How to Identify Your Vacation Rental Target Audience

Why is it important to identify your target audience? Renters searching for a property look for specific details. Such as the property’s location, price, amenities, and more.

Use these details to identify your target audience and increase bookings. This will save you time and money when marketing your property.

Identifying Your Vacation Rental Target Audience

To identify your target audience, understand what your property offers. Consider the types of travelers who would stay at your accommodations:

1. Businessmen
2. Solo travelers
3. Families
4. Families with pets
5. Couples
6. Honeymooners
7. Millennials
8. Spring Break vacationers
9. Retired travelers

Identifying your property’s potential renter is the first broad step to identifying your target audience.

What Type of Vacation Rental Property Do You Own?

What type of property do you have? Your property could be considered a/an:

• Apartment
• Condo
• Mansion
• Villa
• Cabin
• Beachfront
• Cottage
• Farm

Understanding your property type is the basis for your target audience. If you think your audience is a family, yet you own a small apartment, you may want to choose a different target audience.

Your Vacation Rental Location

The type of property you own partners and builds on its location. Now that you identified your property type, where is it located? Abroad? On a small island? In the mountains, beach, suburbs, city?

Your answers to these questions narrow down the audience. For instance, how many people search for an apartment in Alaska? Or in New York City? Marketing to these two audiences requires different methods. Identifying your target audience allows you to highlight your best features for the best renter.

What is Your Vacation Rentals Theme?

What makes your property unique? Why did you buy it in the first place? Answering these questions provides a theme for the area. Your property’s theme can be whatever you want. Draw inspiration from your property’s features and location.

Here is an example of the questions we’ve identified so far. Our example will be for a farmhouse vacation rental property.

1. Property Type: Farmhouse
2. Location: Georgia
3. Theme: Southern living, country, family, traditions

In this example, we see that the property type tells us the homes’ size. The Southern location could market to Northern travelers. These travelers would be vacationing during the winter.

The area’s “theme” shows the importance of family and local culture. This narrows the audience to Northern families looking to experience authentic Southern living.

What Amenities Does Your Property Offer?

You can further identify your target audience by listing your property’s amenities.

If we continue with the farmhouse example, the amenities/features could be many bedrooms, a large kitchen, and property. This rental property would be useful for:

• Family reunions
• Weddings
• Graduation celebrations
• Or holiday get-togethers

List amenities that make your property better than others in the area. Some of the most popular amenities are:

• Free and fast internet
• Climate control
• Pet-friendly
• On-site washers and dryers
• Entertainment systems
• Outdoor space
• Front porch
• Deck with grill
• Balcony
• Pool or hot tub
• Nearby park
• Access to lake or hiking trails
• Private driveway or garage

Your amenities make your property unique. Be specific and highlight your property’s features.

Here is our continued example:

1. Property Type: Farmhouse
2. Location: Georgia
3. Theme: Southern living, country, family, traditions
4. Amenities/Features: Wrap-around front porch, apple orchard, private pond, a washer and dryer, pet-friendly

By listing your amenities, you market directly to renters. Your descriptions and keywords allow you to target renters who search for these phrases.

Your Property’s Rates Influences Your Target Audience

Pricing impacts the type of renters you market to. Make sure your prices match your property. Do you offer a luxury mansion? Or a small, rustic log cabin? Does your price align with your property’s amenities and features?

Consider how your rates impact your property’s bookings. Too high of rates isolates your target audience. Too low rates makes renters suspicious.

You should consider how your pricing reflects your bookings. Do your rates appeal to your target audience? Is your target audience middle-class families? Could they afford your property’s rates of $500/night for a week’s vacation?

You want to cover your expenses, earn an income, and receive bookings. Calculate a price that achieves all three areas.

1. Location: Georgia
2. Property Type: Farmhouse
3. Theme: Southern living, country, family, traditions
4. Amenities/Features: Wrap-around front porch, apple orchard, private pond, washer and dryer, pet-friendly
5. Rate: $350/night (when compared with $450 competitors)

Review Comments from Previous Guests

Previous guest comments provide insights. These guests may already be your target audience. Look for repetition in areas such as:

1. Guest comments and feedback
2. Where guests travel
3. Their reason for vacationing
4. Why they pick your property

Do many guests share overlapping locations and opinions? If so, you can see that your property already appeals to a target audience.

For example, your past 4 bookings included couples from Florida. They booked your cottage because of its proximity to your town’s local brewery. They loved that your rental had the best rates.

Using this information in your favor, you can market to adults in Florida. Center your property on the local experience. Highlight your price and what your rental offers compared to your competition.

By drawing in this target audience, you create the opportunity for increased bookings.

Review Your Competition

Understanding the other vacation rentals and hotels around you helps determine your target audience. It also assists with marketing your property. See the ways other properties market themselves. Market yourself differently.

Standing out in the market attracts attention and bookings.

Research what renters look for in your area. Market your property using descriptions and designs that call to this market’s needs.

Our Farmhouse Target Audience

1. Property Type: Farmhouse
2. Location: Georgia
3. Theme: Southern living, country, family, traditions
4. Amenities/Features: Wrap-around front porch, apple orchard, private pond, washer and dryer, pet-friendly
5. Rate: $350/night (when compared with $450 competitors)
6. Guest Comments: The property is perfect for family reunions. We pick fresh apples every day. What a steal!
7. Competition: Nearby farmhouses do not have a pond on the property. They advertise hayrides for apple picking.

This property’s target audience points to large groups and families. We see this from the amenities offered and guest comments.

There is also a potential to raise the rates. Positive guest experiences justify this increase. Marketing guest access to the private apple orchards is a differentiation tactic.

Have you determined your target audience? What will you do to market to them? Share this post on social media  and add your thoughts and comments.