Are You Losing Business Due to Your Rental Photos? Appeal to More Guests with These Crucial Tips
High-quality photography is a non-negotiable aspect of all who sell online, and yet many in the vacation rental industry continue to use low-resolution, outdated, and poorly composed photos to market their vacation rental online. Stop losing guests' interest, missing potential bookings, and having guests leave your site immediately after arriving with this expert advice.
Photos communicate more information to guests than any of aspect of your website or listing. It’s from your photos that guests get a sense of what their vacation will be like, and it’s how they begin to imagine themselves in your space. Most importantly though, photos are an integral part of your guests’ decision to book their stay at your rental instead of another in your area.
Invest in your rental photography
(Source: Soco Spaces)
Professional photographer and vacation rental owner Tyann Marcink aims to disrupt the cycle of boring vacation rental photography by sharing the skills and experience she’s gleaned over the years. As an industry leader in vacation rental photography, she publishes extensively on the subject and regularly hosts workshops where she teaches hands-on skills for getting that perfect shot.
In her eBook, Create Killer Vacation Rental Property Photos, Tyann shares practical advice for rental owners with easy-to-implement tips like, how to properly stage a room for a photo, and what time of day you should take photos according to your rental.
Resolution is everything
If there's one thing to always remember about rental photography, it's that the resolution, or size as it applies to image quality, of your photos can make or break your business. The nomenclature can get confusing sometimes: resolution, pixels, ppi, HD, 2K versus 4K. But when it comes to your rental photography on your website, all they really mean is that your website will continue to look excellent on modern and future displays if you pay attention to these terms.
IMAGE RESOLUTION: refers to the detail an image holds.
PIXELS: units that make up an image. They're essentially very, very small dots that blend together to create an image.
PPI: pixels per inch, or how we measure pixel density. How many pixels does this image fit in a one inch? The higher the pixel density, the sharper the image appears.
HD: means high-definition. Currently describes a resolution up to 1920 pixels by 1080 pixels. You may recognize the term as it applies to an HDTV. Also known as 2K.
2K VERSUS 4K: 2K refers to display devices that have a resolution of 2000 pixels or higher, also known as Full HD. 4K, also known as Ultra HD, has a resolution of approximately 4000 pixels.
In this case, a picture truly is worth a thousand words—and thousands of pixels!—and your photo resolution communicates to guests information such as your quality as a business, your trustworthiness, your attention to detail when it comes to your rental, and your investment and involvement in your business.
With your website, you're looking for a platform that not only puts your rental photography first, but allows your photography to looks its best and contributes to a positive user experience with your site. This includes a home page that entices guests with beautiful, well-placed photography, a photo gallery that allows your photos to take center stage and that guests can quickly and easily navigate through, and built-in support for high-resolution photography. Currently, Vacation Rental Desk's websites support higher resolution photos than Airbnb. Putting thought and attention into your photo quality and resolution can significantly benefit your business.
Appeal to your guests' emotions
One of our favorite aspects Tyann explores is the way in which your rental photography affects guests’ emotions while browsing your site. How you compose your photos directly communicates the experience guests will enjoy while staying at your rental. She insists that photos must invoke a special sort of appeal “if you want guests to not only choose your property, but also to desire your property.”
Pay attention to the details
(Source: Forever Vacation Rentals)
Small changes, such as avoiding a tilt in perspective when taking your photo, or making sure your walls aren’t blank in your rental photos can make a huge difference in showcasing your rental to potential guests. These details answer key questions that guests may have about the quality and security of your rental.
Even more, dark, blurry photos can look unprofessional, or worse, untrustworthy, and fail to convey all the effort you’ve put into making your rental feel comfortable, inviting, and well-decorated.
Make your photos the main event
(Source: Experience Idyllwild)
Vacation Rental Desk’s websites allow your rental photography to take center stage, showcasing your rental’s natural beauty and unique charm. With support for high-definition photos (1920 pixels by 1080 pixels), with support for Ultra HD photos (3840 pixels by 2160 pixels) in the future, your website makes it easy to start earning more rental income by improving your vacation rental photography.
Check out Create Killer Vacation Rental Property Photos and Tyann’s other helpful eBooks on her website to get started today.