Develop trust through digital channels to increase vacation rental bookings

1. Creating a "Digital
Handshake" and
increasing your
bookings by 15%

2. Why Shake Hands?
 Trust-building tool – Indicative of commitment of
both parties
 Body language says a lot more than words –
Tighter the grip, greater the faith

3. What is a Digital Handshake?
 Digital Handshakes, in the context of a VR, are short videos
They are shared with guests one day before their arrival
They give information to the guests such as:
• Where to park the vehicle?
• Where to collect the keys from?
• Whom to contact for assistance?
 If they contain appliance usage instructions, they are shared
after the guests have settled in at the property

4. Components of an
effective Digital
Handshake...

5. Keep it personal...
 Bring the human touch
 Make the guest believe that they are talking to a person
and not a bot
 Brings faith
 Reassure them – Include information of pick-up
personnel in case of airport transfer
 Make them believe that they’re in safe hands

6. Brief, Crisp, & Precise...
Do’s:
 As short as possible
 Only important Information
 Instead of spoken parking instructions, add a working geo-location
 Keep it between 20 seconds to 1 minute
 Limit the file size – Easily downloadable
 Increases the chances of guests watching the video
 Include contact information for further queries
Don’ts:
 Increase customer’s hassle
 Multiple views required due to too much information
Keep it
short and
simple!

7. Make them entertaining....
 Math Class can be made interesting by using real-life
examples
 Similarly, in Digital Handshake videos add a few jokes,
present in an eye-catching manner, or have an entertaining
style.
 Don’t make them informative only
 Get guests hooked – Brings better reviews

8. Timeliness…
 Content and Timing are equally important
 Don’t send all videos together – It’s annoying
 Airport pick-up, key collection, & parking information
should be sent one day before
Appliance instructions should be sent after a few hours of
guest’ arrival
 Add a ‘go-back-to-the-video’ note near the appliances

9.  Can be shared with prospective guests also
 Could include – nearby attraction, fun things to do, property USP
 Use analytics to segment whom to send these videos
• Send to those who viewed your property recently
• Send to those who viewed competitor’s property recently – Use with caution, don’t invade privacy!

10. Drawbacks and Alternative…
 Digital Handshakes lack details
 Require going to a specific point in the video
 So use it only where it is effective
 Might require to be supplemented with additional
material
 A PDF guidebook might be more effective for
appliance usage instructions

11. Thanks...
Please visit
RentalTrader.com to
book your next vacation