Tips
5 Tips to get more business this Summer
It’s summertime and this is the time your business thrives. Whether you run a kayak or mountain bike rental shop, fishing charter, or have a few rental cabins in the mountains, you are always trying to attract more customers to choose you when making their summer plans. Try these tips to help you not only get more business this summer, but throughout the year.
Be active on Social Media As a business owner, social media is a very important outlet to advertise your services and offerings. If you haven’t already, create a business page on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, then fill it with awesome pictures and information about what you offer. Ask happy customers to like your page, follow you, and post comments/reviews on your pages. You should post interesting things daily including images or something cool in the news related to your business.
It’s important to show potential customers your genuine self, and these social outlets are a great way to do that. Try not to be too ‘salesy’ in your posts and responses. Normal folks want to do business with other normal folks, so don’t be afraid to show who you are mixed in with what you do.
Join In! Join other Facebook groups where potential customers might go, and actively participate in comments. More than likely, you’re in business because you love what you do. It’s easy to find other folks that also love the same thing through Facebook groups. Find those groups, and engage with others. For example, if you own a water sport rental business, join groups geared toward kayakers or paddle boarders. If you have a cabin rental in a popular hiking area, join a hiking group. Then answer questions that come up, and be helpful and encouraging. Don’t use the forum to continually promote yourself, but instead be helpful by answering questions or encouraging others when they post about their experiences with the activity.
Leverage Happy Customers If you’ve been in business for a while, you surely have great customers that return year after year. Use them to your benefit to get more happy customers. Encourage them to take a live video stream of their experience – this is an incredible way for others to see what you offer. Make sure customers know it’s perfectly acceptable to take videos or via Facebook Live. It’s the best kind of testimonial.
Encourage reviews and referrals by offering incentives such as a discount on their next trip. Make sure you include links to your TripAdvisor or Yelp pages, so they can easily share their experience with others. Happy customers are usually thrilled to share their experiences with their friends and family.
Keep in touch with previous customers. Build an email list of all your customers, and send newsletters, helpful tips, or special offers to them. It’s a great way to keep your business in the forefront of their minds, especially when their dear Aunt Sally is looking for recommendations. During your off season, send them information about your upcoming season, and encourage them to book early to get the best spot for their next summer adventure.
Make sure your SEO is at it’s best. Most people use Google or other search engines to find adventure, so ensure that your business is at the top of their search list. Make certain that your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is at the top of its game by adding the best keywords to describe your business. This will lead those “Google searchers” to find you first before your competition.
These are only a few key tips to keep your business rolling this summer. Most importantly, if you LOVE what you do, and are passionate about it, then folks will find you and be thrilled they did.
Stripe added as a Payment Processor
Welcome to 2018! We’re excited for the new year, and happy to announce that we’ve added a new option to our list of compatible payment processors: Stripe. 
To get an account with Stripe, visit their website to create an account.
If you have an existing Stripe account, you can add the integration to your WebReserv account easily.
To do so, log into your WebReserv account, and go to the Setup – Business Information. Select Payments from the left column.
First, you’ll want to enable the credit card option in the Payment Processing section. Select Creditcard, and Auto Process.
Next, in the Payment Gateway section, select Stripe from the drop down menu. Here you will enter your Secret Key from your Stripe account. (Note: you can access your Secret Key through the Dashboard of your Stripe account.) After you add the secret key, save your changes by clicking Save and continue at the bottom of the page. 
That’s it! You’ve successfully setup the integration with Stripe.
After setup is complete, you’ll want to make a test transaction to ensure it is working properly. The system allows you to enter a test transaction through the Payment Center. To access, go to Frontdesk – Payment Center. Select the ePay Virtual Terminal option.
Here you can enter a small transaction using a credit card to ensure that you get an authorization. To do so, select Payment (type), Credit Card (payment type), and enter a small amount – $0.10 will work fine.
Enter the credit card details. Choose the Process Payment button at the bottom of the page. If you get an authorization, then the setup is working correctly.
You can now begin taking payments for your bookings. For more information on WebReserv, visit our website, or contact us here.
The 7 Crucial Steps To Get More Bookings
You have a website and you think it looks good but you feel like your business could be doing better and earning more money. It is important that customers make their bookings with you and not your competition, so here are 7 critical steps to improve your bookings this year. Commit to doing one step every day and you’ll be ahead of the competition in a week.
Step 1. Update Your Website. Time: 4 – 8 hours
When was the last time your website was updated? If it’s out of date, make it a goal to get it refreshed before the season starts.
If website design is not your passion or your skill, you can consider using website companies such as Wix.com or Weebly.com. They offer great looking websites with very little work.
If you decide to build or buy a new website, make sure it’s easy to understand, complete and responsive. Responsive means that the page automatically adjusts to the screen it’s being shown on, thus, giving the customer a great experience whether he or she is using a laptop, a tablet, or a smartphone. Read the rest of this entry »
5 BIG Mistakes B&B Owners are Unwittingly Making and How To Avoid Them Now, Part 1
At WebReserv we have been working with the B&B industry for several years trying to provide the best service to our clients. We know that a good booking system is a valuable tool for the B&B owner, but we are also aware that there are many other aspects (marketing, communication, sales, accounting, etc.) that the business needs to refine and improve in order to be successful.
Yvonne Halling is a B&B owner and a WebReserv client. She runs a successful B&B, and wants to share her experience and knowledge with other B&B’s. She writes about the 5 most common mistakes that B&B owners often make. Each week, we will discuss one mistake and give tips on how to avoid them.
“If you’re running a B&B Business and you think you’re in the B&B business, then you could be shooting yourself in the foot.
Let me explain…. Read the rest of this entry »
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