Success w/Marketing to Special Occasion Groups?

[Katherine Lewis]

QUESTION: Has anyone had success going all in on marketing to groups celebrating milestones? 

Partner and I bought our first STR in Western NC. Big 5 BR home with gorgeous views of a lake and mountains beyond. As most know, this region was hit hard by Hurricane Helene. Currently it's slow season and it's even slower than usual from what I understand.

We are thinking about how to build demand through targeted marketing strategies. One idea I have is that we could go all in on becoming a home targeted at groups celebrating milestones (birthdays, weddings, family reunions etc). I’d plan for extra amenities like special decor or concierge services. 

Has anyone had success with the strategy? If so, what were the key ingredients or tactics you used to make this work? How / where did you market? 

Appreciate any insights on this. We are really worried about lack of demand being a continued issue since our town may not even open our lake this summer due to storm contamination 🥲

[Collin Hays]

Targeted marketing would come via social media, which is usually priced on a $ per impression or $ per click basis.  

You could certainly reach this demographic, but it could also cost you substantially more than the return.

For the money, your best bet is probably a dedicated website for your property with the key words that you want to convey. An SEO specialist can help with this. A dedicated Facebook page would also be a big contributor.  It is possible that over time, Google ranking metrics recognize the uniqueness of your key words, and you move up in the rankings organically (without a cost to you), so that you can be found easily on Google searches for your location.