I have discussed the importance of niche marketing, picking your target customer, and speaking to the specific needs of a certain traveler on several of my webinars. (check the out – Recorded LiveRez Webinars) One example I have used is providing vacation home rentals for participants in the Coeur D’Alene Ironman race.
I am an avid Ironman Triathlete and was surprised to see a marketing email from North America Sports (the organization that puts on the Ironman races) promoting a new website for vacation home rentals at the various North America Ironman race locations. The site: www.nasvacationproperties.com
Cool. Great idea. Very focused. Bringing vacation home rentals mainstream. Broader exposure for our industry. All good.
Then I clicked on the link. Ahhhhhh! What is that? What do I do? Where do I shop the homes? What can I click on? Are my colors messed up? 
Website – always remember to follow the principles of :
- Affinity (you assure me that I am on the right site for what I need)
- Usability (intuitive & simple navigation and activities)
- Focus (I know what you want me to do with a clear call to action)
Then I checked into the actual vacation homes. What homes are available? Where do I book? Is there only 1 home in each location? All this is doing is popping me to a VRBO listing.
Now I pride myself on being a positive person and I think you will have to look very hard to find a negative tone in any of my posts. But I cannot comment on how poor this website is and how poor the execution/delivery of the promise of a great vacation home in the Ironman location is.
Take-away: when you have the ingenuity & courage ( like www.nasvacationproperties.com has shown), then also take the time, care, and resources to execute at the highest level.
I wish NAS Vacation Properties all the best and hope they continue to improve their offering, presentation, and website.
LiveRez
Tags: online vacation booking, vacation home rental, vacation home website, Vacation Marketing