Twiddy.com increased site traffic for vacation
rentals by 35 percent with Google AdWords.
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Since 1978, Twiddy & Company has specialized in vacation rentals on North
Carolina's Outer Banks. Renters have their choice of more than 700 homes,
from sunset-drenched mansions to oceanfront cottages. Visitors to the website
(http://www.twiddy.com/) can book reservations online, as well as view photos,
aerial photography, maps, rates, and virtual tours.
Approach Besides word-of-mouth, the primary method of marketing for Twiddy & Company was sending rental brochures to customers who contacted them. But that process was too reactive, expensive to alter and lacked any measurement, according to marketing coordinator Ross Twiddy. "There was no channel available to actively pursue interested or potential guests," Twiddy says. He was also frustrated by the static nature of the brochure and its lack of measurability. "Plus, updates or changes made to the home throughout the season couldn't be communicated to the guest. And we had no way to evaluate its performance." In 2001, the company shifted its focus to Internet marketing, and shortly after began advertising online with Google AdWords. "We started with the simple question: ‘How do people find us on the Web?" Twiddy says. AdWords was the answer. "We saw that it worked immediately, and we knew the good ol' days of the brochure were over. Effective marketing strategies were shifting from print to the Web. We were in the Dark Ages, but after we joined AdWords, we went right to the Renaissance." Since Twiddy has a fixed supply of vacation rentals at any time, the company is able to quickly adjust advertising to correspond to real time availability. For example, they spend more in January and February, when more rentals are available, but scale back in the summer when there is less availability. Twiddy says one of the biggest benefits of AdWords is the flexibility to tailor ads and create specific campaigns around particular properties during available weeks. By customizing keywords for locations, and adapting ad text and landing pages, he is able to funnel demand toward specific properties. "Once a house is booked, we take it off the AdWords campaign and put another available home or week in its place," Twiddy says. "We'd rather tell people exactly what we have, and hope it's what they're looking for, than disappoint them when they come to our homepage and see we don't have any oceanfronts available." Twiddy also praises the control AdWords gives him over his campaigns. "AdWords gives you the tools you need, and it's up to your imagination and creativity to make it work the best for your business." Results The company has seen the number of visitors to Twiddy.com increase 35 percent over the previous year, and the conversion rate more than doubled during that same period. As AdWords has improved business, the company has dedicated more of its budget to online advertising. Twiddy's marketing department is now the fastest growing area of the company, and Twiddy says they're constantly adding new homes. Knowing the demand of the marketplace and catering to it is a tremendous benefit, according to Twiddy. "If people want info on oceanfronts, we post more info on oceanfronts. We respond to what people are looking for. That's the beauty of AdWords." About Google AdWords Google AdWords is currently used by thousands of businesses worldwide to gain new customers in a cost-effective way. AdWords uses keywords to precisely target ad delivery to web users seeking information about a particular product or service. The program is based on cost-per-click (CPC) pricing, so advertisers only pay when an ad is clicked on. Advertisers can take advantage of an extremely broad distribution network, and choose the level of support and spending appropriate for their business. For more information on launching your own campaign or getting expert help, visit http://adwords.google.com. Would you like to share your Google AdWords success story with us? We'd love to hear from you! *2005 Home and Garden Survey, conducted by Media-Screen and GMI (April 2005). Return to Travel overview page |
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