Marketing a Portfolio of Holiday Cottages with Clare Burgess - Suffolk Coastal Escapes

If you've ever wondered whether growing a portfolio of properties makes marketing harder, Clare from Suffolk Coastal Escapes is about to give you a very reassuring answer.This week I'm chatting with Clare, a long-standing member of my membership, The FULLY BOOOKED BUSINESS CLUB, who manages 11 holiday cottages on the Suffolk coast - an area she describes as a hidden gem that most people have never even heard of. She started with one apartment back in 2017, grew her own portfolio during Covid, and has only recently begun taking on other owners' properties. And she's done it properly... getting her own marketing house in order first before expanding.The results speak for themselves. When Clare first joined my membership, she was around 90% OTA dependent. She's now at 75% direct bookings with a 40% repeat guest rate. Those are numbers worth paying attention to.We talk about what's actually driven that shift, and it's not one big thing; it's a combination of really nailing her ideal guest (couples with dogs), obsessing over her website and SEO, and building a blog section she genuinely loves writing. She's just tipped over 100 blog posts, and every single one feeds her social media content and monthly email campaigns too.There's also a brilliant tip about how she uses a hyper-local guest guide to convert OTA bookers into lifelong direct guests, and how her blog, now called Explore the Suffolk Coast, does the same job before people have even booked.Clare also shares what it's actually like managing other people's properties alongside your own, the challenges she didn't anticipate, and why being a fellow host and a true local expert is her biggest competitive advantage over 'the big boy' agencies.A brilliant episode to close out season five. See you in a few weeks for season six.---Key Takeaways:Growing your portfolio doesn't have to mean more marketing workGetting clear on your ideal guest first is the foundation on which everything else is built on.A hyper-local guest guide is one of the most underrated marketing assets a host can have - Clare sees at least 75% of OTA bookers hand over their email address in exchange for hers.Blogging consistently - Clare has just passed 100 posts - pays dividends across multiple channels at once, fuelling social media content, monthly email campaigns and SEO results from a single piece of work.OTAs are a discovery tool, not a crutch - Clare uses them to get found, then works hard to capture guest details and convert one-time OTA bookers into returning direct guests.Going from 90% OTA reliant to 75% direct bookings doesn't happen overnight, but it does happen - consistent effort on your marketing and guest relationships is what moves the needle over time.---Find out more about Suffolk Coastal EscapesVisit the websiteLike them on FacebookFollow them on Instagram---Do you have a marketing roadmap for your business?No more winging it and feeling like you are in constant marketing chaos! Create your easy-to-follow marketing roadmap for the year ahead. My Direct Bookings Bootcamp is now available ON DEMAND! Let’s make this the best year yet for direct bookings! Head to my website for more info.---Are you currently rely on Airbnb or another online agent (OTA)? Take Sarah's FREE quiz here - it's time to give them the boot!---Connect with Sarah:WebsiteInstagramFacebookLinkedIn---