When you create a website for your BnB, you’ll need to do more than just give people your address and show a few photos of your rooms. Use your website to make a connection with potential guests even before they’ve arrived, by applying a few simple principals.
Get up close and personal
Choose colors and images that are intimate, warm, and suggest comfort. Including yourself and your guests in photos help build a personal connection with future clients before they arrive. Dedicate a page on your site to yourself, complete with images; a personal presentation gives guests the chance to meet and to connect with you before they arrive, and is a great way to convert a visit to your site into a firm booking.
Reinforce this sense of proximity by adding a blog, and fill it regularly with details of renovations, recipe inspirations and anecdotes, opening an intimate dialogue with guests past and future alike.
A feast for the eyes
The images on your site are what will make or break the first few seconds of a visit, so don’t be afraid to take time getting just the right shots. You don’t need to hire a professional photographer, but if you can afford to do so, it’s a good investment. If you’re talking your own shots and don’t know how to handle proportions, tone and exposure, then use other sites as inspiration: find one you like, and take your shots using similar angles, distances and lighting.
Display your images in prominent positions, like your site header and on pages dedicated to your rooms and meal services. Collections of images of your establishment and of activities in the surrounding region can be featured in separate website photo albums.
Stuck for inspiration? Take a look at our demo site for some ideas on how present and integrate images in your site.
Plain talking
Give your guests a chance to get to know you, and help them discover all the super things there are to do and see in your neck of the woods. When writing for your site, keep the tone personal, and don’t be afraid to include yourself in the dialogue.
People want to know what you think about your region, and what makes the local pub or market better than the one down the road. Tell them about local sites and events by using dedicated pages or an up-to-date events diary.
Don’t lose touch
Every guest you receive can help ensure your future revenue stream. Encourage guests to fill out your guestbook, either before they leave, or by sending them a link in a “thanks for staying” reminder email. Their comments will help future convince future guests your BnB is just the one they’re looking for.
Keep in touch with former guests via newsletters, helping to remind them of the great time they had, and why they should come back. Newsletter content should evoke the little, personal things that mark guests’ experiences: a breakfast recipe, the effect of changing seasons on the garden, the goldfish in the pond, or the family dog’s latest adventure.
Choosing to make a BnB website is a perfect way to build a beautiful friendship with future guests. It’s also a powerful marketing tool for your business. Just remember to keep your bed and breakfast website focused on why people choose a BnB: the human touch. Ensuring your site reflects the intimate nature of a stay in a BnB helps keep your rooms booked solid, and your balance sheet firmly in the black.
