7 Fun Ways to Get Leads

I get more bookings from email marketing versus all other channels.

Here's why:

When people come to your website from:

• Ads

• Search engines

• Social media

Most aren't ready to book - yet. Maybe about 1%.

Signing up to an email list lets that person take a baby step towards completing their end goal.

Booking a stay.

Then, when we send them emails, we remind them of the goal they set out to accomplish. After enough emails sent, a select few will be ready to book.

More sign ups = more people seeing your emails = more bookings.

It's a simple numbers game.

The best way to build an email list is through lead magnets.

Bad lead magnets for rental operators are:

• a mysterious box that says "subscribe for updates."

• a newsletter.

• an opt in for some unknown "email list."

Why? Because people don't know what they're getting and they won't guess. They'll just not do it.

Today, I'm going to give you 7 great lead magnets that:

• Are exciting for people to interact with.

• Create a great first impression with website visitors.

• Build your email list.

• Get more bookings.

Let's dive in.

Offer a Discount

Offer a percent or dollar amount off your nightly rate in exchange for an email address.

Examples:

• Enter for 10% off

• Enter for $100 off

• Get your third night free

Note: I've seen dollar amounts work better. A percent discount requires someone to do math. People hate math.

Do a Giveaway

Give website visitors the chance to win a night stay. Their entry fee is an email address. Announce the winner publicly so people know it's legit.

Warning: You will get more leads here compared to any other tactic but the quality of leads may be less overall. Some people just like winning things and never had the intention of booking with you anyway.

Voucher to a Nearby Restaurant

I love this one. Ask a local bar or restaurant if they'd be willing to giveaway a $20-$50 voucher to future guests. This works for three reasons:

1. People like free stuff because it's free. 80% of your new leads will never use the voucher anyway so it shouldn't negatively impact the bar.

2. If you give someone something they can only use in your area, it is more likely they will visit. If they visit, they need a place to stay.

3. The local business will be flattered honored and start recommending you to customers.

Win-win-win.

Quiz

This tactic works best for rental operators with multiple stays.

I stole this idea from The Havens. It's so clever.

Use Typeform or Fillout to create a simple quiz that helps people understand their "perfect stay" or "perfect vacation."

Some question examples could be:

• What's your style of stay? (contemporary, scandi, classic cabin or modern)

• What do you love to do in the morning? (hike, coffee, sleep or read)

• How would your friends describe you? (wild, thoughtful, go with the flow or planner)

The quiz results should be a recommendation to one of your stays that "fit their lifestyle."

Brilliant.

Spin Wheel

Turn your website into a carnival.

A viewer simply clicks on the pop up spin-wheel in hopes to win a discount.

Little do they know, winning is guaranteed. The cost to spin is one email address.

I recommend using Elf Sight to build a spin wheel. It should work with most websites.

Giveaway Information

Give website visitors exclusive information about your area. Use Canva to create a nice looking PDF that people can opt in to download and show their travel crew.

Bonus: Include a discount code to your stay in this PDF and continue the positive experience.

Gift Cards

Offer a $20-$50 gift card to your stay. It's essentially the same thing as offering a discount but feels more tangible.

I use GiftUp to create these.

If you don't have a way to get leads on your website, you're missing out.

The secret to more sustainable direct bookings is email marketing.

The secret to email marketing is building a list through lead magnets.

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

Before you go

I just launched my brand new direct booking marketing agency, Lodge Social.

We help rental operators get more guests to like, share, and book.

Apply to work with me and my team here.

Links you might like:

1. I’m a student of three rental brands. Here’s why I study them…

2. Ask me anything. Have a question or idea for the next article? Let’s talk about it here.

3. How Travis Chambers is making OutPostX go viral. (LinkedIn)

4. Google Ads vs Meta Ads. (Conrad O’Connell, LinkedIn)