Stand Out or Miss Out: Crafting a Memorable Vacation Rental Brand to Drive Bookings with Carla Chicharro

00:00:32 - Jenn Boyles

Hello and welcome to another episode of the direct booking success podcast. I'm Jenn Boyles, your host. I'm so excited to be here with you today. And today it's not just me. I have someone with me. Her name is Carla Chicharro. She is the head of marketing at Logify. Welcome, Carla.

00:00:51 - Carla Chicharro

Hi. Thanks for having me. So nice to be here.

00:00:56 - Jenn Boyles

My pleasure. So lovely to have you here. Let's start with telling you a little bit about who you are and how you became the head of marketing there at Lodgify.

00:01:05 - Carla Chicharro

Yeah, for sure. So I have over a decade of experience in full stack marketing, let's say. But my focus is really in organic marketing, so that means non paid, which is things like SEO, content marketing, social media marketing, automation, all that. So in the beginning of when I first started, which was, by the way, seven years ago, Dennis, the CEO of Logify, had a really strong focus on inbound marketing. And he really believed and still believes in SEO. So that's where I came in. That was my background back then. And, yeah, we built from the ground up the marketing team with SEO strategies. Really? So, yeah, that's my background. I've been growing since then. I've built several teams inside the company. Well, inside the marketing team, we were initially two people. Now we are a team of 25 people, which is crazy how much we've grown, but it goes hand in hand with how the company has grown and how we've been able to develop our product and our marketing strategies. Right. So we now have a team. We still have a team of content, but not just focus on English content, for example, but also Spanish, Italian, French, German and Portuguese and Greek. I believe I'm missing one more, and I don't remember which one.

00:02:42 - Jenn Boyles

We won't hold you to it. But your headquarters are in Spain, aren't they?

00:02:48 - Carla Chicharro

They are in Spain, yes. That's where our main office is. But since the pandemic, we have a lot of people working remotely, which means that we also have people in the US, we have people in Argentina and several countries in Europe, also in Asia and the Philippines. We have one person now.

00:03:05 - Jenn Boyles

Yeah.

00:03:05 - Carla Chicharro

Oh, great.

00:03:06 - Jenn Boyles

And that's where you grew up, wasn't it?

00:03:08 - Carla Chicharro

That is where I grew up. Fun fact. Yeah. She's actually one of my friends from the past, basically. So we found each other at Lodgify, basically. I didn't know she was applying, and then she basically reached out to me and she's like, wait a minute, it's Carla. And, yeah, we reconnected with the company.

00:03:27 - Jenn Boyles

Oh, that's great. Oh, that's really nice. So today we're going to talk, because I love this. I love having another marketer on the podcast where we can talk, especially because I love organic marketing. I'd love it. There's just so many things you can do out there. Yes, they take some time and effort.

00:03:44 - Carla Chicharro

Exactly.

00:03:45 - Jenn Boyles

They don't have to cost money. And I think a lot of people, I talked to them, they're like, I had a question yesterday. What's more important, your website or paid ads? And it was like, well, your website, because they need to be able to book and do paid ads. Not until you've got those fundamentals in place. So we're going to start talking today about building a brand, and not only just an ordinary brand, a brand for a vacation rental, short term rental brand from scratch, to really drive direct bookings and long term loyalty and awareness. And I'm really excited about this. So tell me, Carla, in your opinion, why is it so important to establish a brand in 2024?

00:04:35 - Carla Chicharro

Yes, it's highly important because number one is that short term rentals have enormous presence these days in many, many markets around the world. There are actually some markets where vacation rental rooms are being booked more. Well, not rooms, properties. Sorry. They're being booked more than hotel rooms in some countries. So, yeah, according to Lighthouse in Brazil, 68% more short term rentals are being booked than hotel rooms, which means that it's growing a lot. You have to keep in mind that hotels are your competition. Even if we might not think of it, they still are. But at the same time, there are a lot of other short term rentals right in this space. So it's exciting for us as a software company that there are more and more people starting their own short term rental business, but it's very important at the same time for owners and property managers to differentiate themselves. So, yeah, to really stand out from the competition. And then second, which is actually the most important thing, but I did have to put that in context, is direct bookings. Right. So having a brand, even if it's just a brand name or a really unique rental name, which you can engrave in your listings, silently, quietly, so you don't get unlisted, it's very important because you can turn those lookers into bookers. Right? So travelers these days, they're getting really savvy. If they're looking for a good deal, they're going to look for that unique name, they're going to Google that. And yeah, if they find their website, then they might even consider booking direct. Right. So competition and direct bookings are the main reasons why you really need to build a brand.

00:06:32 - Jenn Boyles

And when should we be creating this brand? Okay, because I completely agree with you about having this brand established and for the reasons why you've mentioned, but when should we be doing this? Should we do it right at the beginning or should we just wait until we've had some bookings and get our feet on the ground so you can.

00:06:51 - Carla Chicharro

Do it at both moments. There's never really a bad time to start. So if you've already been in the business for a while and your brand, let's say you don't have a unique logo or you don't have a unique name, you can always refresh. So it doesn't mean that if you didn't start in the beginning, you won't ever be able to do that. Right. But I do recommend doing it from the beginning. Really think about where you want to go and think a bit about the future. But at the same time, yeah, you can always rebrand. So it's always a good moment to think about your brand strategy. Yeah, I guess.

00:07:31 - Jenn Boyles

And I guess if part of your booking strategy is to go after direct bookings.

00:07:37 - Carla Chicharro

Exactly.

00:07:38 - Jenn Boyles

Then I guess the brand from the start is integral, isn't it?

00:07:45 - Carla Chicharro

Yeah. If you're just thinking of staying on Airbnb and figure it out while you're starting to get bookings and all that, figure it out as you go, then. Yeah. Once you're ready to do direct. Yes, you need a brand for sure. Yeah. But I would recommend always thinking of the future from the beginning. Like, where am I going to take this? Yes, we can experiment on Airbnb, but why don't you experiment to have it also indirect, right? Yeah, you have a lot to gain.

00:08:16 - Jenn Boyles

Yes, it will. Definitely. Definitely. So for people, when they're wanting to create this brand, what are the first things that they should really think about or ask themselves? What should they be concentrating on at the beginning?

00:08:32 - Carla Chicharro

Yeah. So when we think of a brand, a lot of people just think of the visual, maybe the logo, like I said, also brand name, colors, all that. So, yes, that is important. That is something that you're going to have to think about later on, at later stages, I would say. But you do have to think of it as, let's say, kind of like a business plan. Think about it first, what is it that you want to achieve? What are your business goals? So, yes, we mentioned do you want to go direct right away? Who is going to be your target audience? So that sounds very marketing wise. Right. Like very, like a marketeer term target audience. Right. But really it's just thinking about who you want to attract? Do you want families? Do you think your rental is, for example, really big. It's in a rural area. Probably you're going to have more families visiting. It could be that you've already been in the business for a while and you've been getting several bookings. Analyze those, see what types of guests you've had, and that can help you also decide, okay, this is the people that I want to attract. Right. And you can attract different kinds of guests. For example, we have a customer, Gordon from yellow block, BNB. His website and his property descriptions literally say, purposely designed for large groups. So he really focuses on those groups and he has it everywhere. He also says things like, it comfortably sleeps 25, perfect for family reunions. So there are other ways of also saying who you're attracting. Right. Broadway show groups. Because he's based in Brooklyn. His property is based there. And yeah, at the same time, his testimonials or like reviews, sorry, they're on the website as well. And they're all about, I went with my family, my family of eight, my family of this. And he really showcases that, who he's trying to attract. Right. With his brand.

00:10:39 - Jenn Boyles

So what are the elements of a brand then? Okay, so the visual we think of right away we think of, okay, logo and name. But what are the other elements of building a brand?

00:10:50 - Carla Chicharro

Yeah. So what are your business goals? What do you want to achieve? Who do you want to track? How does that rental fit in the market? So that's the more, let's say, business approach that you have to put in. Do that research, let's say. So look into what other people are doing? And that sounds a bit scary. Like how do I find that information? That sounds very, I don't know, very business school wise, I don't know how to put it. But really how you can do it is just googling your area. So you could just quickly do vacation rental. Let's say you're in Miami, vacation rentals in Miami, and you'll have several pop up. Usually they're going to be in Google vacation rentals like the meta search engine that Google has. And you can quickly look in there, see how much they're there. Do they have unique brand names or not? Because that can also give you a competitive advantage. Right. So it could be like, no, their brand name is literally vacation rentals in Miami, which it's true that in SEO that's great, but at the same time, it's not unique. You won't really remember that in the future. Right? So quickly look through who's out there, who are they going for, who are they trying to attract? And the most important thing besides all that is what makes you unique. Right? So we just mentioned Gordon. It's a large group. I have another example with Carrie from the chalet, Huga. It's really hard to pronounce that word. Higgue, Huga. Her website or her brand really focuses on that, on Huga, which is coziness, disconnecting, reconnecting with yourself and really portraying that in the descriptions, the name, the colors on the website. So really think about what is unique to you or what do you want your business to be known for, let's say, or unique. And yeah, it can be as simple as a concept, which is Huga, or who you want to attract. Or for example, this other customer has 100% solar powered b and b and that's what they're going for, like eco friendly and all that. So really try to think about what you are going to do that's different from the rest.

00:13:26 - Jenn Boyles

Experience, isn't it? It's like every interaction that a guest is going to have to you, with you, that your brand is going to shine through from exactly your website, to the guest communications, to their actual stay, how your interior design and the exactly you have. Because if you're the guy with the solar panels, which is amazing, that's really amazing. But what if they had something that was like trying to think of something that's completely off brand in their property, like an electric, I don't know, a coal burning fireplace or something like this.

00:14:05 - Carla Chicharro

There you go.

00:14:06 - Jenn Boyles

You'd be like, that's not really on brand. That's a disconnect.

00:14:09 - Carla Chicharro

There you go.

00:14:10 - Jenn Boyles

So keeping it all cohesive.

00:14:13 - Carla Chicharro

Exactly. Yes.

00:14:16 - Jenn Boyles

Okay, so how can we bring these things to life? How can we get to the point where it is a cohesive experience for our guests?

00:14:26 - Carla Chicharro

So, like I said, first think of that. Once you have what makes you unique, you can really translate that to different things. You've already touched on some, which is toiletries, interior design. You could even go through welcome books, guest books, business cards. And for me, and, yeah, why we're here today really is your website, right, along with the social media, your social media presence as well. That's also very important. But yes, on your website, really put yourself in the guest shoes at the same time, integrate that brand identity, let's say, in all the different sections of your website. So I have another example. Kristen and Michael from the 7th ray, their brand name is already a bit very spiritual. Their brand logo is very simple. It's just sun rays, but they use colors like orange, yellow. Very related to the sun rays, right. And at the same time, their pictures are always taken at sunset or they have a tint of a little bit of yellow, orange. So those little things make it very cohesive with the brand. Right. And very little goes a long way. Like, you don't have to be a photographer or a marketeer or graphic designer to change these things. You can use tools like canva to do these little tweaks or get even a logo. Right. So, yeah, having all these different things on your website and social media presence is really going to get your brand out there. Your brand voice, let's say.

00:16:14 - Jenn Boyles

Well, I want to see these websites that you're talking about, these brands. So we'll put them in the show notes because especially the one with the sun and the colors, I think that sounds really unique. And that's the thing, it's unique. And they'll remember, they won't go, oh, I stayed in this Airbnb. Even if they booked on your website direct, they'll say, I stayed, insert brand name. That's what we're all going for. So let's talk more about your website. How should your brand appear? What's the visuals that we should be using on your website versus like, your social media channels?

00:16:54 - Carla Chicharro

Yeah. So on your website, really think of it as the hub of your business. It's where. Think of it like the old school flyers, right? We would read through Flyer, it had all the information of that business and then if you liked it or not, you would call. Right? So the website in the end is something like that and you need to have everything that they might question or might think about there. So, like all the questions that these potential guests have, make sure you answer them on your website. Right? At the same time. So, yeah, you have to get a good first impression. Probably it's going to be the second, but hopefully it's the first impression. Right. So that's the hub of your business. You can also create supporting content and this is something that we recommend to all of our customers. Just because you have a website doesn't mean that people are going to find it. Oh, yes, yes.

00:17:55 - Jenn Boyles

Say that again, Carla. Say that again.

00:17:58 - Carla Chicharro

Preach.

00:17:59 - Jenn Boyles

Because so many people think that if you build it, they will come and.

00:18:04 - Carla Chicharro

Oh, exactly.

00:18:06 - Jenn Boyles

The website isn't the hard thing. It's all the work you have to do to get people onto it.

00:18:11 - Carla Chicharro

Okay.

00:18:11 - Jenn Boyles

Sorry for interrupting.

00:18:13 - Carla Chicharro

No. So, yes, you need content on your website, otherwise people won't find you. And also, you're competing against Airbnb. Really? And the other otas. Right. Like, if people mostly are going to find you through Google, it's where 95% of searches happen. Right? So they're going to Google something. Most probably. Hopefully you'll be on the first page, but most probably you won't. Right, if you just publish your website. I mean, but if you create content around your local area, around things, amenities, things you do uniquely. For example, we have a customer that also has a property in Devon in the UK. She has a lot of content around local attractions and very niche type of content as well. So, for example, things to do around our area, around the vacation rental property. Sorry. Then she also has more generic things. So, like the best restaurants in Devon, best markets. Local markets or Sunday markets. All these different pages. Yes. Will get you traffic. And it's true that sometimes it won't necessarily bring you bookings right the first time, but the more you get them to your website, the more you'll get your brand out there, the more they will remember you.

00:19:38 - Jenn Boyles

I am nodding along with you.

00:19:40 - Carla Chicharro

Yes.

00:19:42 - Jenn Boyles

I like to say, and I say to my clients, it's like bringing someone into your website by the side door. They don't land, they're not coming to the home page, they're not coming looking for you specifically. They're coming in the side door going, oh, this is really interesting. And then they're like, oh, I can stay here. Yes, because you can have it both ways.

00:20:03 - Carla Chicharro

It could be people that live in that area and are just looking for restaurants, right? And then they find you and they're like, maybe I could book a staycation here next time. Right.

00:20:13 - Jenn Boyles

Or they have friends coming.

00:20:15 - Carla Chicharro

Exactly. Or there's someone that's going to the area, they don't have a rental yet, and bingo, there you go. So, yeah, that's the best way to get your brand out there. You can do the same with social media, but with social media, I would say it's more of use it as a channel. Right? Like use it as a channel to maybe interact with actual or potential guests and use it to really promote your brand. So I know, for example, another customer, triangle Palm Shergao, they have a really nice looking vacation rental. So they have A-Frames. So visually it's very pretty. Right. It stands out a lot. It's very instagrammable, let's say. Right, so they've been posting videos of their A-Frames, right. And they've had travelers or travel bloggers messaging them and reaching out to collaborations. And I know some people are a bit, I don't know if against, but they're not too pro collaborations because it's like, oh, I'm giving away stays and they're going to produce content for me and all that. But think of it this way, it costs you less than having to do an ad on Google or meta or anywhere. So think of it that way. Think of the exposure that it might give you. And in this case, it's given them a lot of exposure and they're getting fully booked thanks to those videos that the influencers are doing. Right. Getting great social accounts. Yeah, that's great. Yeah.

00:21:57 - Jenn Boyles

As long as it's a good fit.

00:21:59 - Carla Chicharro

Exactly.

00:22:00 - Jenn Boyles

Having a property, you get emails and messages all the time from people. I'll come and I'll do this content for you. And it's like they may not be the right people, buy established Instagram accounts out there, influencers. Yeah, no, it can really work really well. Okay, so what is your biggest piece of advice for those just starting out for those people that are wanting, they're looking at how do I start to build that brand? What's the first thing that they should start with?

00:22:31 - Carla Chicharro

Yeah, so now that you have all of those things covered, I recommend it. Well, if you don't have your business name, I'd start with there. What is your brand name? I have a prompt, actually that you can use with chat GBT. In case you don't have a brand name in your head and you don't know where to start, you can use Chat GPT to get some ideas. So this prompt, we can also put it in the show notes maybe.

00:22:57 - Jenn Boyles

This is great. Yeah.

00:22:59 - Carla Chicharro

So you can write this down. So basically all of this. Okay, so you tell Chat GPT I'm in the process of starting a new company and I'm seeking a unique and memorable business name. The company operates in the. And then you can put the area, our core values include list them. And we aim at what is your mission if you have that? If not, you can scratch that. And at the end you can suggest some creative business names that align with our brand's ethos and resonate with their target audience. So the more information you give a chat, TBT usually the better. So that's why that prompt is pretty long. But trust me, it's really helpful to use.

00:23:45 - Jenn Boyles

Yeah, because you could even add in who your ideal guest is, what your USP is, the more information you give it. Okay, great. Well, we'll put that in the show notes for sure.

00:23:55 - Carla Chicharro

A really fun one. If you don't use that, create a business name with a plate on words using, and then use the word. So you could also create maybe. Yeah.

00:24:06 - Jenn Boyles

No, and if you want a sense of humor in your brand, that would be really good.

00:24:10 - Carla Chicharro

Wouldn't. Exactly, yeah.

00:24:13 - Jenn Boyles

Oh, I love it.

00:24:14 - Carla Chicharro

Well, thank you so much.

00:24:15 - Jenn Boyles

So I want to talk a bit about Lodgify and how being a PMS, a property management software, how Lodgify can help with building your brand. So maybe you can give us a little snippet of what Lodgify is and what it does, for sure.

00:24:35 - Carla Chicharro

So, Lodgify is an all in one vacation rental platform. We position it in the way that we are built for independent hosts and property managers, and we provide the essential tools to start, manage and grow your business. So what that means, because that's, let's say, our mission, right. What that means is that with Lodgify you can create a professional looking website in an hour or less, and you can do that without having any technical skills. So we have several templates and we have different widgets to really build that website. And if you do have technical skills, you can also customize it as you wish. At the same time, if you already have a website, some people already have WordPress, squarespace, all of these, you can use Sodify's booking engine so that you can start getting bookings from your existing website. Because a lot of times with those external cmS, they don't offer booking engines that are adapted for the short term rental industry. Right? So that's our main feature, let's say. But at the same time, you can also sync your calendars, all your bookings, your rates, all of these things from different booking platforms like Airbnb, Verbo, Direct Booking Success and Expedia. You can sync all of that so you can manage it from one place. And then last but not least, we also have guest communication features. We have task management reporting, and we're slowly but surely integrating a lot of AI features as well. So that's coming soon.

00:26:23 - Jenn Boyles

Oh great. I know there are people out there that manage their businesses without a PMS, I don't know how they do it.

00:26:31 - Carla Chicharro

Agreed. Yeah, there are. Last year when we went to the VRMA, we had some people come up to us and they were like, yeah, I have 25 rentals and I don't have a PMS. And I'm like, wait, what? I know.

00:26:46 - Jenn Boyles

She's like spreadsheets.

00:26:47 - Carla Chicharro

And I'm like, oh no, yeah, I know.

00:26:51 - Jenn Boyles

And once they get into a PMS and they have it set up and they do it, I just see them go, oh, why didn't I do this ten years ago?

00:26:59 - Carla Chicharro

Or whatever?

00:27:00 - Jenn Boyles

But this is really great. And I think what's nice about the PMS is that everything is in one place that you can map your actual business. But if you don't have a website, an existing website, and you're just starting out, Lodgify has their website builder.

00:27:20 - Carla Chicharro

Exactly. Another thing is that we integrate with Google vacation rentals. So as I mentioned earlier, that really gives you a lot of visibility to your website. So for example, what I mentioned, vacation rentals in Miami, if you have Lodgify, you will be automatically synced to that and you will show up in those listings. And the good thing is, now, in comparison to other PMS, that link, when they try to book, it takes you to your website. It doesn't take you to anything that's Lodgify related, so it goes directly to you. Same with the logo. It will be your brand logo, brand URL, everything. So that's also one of the ways that we try to really push for direct bookings for our customers. Yeah, and the onboarding sessions are very important for us and for our customers. So we have free onboarding with all new customers, which are around two to three calls to get them set up, but also kind of consulting as well. So they look through how their website is looking, how their channels are connected, what's missing, what they recommend. They talk to a lot of customers every day, so they're like, oh, maybe in your region it's best to connect here or to do this other thing. So that is something that we really pride ourselves with, with that human interaction and that consulting side as well.

00:28:51 - Jenn Boyles

Yeah, you need help setting them up because especially if you're brand new, it is a bit of a learning curve. So having those calls, and not just one, because once you've done one, more questions will come out. Usually that's really good. No. Now, Carla is going to be joining me in my direct booking tech series. It's going to be on February the 22nd, 2024. So if you're listening to this after. There'll be a replay, of course, but hopefully you're listening to this before the 22 February 2024. We're going to do a live workshop where we really lift the lid on Lodgify. So if you're listening to this and going, oh, that sounds great, but how do I know if it's right for me or how does it work? Because it's hard. Even if you're watching us on YouTube right now, you're just seeing us. We're not sharing our screen or anything like that. So we're going to do it live. We're going to be building a website live. That is really exciting. So we're really lifting the lid. You're really going to see what's in there and we're going to be talking about SEO and AI and how you can use both of them to help with your direct bookings. I'm thinking, Carla, we haven't spoken about this, but maybe we could run a competition for the website, maybe that could be. We could pull a name out of the hat of whose website we create.

00:30:20 - Carla Chicharro

Yeah, that sounds like a great idea. We could do that. Yeah, definitely. Okay.

00:30:24 - Jenn Boyles

That would be awesome. I think that could be really exciting. So I'm going to put the landing page for you, the sign up link for you to sign up to come to this in the show notes. And I think that would be really exciting. Really exciting to build a website live in this workshop and really show you what Lodgify can do and you can ask your questions.

00:30:48 - Carla Chicharro

Exactly. Make use of it. Brilliant.

00:30:51 - Jenn Boyles

I'm really looking forward to it. So, Carla, this has been really wonderful and I've really loved talking to you about branding and how to get started with it. And in that vein, I really want to ask you, what does direct booking success mean to you?

00:31:08 - Carla Chicharro

Yeah, that's a great question. I'd say direct booking success is empowerment. It's taking control. Direct bookings really offer the ability to set your own rules, build your brand, potentially reduce a bit of commissions, but as well establish direct relationships and trust with your guests. So for me, it's really like giving back the control of their business to property owners and property. I agree. All right.

00:31:44 - Jenn Boyles

And also in the show notes, I'll put Logify's website and you've got a special offer that you want to give listeners as well.

00:31:52 - Carla Chicharro

Yes. So if you use the coupon code, DBS10, you can get 10% off our professional and ultimate yearly and bi yearly plans. That's wonderful.

00:32:03 - Jenn Boyles

Thank you so much. It's going to be so great. So I'm going to put all of those links in the show notes to the wonderful brands that you've talked about today. I can't wait to see their websites and see what they're doing. The link to sign up for the DB tech series, we're going to be talking with Carla of Lodgify on February 22 and also their website, lodgify.com, and also the offer in the show notes. So a lot of things to go in and check out.

00:32:33 - Carla Chicharro

A lot of links.

00:32:34 - Jenn Boyles

A lot of links. It's going to be a lot of links. Thank you so much, Carla. And I look forward to seeing you on February 22 for our direct booking tech series. Thank you, Carla.

00:32:46 - Carla Chicharro

Thank you so much for having me.