Boost Bookings During Local Events

I have been addicted to short-term rental advertising for years.

And last summer I had an "ah hah!" moment.

I was traveling to a marathon in the Black Hills. An event that attracts hundreds of people from the Midwest.

It should've been way easier to book a stay, but instead took me over an hour. This search started on Google.

So I decided to run this idea past successful STR Entrepreneurs.

After $500 of restaurant receipts and a stern talk with my Accountant, I can confidently say I know the best way to market for events.

Be the big fish in a small pond

I’m not saying adjust your marketing strategy to go after events.

I’m just saying you can book out weeks that would otherwise be vacant by targeting event participates.

Route #1: Be a local guide for participants ($)

Then provide your listing as the place to stay.

If you haven't read "how to be a local guide," i'll break it down quick.

1. Find things in your area (like events).

2. Write content around them (like blogs).

3. So you rank when people are searching for that thing (SEO).

I'll give you an example using my marathon event.

Marathoners love their post race feast. As the owner of a short-term rental company I would want to write a blog titled. "The best places to eat in the Black Hills after a marathon."

This article would attract curious racers. Some still needing a place to stay.

And for racers like me, it would be an easy chance to book.

Booking confirmed.

Route #2: Online advertising ($$)

Advertise your listings in the weeks leading up to an event.

Your best channels are Facebook (Meta) or Google Ads.

Compared to normal online advertising, there are two things you'll want to do differently.

1. Tweak the targeting

By default, these ad platforms target people who are in your area.

On Google, you’ll want to target people who are interested in your area.

On Facebook, you’ll want to target the areas people travel from and narrow down based on their interest

Niche down the copy

Contrary to best practices, we don't want to be broad. Speak to just event participants in the ad copy.

On my travels, this ad would've caught my attention:

"The perfect place to stay for marathon athletes.”

Route #3: Work with event influencers ($$$)

With most events, there's typically people at the top with the megaphone.

In our digital age, the megaphone is usually social media.

This route would involve you getting a promotion through them.

The cost of this varies depending on event size and influencer.

To get a good idea of cost, I found this cool influencer Instagram pricing calculator.

Your best bet is to reach out to independent creators or agencies rather than established brands. The independents won't be as worried about staying "on brand."

3 routes to boost bookings during events.

You may be thinking,

"Wow this seems like a lot of work."

It is, but only for a short amount of time. Like a sprint.

But imagine how good you would get at either:

1. Online advertising

2. Becoming a local guide

3. Working with influencers

If you did it multiple times a year.

Anyway, I'm gonna go book another race and spend an hour finding a place to stay.

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