Introduction
We are excited to lead you on a detailed journey of transforming your short-term rental business through effective use of your StayFi account. This series is tailored for short-term rental operators seeking to increase direct bookings by cultivating enduring relationships with customers and strengthening their brand using StayFi’s tools. Dive into a mix of professional advice, strategic methods, and actionable guidance, all presented in an engaging mix of video content accompanied by step by step instructions.
What Will You Learn?
Establishing a Memorable First Impression and Collecting Essential Guest Data
Mastering Email Marketing
Ramping Up Reviews (Coming Soon)
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- Boosting Google Reviews Quickly with SMS
- Screening Negative OTA Reviews Before they Happen
- Review Optimization Strategies
Protecting Your Property with Dynamic Occupancy Alerts (Coming Soon)
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- Understanding Dynamic Occupancy Alerts
- Seamless Integration with Property Management Systems
- Customizing Occupancy Thresholds
Establishing a Memorable First Impression and Collecting Essential Guest Data
1. Introduce Your Brand to Every Guest with a Compelling Splash Page
Overview
A splash page is the first digital interaction your guests have with your brand. It’s crucial to make this experience as engaging and reflective of your brand as possible. In this section, we delve into the essentials of crafting a splash page that not only welcomes your guests but also lays the groundwork for effective marketing and upselling.
Key Takeaways
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- Design with Brand Identity: Incorporate your logo and choose a background that resonates with your brand’s theme.
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- Splash Pages by Property: You have the ability to have as many splash pages as you want, so either create one for all of your properties to be used or create unique pages to reflect a specific property or area.
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- Engagement Essentials: Include a welcoming headline, clear instructions for WiFi access, and options to collect marketing consent and phone numbers for SMS marketing.
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- Strategic Redirect URL: Use the redirect URL to lead guests to a custom landing page post-WiFi connection, maximizing engagement and upsell opportunities. Utilize this page to offer stay extensions, local experiences, or rebooking discounts, turning every WiFi login into a potential revenue source.
2. Ensure Every Guest’s Information is Captured
Overview
Capturing guest information is vital for remarketing and maximizing the value of your StayFi service. This section guides you through setting up and ensuring the functionality of Access Points (APs) across your properties to collect guest data efficiently.
Key Takeaways
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- Property Assignment: Use the MAC address on the bottom of you access point or the box of the AP to match each AP to your desired property in the Access Points tab.
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- AP Setup and Coverage: Once mapped, physically install your APs in all their associated properties to maximize data collection coverage and allow for targeted marketing and precise data analysis.
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- Update the WiFi Instructions: Once your access points are active, ensure each guest knows how to connect to their new WiFi network created in the Wireless Networks tab. This includes anywhere WiFi sign in instructions are included either on-site or sent digitally to guests.
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- Online Status Monitoring: Regularly check that all APs are online and connected to ensure continuous data capture.
3. Automate Sending Your Digital Guidebook to Every Guest
Overview
Automating the delivery of your guidebook via SMS is a powerful way to enhance guest experience. This part of our series shows you how to automatically send your guidebook to guests upon Wi-Fi login, providing them with valuable local insights and upselling opportunities that they can easily reference at any time during their stay.
Key Takeaways
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- Enable Text Marketing: Set up text marketing to begin collecting phone numbers and your can set up the WiFi Welcome Text Message.
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- Create the WiFi Welcome Message: Craft personalized welcome messages using dynamic content inserts to give people access to your digital guidebook and other resources.
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- Guidebook URL Integration: Incorporate your existing guidebook URL (e.g., from Touch Stay, Hostfully, Folio) into the message, ensuring guests have instant access to your local recommendations and services. You will find your guidebook URLs in the individual properties you set up in the Properties tab and you can double check each URL is correct quickly by using the Bulk Editor.
4. Ensure Seamless Stays with WiFi Outage Alerting
Overview
WiFi connectivity is both a critical component of the guest experience and necessary for you to effectively collect guest data. This segment shows you how to set up WiFi outage alerts, ensuring you’re promptly informed about connectivity issues so they can be swiftly addressed, maintaining uninterrupted guest satisfaction and ensuring every guest’s information is captured.
Key Takeaways
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- Setting Up Offline Alerts: Utilize the offline alert feature in the Access Points tab to get notified via when the internet goes offline. It’s best to check for connectivity before a guest’s stay to ensure everything is functioning properly upon arrival.
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- Customizing Alert Timing: Decide how long a router should be offline before you receive an alert. You can set this based on your preference, with options ranging from 15 minutes to longer durations.
Mastering Email Marketing
1. Start with a Solid Foundation: Integrating PMS Data
Overview
In the world of vacation rental email marketing, seamlessly integrating your Property Management System (PMS) data stands as the essential first move. This integration forms the backbone of your marketing strategy by providing a robust and comprehensive guest list. Leveraging this list enhances your ability to effectively re-engage with past guests, thereby substantially elevating your direct booking rates and overall occupancy levels.
Key Takeaways
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- Select Your PMS: Navigate to the ‘Integrations’ tab in your StayFi account to begin.
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- PMS Integration Instructions: While integrating different PMSs may require varying steps, all will begin with you hitting continue and following the provided instructions to link your accounts.
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- Upload Your Guest List: Following this, you will need to go to the ‘Guest List’ section of your account to import your guest list from your PMS to the StayFi CRM seamlessly.
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- Review Your Import Summary: Post-import, StayFi automatically checks for invalid emails and potential duplicates, enhancing send rates and billing accuracy. You will also receive a summary email detailing new additions, duplicates, and invalid email addresses screened.
2. Welcome Each Guest with a Personalized Email when they Login to WiFi
Overview
Welcoming every guest with a personalized email upon WiFi login serves as a crucial second touchpoint. This practice not only disseminates important information like your digital guidebook and direct booking website, but also fosters a deeper connection with your brand. Properly used, this step can lead to both an improved guest experience and incremental revenue generation.
Key Takeaways
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- Create the Email Automation: Utilize the ‘Automation’ tab in email marketing to set up your welcome email series.
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- Use Custom Templates: Use customizable templates to make your welcome emails visually appealing and brand-aligned.
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- Include Essential Information: Ensure your welcome email contains essential information – contact details, property name, local recommendations, upsells, and a re-booking link.
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- Use Dynamic Fields: Leverage dynamic fields for guidebook URLs and property names for personalized guest experiences.
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- Make the Content Flexible: Consider the universality of your welcome email content, making it applicable across various properties.
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- Clean Up the Sequence: Make sure you have edited your automation journey to only include segments you have completed and contain emails you want guests to receive before saving the automation.
3. Elevate Your Email Campaign: Extending the Guest Welcome Journey
Overview
Extending the welcome journey involves adding strategic segments to your email campaign, like requests for reviews or opportunities for re-booking, enhancing guest engagement and brand recall while increasing the possibility of future re-booking.
Key Takeaways
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- Add a Segment: Add segments to your existing welcome journey for post-stay engagement using the “+” button.
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- Promote Rate & Review Options: Include emails that encourage guests to rate their stay or explore other property bookings.
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- Manage Your Flow: Utilize delays and additional emails to create a continuous engagement flow.
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- Be Creative: StayFi’s flexible platform allows for limitless customization of your email journey, tailoring it to your specific marketing goals.
4. Create Impactful Newsletters for Your Rentals
Overview
A well-crafted newsletter campaign is key to keeping past guests informed and engaged. This can include updates on holiday discounts, last-minute specials, and exciting news about your vacation rental properties.
Key Takeaways
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- Create Your Campaign: Navigate to ‘Campaigns’ and select ‘Create a Campaign’ to begin.
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- Select a Template: Choose from a variety of pre-built templates to match your campaign goals.
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- Make it Interesting: Include compelling content such as loyalty discounts, property updates, and local event highlights.
5. Kick-Start Email Marketing with Switchback
Overview
In partnership with Switchback, StayFi offers specialized email marketing tools, providing options from self-managed campaigns to fully-managed services, catering to varying needs and expertise levels in email marketing.
Key Takeaways
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- Explore Your Options: Explore onboarding options with Switchback, tailored to your level of comfort with email marketing. Light and premium onboarding options offer additional support, including subscriber list migration and custom template creation.
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- Speak with a Professional: Utilize one-on-one training sessions offered in the onboarding packages to refine your email marketing strategies. You can also consider managed services for continuous professional assistance and custom email campaign creation.
