25. “Word-of-mouth endorsements have been and remain the most believable endorsements…“The most credible are personal testimonials from friends and family members”“Marketing programs that leverage this credibility typically enjoy a much higher probability of success.” http://blog.ypartnership.com/?p=306
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28. We loved the beach house we rented! Why “word of mouth” is perfect for vacation rentals: Creates interest: “I wonder what the home that Beth just rented was like?” Makes search easy: “If that home satisfied Beth, it will satisfy me too!” Removes the risk: “I know exactly what to expect in our vacation rental” And it solves two of the industry’s biggest hurdles: building awareness and overcoming trust issues.
29. The RBO secret to success…word-of-mouth! “73% of inquiries come from friends, family, past guests & referrals”
31. Recommendations from known people are by far #1 Make sure your company really internalizes this and agrees to focus on this opportunity 1 http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/consumer/global-advertising-consumers-trust-real-friends-and-virtual-strangers-the-most/
32. You need to plan and budget for programs. This needs to be intentional now.
33. Word-of-mouth on steroids Time duration Reach greatly increases since everyone with a social profile can participate with a single click. Influence increaseswhen socially relevant information is highlighted Review sites Guest referral network:friends and friends of friends Ad hoc Reach and influence on audience
34. Given two equally suitable homes, people will choose the safe bet… or “Looks nice online but how do I know it will really be nice?” “I know someone who knows this place is great”
35. Each home’s “word of mouth” social circleis enormous 1,690,000 Friends of friends 13,000 Friends Assuming 100 guests
38. Typical marketing channels Rental Portals Paid Ads Half the renters might become repeat customers The other half fade away with little value
39. Opportunity for smarter marketing + Word of mouth Rental Portals Paid Ads Social network adds 130 direct connections + 17,000 friends of friends! Non-repeaters have the same valuable “word of mouth” social reach
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41. Your bookings funnel determines your profitability New customer acquisition spending Repeat customer Lower budget spending, higher staff training cost High budget items focused on Google SEO, SEM, and VR portals No competitive advantage, vulnerable to others spending more, better message $$$$$$
42. Changing the shape strengthens your business New customer acquisition Repeat customer Word-of-mouth referrals Social word of mouth becomes a self-growing and self-sustaining strategy. Competitive advantage: Your Guest Referral Network cannot be duplicated Spend less on Google, increasing profitability. $$$$$$
45. Word-of-mouth impact long term: Your business will be more profitable Less resistance to competitors New VR customers will have better experiences (and tell more friends about it) Our industry starts a flywheel effect We will double the industry in the next 5 years.
46. Thanks for your time. Brent Hieggelke brent@secondporch.com 503-702-3547