Engaging with our guests - that's you!

Throughout last year and into January of 2011 I am noticing a trend where that many visitors to Perdido Key are new faces who found us through sites like Facebook and Twitter.  Social media is becoming huge for the vacation rental industry and for the reason that people like to first get good feedback from friends or family who have experienced  an area new to them prior to committing to making definitive vacation plans.  Everyone trusts that their friends and family have similar interests and in the event that they don't, you know that ahead of time too.  The social media is allowing people to do what Google and other search engines have been replied upon for such a long time - finding relevant results for whatever it is they are in search of, which in this case is a vacation destination for their next trip.  Essentially, this is large-scale word-of-mouth advertising, so it pressures Vacation Rental Managers to perform to the best of their ability and ensure that all of their guests are having a great time. Those who fail to perform will not benefit from this and it may even have a negative impact upon their rentals.

I for one and a huge fan of this... If I knew, before our guests arrived, that they were referred by a friend with similar interests and interested I would certainly be even more confident that a Perdido Key, Florida condo or vacation home would be the perfect fit for them.  I want everyone to know that this is the right spot for their vacation, to have a good time, and leave yearning to return.  Truthfully, though it is marketed all over the web, Perdido Key rentals are not the best choice for all travelers... My opinion is that the island is best suited for families during the spring and summer seasons, the winter is good for couples and those on business October through mid-March, and the area is always a good choice for those in need of temporary lodging while completing training at the nearby Pensacola NAS or here on business.  Wedding parties are best suited to stay in May, the summer or sometime before October when it begins to drop out of the 80's as a daytime high.  This leaves out those in search of a spring break vacation which requires a lot of nightlife.  So, how do I get this from Social Media?  Well it is not likely that those who fit into the group which Perdido Key rentals best accommodate would turn to friends or family who are part of the party crowd for vacation destination advice.

So what have we done to make sure that we are involved in this new wave of word-of-mouth advertising?  We created a Perdido Key, Florida Facebook page and liked it with our Twitter account so that all posts are displayed in on both sites.  You can check out the Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/perdidokeyflorida and we periodically post discounts specific to our Facebook fanbase.  We also have posted all of our properties on TripAdvisor.com which allows our guests to leave us unfiltered feedback and to rate their stay.  The overall result this has been good and in some instances has opened our eyes to where updates need to happen in order to best server our visitors.

I want feedback from all of our guests and the opportunity to impress them so that they tell everyone on Facebook and in person that they had a good time staying in one of our Perdido Key rentals.  I am committed to making this happen, because it is important to me that our guests are treated the same way I would expect if I were the vacationer.

Published on Thursday, January 13, 2011