One of the questions I’ve been getting from hosts considering joining the Hosting With Heart website as a Listed Member is ‘How will being a Listed Member get me bookings?’.
As a newly evolving holiday property directory, Hosting With Heart is going up against some very big players with very deep pockets – Airbnb, Booking.com, Riparide and Stayz, amongst many others.
While it is inevitable that we are small now, I am steadfastly determined to significantly grow our reach over the coming months and years so that Hosting With Heart becomes the platform of choice for ethically-minded, socially-conscious travellers in Australia, New Zealand and beyond.
In order to do that, I will shortly be embarking on crafting V2.0 of my marketing plan – a comprehensive, robust, multi-layered, informed strategy – with the assistance of progressive branding/marketing specialist Melissa Packham of Brand-Led Business.
Once this plan is complete, around March, 2023, I look eagerly forward to sharing its core elements with all our existing and prospective listed members.
Over the past month or two, I’ve been working with Amy Springhall and Maxim Thomas from The Visibility Project on a targeted PR plan, which will continue over the next 6-12 months to raise the public’s awareness of HWH and the rationale/facts that fuel our ethos.
While it is inevitable that we are small now, I am steadfastly determined to significantly grow our reach over the coming months and years so that the HWH platform becomes the platform of choice for ethically-minded, socially-conscious travellers in Australia, New Zealand and beyond.
In these first few months post-launch and into 2023, our focus will be on bringing hosts and properties on board that share the HWH ethos and want to see a more inclusive, environmentally-responsible, community-focused accommodation landscape, along with building a bank of useful, practical resources via our blog and recently-launched supplier guide.
As we reach a critical mass of listed members, commence executing the various layers of our newly developed marketing strategy and gaining a lot more brand awareness through ongoing PR, the more appealing and useful the platform will become for travellers searching for unique accommodation.
From a holiday-makers perspective, our target market is simple: ethically-minded, socially-conscious travellers, travellers seeking high-quality accessible accommodation, travellers who prefer to shop/stay locally and support independent operators and business owners rather than big, faceless conglomerates.
As you know, Hosting with Heart is not just a directory service: it is also a supportive community offering benefits such as supplier discounts, exclusive content and resources, idea sharing and peer connection. But with your help we can also become THE go-to directory for travellers who give a shit, to be blunt!
I value honesty, transparency, openness, creativity and a willingness to share and exchange ideas. I’m so grateful to each and every person who is coming on this journey with me. Like any endeavour that is truly worthwhile, it won’t necessarily be an easy one, but with your support I know it will be a super rewarding one.
If you have any questions whatsoever about any of the above, want to contribute to Hosting With Heart in some way and/or want to discuss anything with me in further detail, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
