatsoever. So it's all about the execution take execution over cleverness every day, right. So you need to be able to find a way to take that pic picture or write that caption so that it gets in the head of the person that you claim that you're trying to pull in.
Sometimes you're lucky enough to really have a very specific type like of the extreme end, your rental and menu photos are kind of easy, right? Like what you put in your listing, because immediately like boom, it's right there you have a space themed rental. Or if you happen to be on a living dairy farm, and this is an experience you give to your guests, then again, it's a little bit easier for you right your your the dollar basketball player, you have to work a little less to try to figure out who's going to come here because automatically your setting is going to attract a certain kind of person. But beyond that, all of this comes back to your your photos and the stuff that you photograph, to try to differentiate if you're not one of those people becomes one of the essential differences between real estate photography and vacation rental photography.
And I just wanted to point this out, because we obviously give a lot of advice about the technical quality of photos, like keep your lines straight and have your white balance, right. But we really do want to emphasize and we've moved towards this more and more emotion over perfection, right? Because a realtor, all they have to do I'm not saying this is super easy. But basically all they have to do is get people to an open house, right? They've got it in. And then if they don't like that particular house, they have a whole portfolio that they can show off and move on to the next place. But you're the host, you guys you need to sell your rental online, as is what do you see is what you get, right. So you really want to get that emotional appeal the sense of yearning over. And then thinking about your avatar, you want to think about all the things that you need to tell them in a way that's attractive. And it's kind of a balancing act to be informational, but also creates a sense of yearning.
If you have kids, you do get your kid-centric photos, right. So you are going to show off a crib where it's not the sexiest photo that's out there, but you're kind of it's still well composed and all the stuff that you're showing off the crib so it has a function it has a purpose. You can show on games. This is stuff that a realtor would never in a million years put in there. Why would they you know you're you're selling it you're selling an empty base to someone but you want to show off stuff that your whole family can do or the kids can take beat stuff with them then you provide this stuff to them. This is important in vacation rental listing. If you want to say you're great for a family, well, are you? Are you really showing that you're great for families? Another way to create a sense of yearning. So these point of view shots, you have a fire going, you have games, and no, it's not a technically perfect photo, you could string the lines and do a white balance thing. But who cares? Look at the hot chocolate by the fire. It's just great. So again, thinking about well, what would your guests enjoy doing? Are they going to stay in? Are they going to be out? This is again, like more of the this will probably appeal to a lot of people. But we're getting to more specific stuff. You do want to show off your amenities, right? Everybody's gonna love coffee, this isn't a kid's thing. This is for the adults, right? If you offer a big deck where your whole family can have a barbecue, maybe show off the awesome grill that you have. And then of course, you're going to show off the deck too. But But you're again, pulling attention to all the stuff that you're promising that they can experience in your rental. Then we get to the hammock thing. So again, a point of view, then you can come and relax and read here on this hammock. So thinking about what are all these things that your guests would enjoy? What do I have? What can I provide that will provide this awesome relaxing experience? Or, you know, romantic getaway for couples? Well, a glass of wine or something. This is again, this is not a kid's thing. So setting the stage for your avatar trying to think about where are they going to sit? What are they going to view? What are they going to experience? What is it you're going to try to get the feeling into the photo?
Kati: This is something that actually differentiates again, hotel photos and real estate photos from vacation rentals, vacation rental photos, we try to evoke the sense that all is missing as the guest it's it's just ready You don't even need to pull out the wine glasses and stuff when it's implied that maybe these aren't there as you enter the door but they could be here but the photo you want to have it be as if you're just kind of like go right through the screen and just be there everything is ready. Same thing with the hammock. And then just from a technical perspective, we realized that pillow actually opens up the hammock a little bit so it's not the skinny little thing. So this is something we thought about like well how do we make this even more cosy looking. I usually say don't put people in your photos. But if you're showing off an activity in a public place, I think it's okay. But this is against appealing to a certain kind of ground look at this scenery. Here's something that you can come and do. So think of outside your rental think about activities that you can do. You're just setting little towels at the foot of the sun chairs again, it's just adding a tiny bit of hospitality where it's not empty. It does not sort of playing it's still a gorgeous setting. But now you're thinking like oh, I could be there with that with a towel. It's those little staging things that can make a difference to and your kayaks. If you offer kayaks in your rental you can go more of an adventure thing. Definitely show it in the photos. Don't just list the stuff in the amenities. Show them in photos
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