Your RV is ready and your Outdoorsy profile is set up. But now you need that profile to show up in renters’ searches. Outdoorsy wants to help – read on for the secrets of their algorithm so you can rise to the top of searches and rake in more rental revenue.
Respond to rental requests within 24 hours or as soon as possible.
Outdoorsy’s algorithm prioritizes owners with fast response rates. For the best results, answer within 24 hours. Your response rate will also appear on your profile, so renters will know if they can rely on prompt communication from you. Consider downloading Outdoorsy’s app so you can get notifications on-the-go and respond even quicker from your mobile device. Or you can connect your account to SMS for text-replies.
Outdoorsy’s Instant Book feature highlighted by a lightning bolt on your profile – makes booking just one click away (just remember to keep your RV’s availability up-to-date). Owners who use this feature receive more rental requests. If you don’t like the match for any reason, however, you may still decline it without harming your response rate.
Provide renters with a positive experience and ask them to review you
You should remind your renters after their trip that you would appreciate a 5-star review, if they had a good experience. When your profile boasts good reviews it will make renters much more likely to reach out, which is crucial to growing your business. Don’t be shy about asking – it’s easy for renters to forget even when they enjoyed their trip. Owners can leave reviews for renters as well, of course, and recently Outdoorsy added a feature allowing owners to reply to renters’ reviews. Consider thanking your renters publicly to add a personable touch to your profile and help secure repeat customers. For more, take a look at Outdoorsy’s guide to requesting reviews.
Reminding renters to review you is one thing, but ensuring they have a positive experience in the first place is crucial. Looking for ideas to maximize the chance of a positive review? Outdoorsy has you covered:
- Amenities: You can significantly improve your renters’ experience by surprising them with small and inexpensive but meaningful gestures, such as a care package with items like a personalized note, snacks, local information, toiletries, etc.
- Entertainment: Board games and movies are a nice touch, especially if you’re renting to families. If you want to go that extra mile, some bigger amenities like sporting equipment and hammocks might be more up your alley.
- Communication: Prompt and professional communication before, during and after your rental is crucial to ensuring a positive review. Take a look through some successful owners’ reviews and you’ll see that this is one of the most common comments from happy renters.
Photos photos photos
In real-estate it’s location location location but online you should think photos photos photos. A good stager is worth their weight in gold when attracting buyers to a house for sale, so don’t underestimate the allure of a well staged photoshoot (https://www.outdoorsy.com/blog/stage-your-rv-in-listing-photos) for attracting renters to your rig.
Outdoorsy’s search algorithm automatically prioritizes listings with more than 5 photos, so that’s the minimum you should aim for. If you can, include shots with you and your friends and/or family enjoying themselves around your RV, which are associated with an uptick in rental requests – photos of people help renters imagine themselves in their shoes. For other tips on how to promote your rig with photos, click here.
If you’re looking to go that extra mile to pull renters in, consider investing in a professional photographer. That’s what Toronto owner Andrew Gallagher did, and since then he’s reported a noticeable increase in renter requests (well played, Gallagher).
Personalize your profile
Incomplete profiles are de-prioritized by Outdoorsy’s search algorithm, so make sure you take the time to fill yours out. The two most important things are including a photo of yourself and a description with personality and authenticity, both of which add a level of trust to the online interaction that makes it more comfortable for first-timers to reach out and connect.
