Advertising

OTA = Online Travel Agency, which means those sites that sell the booking and take the payment for you.
Loopy Lou
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Advertising

Post by Loopy Lou »

I signed up with Owners Direct and can advertise my three units on one ad with them. I also signed up with Homelidays, but I have to have three different adverts which will cost me over £200 - is it worth it for my first season or should I just stick with the one advert for one unit for now? Blooming nuisance.

I have an ad already with Visit France and can list all three properties on that ad although I can't differentiate which is booked and which isn't on the calendar.

Do you think three paid ad sites is enough for the first season as well as my own website?

It feels like a bit of a nightmare at the moment because I am tired.

Thanks for your help.

Lou
Louise
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reddevil
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Post by reddevil »

Dear Double L,

Don't know if this is going to be a useful answer or not but would be best answered in hindsight!!

1 listing would be fine IF you got all your weeks booked, no? But we all try to find that 1 wonderful site who will bring us booking with ease. I guess most people would have a budget and stick to that.

My advice would be to go with ownersdirect (£200 isn't a lot of money to spend and the chances are you will get a few weeks bookings which will mean money well spent).

You can then assess which sites did well for you when you are deciding which sites to renew with next year.
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Big Sis..
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Post by Big Sis.. »

Hi Both, :)

I think lou was saying that Owners Direct will only charge her one fee[under £100 i think it is]
but Homelidays would make her pay for 3 separate adverts£200
I know OD lets me have just one ad ...and so do some others...
Lou have you thought of the fee listing/trials places I know some knock them but if it costs nothing..

Ive had a couple of bookings this way

:wink:
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Giddy Goat
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Post by Giddy Goat »

Lou- did you see this thread?

http://tinyurl.com/yh8vxr
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la vache!
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Post by la vache! »

Lou,
I find Homelidays and Abritel very expensive because they give no reduction for more than one unit. I've dropped both because of this policy.
Why don't you try holidaylettings.co.uk - it works very well for Johnel and I think her place is in the same area of France as yours? They also had a special offer for LMH people - an extra 3 months free advertising.
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Giddy Goat
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Post by Giddy Goat »

I'm with them as well Lou. Don't have multiple units of course, but they generally have a good name on this forum.
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Loopy Lou
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Post by Loopy Lou »

Thanks all,

On Homelidays I think I will keep my one paid for ad and try the two months free for the other two units.

I will definitely look at Holiday Lettings. To be honest, I don't want to have too many ads to keep up to date as I have to do absolutely everything myself - website, advertising, bookings, cleaning, wood gathering, animal feeding, gardening, shopping, renovation planning, artisan co-ordinating, telephone support of anxious offspring doing exams, etc etc argh!! Soon add painting and decorating too! And I'm making curtains for some friends in my spare time.........

Life's a bowl of cherries.

bisous,
LL
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Post by la vache! »

Loopy Lou wrote: To be honest, I don't want to have too many ads to keep up to date as I have to do absolutely everything myself - website, advertising, bookings, cleaning, wood gathering, animal feeding, gardening, shopping, renovation planning, artisan co-ordinating, telephone support of anxious offspring doing exams, etc etc argh!! Soon add painting and decorating too!
Welcome to the single gite owner complex club Lou! If you think it is hard now, wait until summer.....I'm enjoying the rest at the moment!
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Giddy Goat
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Post by Giddy Goat »

Loopy Lou wrote: And I'm making curtains for some friends in my spare time........ LL
Ooh Lou - spare time? You have spare time? Doesn't sound that way! Advertising is of prime importance at the moment for the sake of your livelihood. This is when it all happens - may I gently put a protective arm around your shoulders and suggest that kindness to friends might have to take a bit of a back seat until that's dealt with - and the other items on your list. :) Not meaning to sound bossy, truly! Just concerned.
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Mouse
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Post by Mouse »

They also had a special offer for LMH people - an extra 3 months free advertising
That's interesting Susan...I didn't know that offer was available. Could you point me in the right direction?

thanks

Mouse
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Loopy Lou
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Post by Loopy Lou »

Don't worry, GG, the curtains are in a bag waiting until I have finished thrashing about with the internet! :?
Louise
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Post by la vache! »

Mouse,
this is the thread - look at page 10 and the posting from Joanna HL - it confirms the offer there.
viewtopic.php?t=1681&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=135
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Post by Mouse »

Thanks Susan!!

Mouse (off to take another look at their rental website)
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Loopy Lou
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Post by Loopy Lou »

Ross is at Holidaylets, not Holiday Lettings. Anyone tell me if one site is better than the other in their experience? I understand Holiday Lettings is going through some tweaking at the moment. Need to make a choice.

All your help is so much appreciated. I seem to have taken the whole week glued to my Mac trying to get my advertising and website sorted out!

LL
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Post by la vache! »

Lou, there is a Ross at holidaylets.net, holidaylettings.co.uk and holiday-rentals.com. Not the same Ross, just some curious coincidence.
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