4 Best Ways To Get Bookings From The Internet

Every business does marketing.

Some types of marketing work better than others:

• Most eCommerce brands kill it with Meta Ads

• Restaurants rely on Google reviews and listing tools

• Broad service companies do great with SEO and Google Ads

So what works for rental operators?

There are four options:

• Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) - duh

• Search

• Referrals

• Social

Today, I'm going to do three things:

1. Explain how each work because it's important to know

2. Help you pick yours

3. Share which one dominates at the end

Sound good? Are you excited?

I'm excited.

Let's do this...

The 4 Best Ways to Get Bookings from the Internet

#1: OTAs (Airbnb, VRBO, etc...)

How it works:

• People are already searching for a place to stay and go to their favorite OTA.

• Maintaining this channel is easy. Update the listing, hit submit.

• You ride the coat tails of a multi-million dollar marketing budget the OTA has.

Most guests don't fear they'll get screwed because they trust the brand.

If all this sounds easy peasy lemon squeezy, keep reading. I'm about to complicate it.

Here are the cons:

• Competition: thousands of other stays.

• If you're in a less traveled area, people won't search there and you won't get found or booked.

• The 15-20% is what you pay OTAs for marketing. No matter what.

#2: Search (SEO and Google Ads)

How it works:

Similar to OTAs, people are using search engines (Google) to find stays. They are actively in their #TravelEra.

SEO and Google Ads are two sides of the same coin. Ads are paid. SEO is not.

• Search marketing has lower competition compared to OTAs.

• Can be less expensive than other non-OTA marketing channels.

• Some people hate Airbnb and VRBO. You find them this way.

Simple enough? Let's talk about the bad stuff:

• Again, if no one is searching for places in your area, you get nothing.

• SEO takes forever to work (plus, it's in a weird place with AI)

#3: Referrals

This is for all my extroverts.

Yes, I know. Referrals aren't really an internet channel but it's important to mention anyway.

How referrals work is stupid easy. Create an agreement with other businesses or people to refer each other.

• People who are referred don't need to be sold. They'll just book.

• There is almost 0 upfront marketing cost.

• Referred guests often tell their friends and the snowball continues.

There are aspects of this channel that can suck:

• You have zero control. What gets said, gets said.

• If people don't talk, you don't get bookings.

#4: Social (Meta Ads, Facebook & Instagram)

How it works:

• This is the one that dominates because it's the only channel where you can hunt and build demand.

• There are more ways for someone to interact with you so they never forget (follow, comment, share, etc...)

• One post can get thousands of millions of views for the low cost of free.

There are two reasons why social can be a pain in the butt:

• Video dominates social. This can be expensive to produce.

• Your stay is competing on looks and must be wayyy sexier than everyone else in your area.

Cool! Now what?

In general, you must dominate one channel before working on another.

If you focus on more than one, you'll focus on none.

Social media is my favorite because most our clients deal with a demand issue. AKA no one knows about them.

Since we can hunt with social, it solves the core issue.

That is why social dominates.

If you read this article but hate thinking and want to just be told which channel is best, take this quiz →

That's all for today. I'll see you in the next article.

P.S. There are only 5 days until the greatest event of the year. Boston Marathon. 30,000+ runners start in Hopkinton, MA and travel 26.2 miles to the finish line downtown Boston.

Want some other fun facts? Let me give you some other fun facts:

1. It’s iconic because it’s the oldest marathon in the world.

2. There are 3 notable hills on the course. After the first two, you think you’re done. Then the 3rd (and largest) one appears. Earning it’s name, Heartbreak Hill. It sucks.

3. For anyone under 34 (me), you have to qualify at a pace under 3 hours. That’s < 6:52 per mile for 26 of them.

4. Wellesley College is an all girls school. It’s loud. They also hold signs saying “Kiss me!” and some runners oblige.

5. In 2018, the oldest person to finish the race was 85. Shout out Katherine Beiers.

I’m doing something crazy for the Boston Marathon

For the Boston Marathon, I'm slashing 26% off the price of $100K Stay.

Think of it as a gift. Or a weird celebration.

2026 marks the 130th year of the race. I can't give you 130% off $100K Stay. I'd literally owe you money.

So since a marathon is 26.2 miles, 26% off was my next best choice.

This offer lasts through April 20th at 10am EST only. That's the exact hour the race starts.

Come join us.

>>> Yes, I'm enrolling for 26% off $100K Stay NOW!

🔵🟡 Use code: BOSTON

P.P.S. This is the lowest $100K Stay will ever be priced. Whenever I crawl outta bed post-Marathon Monday, we’re increasing the price.

Links you might like:

1. Boston Marathon course map (BAA)

2. The Honest Truth About Direct Bookings (The Lodge Social)

3. If you NEED more bookings, watch this (YouTube)

4. Four acres, $7,900 (Field Notes)