January is the busiest time of the year for property owners. As soon as Christmas Day is out of the way customers start looking at the year ahead and booking their next holiday. We have put together an article on how to make the most of your SCRUMPY website and prepare for that January rush.
Prices and Availability
This is probably the most important thing you should get ready for January. In order for customers to book their stay they need to know what dates are available and how much it is going to be and they need to be able to find this information with ease, they don't want to have to send an email or pick up the phone. We recommend putting in your pricing for at least the next 12 months or more, some people will even start booking their stays for next Christmas so make sure you are ready to take bookings. Block out any dates that you know will be unavailable for example, for decorating or maintenance so you don't end up disappointing customers who may think the week they are looking at is available. For a reminder on how to update your prices and availability take a look at our article: Managing Prices With Seasons.
Remove Any Barriers
We want it to be as easy as possible for customers to book a stay at your property. Often if they visit a website and are unable to book their stay instantly they may go elsewhere to a website that does take instant bookings. It is a busy time of year and keeping on top of all of your enquiries may be tough, it is much easier if the customer can go on and book their stay at their convenience whether that's at 2 in the afternoon or 4 in the morning.
We really want our customers to make the most of the January rush therefore, if you currently have one of our SCRUMPY lite sites we are offering a 6 month free trial of our full package so you can really maximise your bookings. Please get in touch if this is something that is of interest to you.
Make Sure Property Information is up to Date
You want to give potential customers as much information about your property as possible. Make sure all of your properties information is up to date including features, pictures of the properties and reviews. The more information the better as this will help the user in making a decision as to whether they want to book their stay.
Be Available
It is a busy time for year for everyone however people will start looking at their 2018 holidays from Boxing Day onwards. Make sure the number on your website is one that people will be able to get hold of you on, for example if your office is closed for the Chritsmas period change the number on your website to your mobile. This can be done within the 'Site Settings' section of your admin. You answering the phone could be the difference between somebody making a booking with you instead of somebody else. Likewise, make sure you keep an eye on your emails and respond to any enquiries in a timely manner.
Email Broadcasts
Make use of the email broadcast feature in your admin. This is a great way to communicate with previous guests and encourage them to book again. You can also use this to let them know of any special offers and keep them up to date with any changes you have made to the property. For information on how to set up an email broadcast take a look at our help article
Social Media
Make use of all of the channels available to you to reach potential customers. Social Media is a great way to get your name out there and talk to customers. We have made this easy by allowing you to post to multiple Social channels simultaneously from your admin. If you are yet to link your social media accounts within your admin then take a look at our guide on Social Integration Linking.
Time For a Change?
If you don't currently have a SCRUMPY website and want to make the most of your holiday property this January then please contact us! We could have your new website set up by Christmas putting you in an excellent position for the big rush.