Branding is a huge part of the Kardashian-Jenners’ existence; they’ve created multi-million dollar brands from pure exploitation of their images. What can we learn from Kim Kardashian’s personal branding? And why are vacation rental businesses a lot like her?
Love her or hate her, Kim Kardashian West isn’t your typical celebrity, she’s gone from TV star to becoming a successful businesswoman with global recognition. The Kardashians and Jenners have no special talents and they’re not famous for anything in particular. It’s the Kardashian paradox: they’re famous for being good at being famous. And vacation rental owners can learn a lot from them!
1. Your brand name
Kim Kardashian West
Kim started her empire thanks to her Kardashian last name. Her father was a successful celebrity lawyer and made the headlines when he famously represented OJ Simpson. Kim’s surname allowed her to network with the richest people in Hollywood and start carving out a name for herself.
Vacation Rental Owners
Not all vacation rental owners can benefit from a brand name that was famous before launching their existing one. But just like her, vacation rental owners have to pick a brand name that etches its brand identity into the minds and hearts of their customers.
There’s a reason why Shangri-La hotels aren’t called “Top Asian Brand of Luxury Hotel and Resorts” and another reason why you shouldn’t call your vacation rental anything as generic as “Colorado Vacation Rental Home”.
For example, Tangerine Sunsets has vacation rental properties in Nassau, Orlando and Havana, three places that have spectacular sunsets. Just by reading their brand name you can already imagine that they’re in tropical locations. They also included “vacation villas” in their name to make sure everyone understands their business.
Key Takeaways
Just like Kim K, your brand name is how the world is going to see and recognize you. Be creative, but make sure it fits your business. Once you have your brand name, register your website domain and grab that username on all the major social networks.
2. Clear brand identity and message
Kim Kardashian West
The members of the Kardashian family are all different in personalities, styles and interests. They’ve used those assets to create separate personal brands and messages to relate to almost every demographic in the U.S. For example, Kourtney Kardashian targets young mothers and her brand message is focused on taking care of her young children.
On the other hand, Kim and her army of publicists have successfully changed her message throughout the years; she started off as a socialite and now portrays herself as an influential business woman. She’s even been featured on the cover of Forbes!
Vacation Rental Owners
Successful vacation rentals, as with all brands, sculpt their brand personality and positioning through clear messaging.
Just like Kim Kardashian West, vacation rental websites have to be emotional, mix up their marketing strategy with human emotion to connect with their guests’ interests and passions.
Cottage on Anglesey, for example, talks about going on a long walk around their location and visiting a lighthouse; it’s written like a friend who’s giving you advice:
Key Takeaways
Brand names are great, but you also need to give your business a personality and communicate it with your brand message. Don’t just write what your brand is (e.g. “Colorado vacation rental”), tell a bigger story in which your brand plays a part.
You can use the three-part model to define your brand message:
- Beginning: Problem. Think about the problems your guests have and how your vacation rental business will solve them.
- Middle: Solution. Explain how your business is solving the problems you’ve mentioned in the beginning.
- End: Success. Share with the world just how successful you are at solving these problems. Your vacation rental business is the bomb! But let people know why. Just be careful it doesn’t sound like it’s the end of the road; you’re still in business and are going to continue to be successful.
3. Building social presence
Kim Kardashian West
The Kardashian family showcase their lives through a consumer-driven marketing strategy on social media. If anyone wants to know what they’re eating, wearing, vacationing or how they’re living their lives, all you have to do is to find their social media accounts. They’ve transformed their daily existence into content and their fans love it! They know their target audiences and know what is expected from them; so it’s “easy” for them to give their viewers what they want.
Kim Kardashian is one of the most followed celebrities on social media and she’s an expert at starting a buzz and extending its life on social media. For example, she posts a teaser image of a new project on Instagram, shares it on Twitter and waits a few days to share it on her blog. These images finally resurface once the project has been made public and the hype starts all over again. She knows how to build up expectations and engage with her fans.
Never forget the Armenian Genocide. Spread the word http://t.co/VU2bVnhuUr
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) April 24, 2013
Yes, she may pose nude, but she also shares things about young children, political views and (her) businesses.
Vacation Rental Owners
They have to identify their target audiences and create their customer personas. For example, Palm Breeze Reunion Retreat is located in Orlando, just 6 miles from Disney and Universal Studios. One of their main target markets are families who want to go to Orlando’s main attractions.
Their vacation rental is available for anyone that wants to visit Orlando, but they can divide their potential guests into groups e.g. couples, families with young children, family reunions, etc. and use it for their marketing materials.
Once they know who their guests are, they have to analyze where to find them. Are they active on social media? Where are they coming from, other countries? Or are they locals? It’s all about getting to know them and deciding where to communicate with them. It doesn’t necessarily mean that just because most brands use social media for marketing purposes, you should too. It simply all depends on your audience.
Besides reaching their target audience effectively, vacation rental owners are also present on several listing websites: their own website, Airbnb, FlipKey, etc. It helps to increase the visibility of their properties – as long as they have a good channel manager, of course!
Key Takeaways
You don’t have to be on social media every day; you might not even need social media. But if you want people to know about your vacation rentals, what you do, what you like and most importantly, what you’ve got to offer, use all the marketing channels you need to showcase your brand.
Just like when you Google “Kardashian” and Kim Kardashian is the first result that pops up, make sure your vacation rental has the same power in search engines.
4. Staying in the limelight and loving it
Kim Kardashian West
Kim loves exposure. In fact, in order to stay relevant, she makes sure she’s photographed on a daily basis. No matter what happens in her life, whether she puts on extra weight, goes on vacation or has another baby, she will use it to make thousands of dollars. Even putting on a bit of weight is no big deal to Kim, she simply uses it to post several pictures of herself using diet pills, diet teas and waist trainers.
Vacation Rental Owners
Vacation rental owners have to take advantage of all of their potential. For example, owners with vacation rental properties by the beach should take pictures of their surroundings and the views from their properties, mention the activities that guests can do, events they can attend, and everything else they will experience when they book!
Anemoni Hotel, for example, has a page that mentions the top places to visit in their location. Really valuable information for their guests!
Key Takeaways
It’s all about staying updated and relevant. New festival near your area? Update your listing description, share it on social media, offer discounts, whatever you feel is relevant. These are exactly the kinds of things that will help you stand out from your competition!
Just like Kim, your objective is to stay relevant and in the spotlight for a long time.
5. Niche and diversification
Kim Kardashian West
Each member of the Kardashian family has created a niche brand that appeal to different demographics. Khloe appeals to women who are conscious about their weight and are looking to stay healthy. Kourtney wins over mommy bloggers and Kim helps women own their individuality.
Since they know their target audiences so well, they’ve diversified to cater every aspect of their lifestyles. Name any type of product related to lifestyle, and you can bet Kim K has created her own product or endorsed someone else’s.
Here’s a clear example, not only can you download her emojis on the Apple store and have them on your smartphone, but you can also buy merchandising products of her emojis! So you can now buy iPhone cases and wrapping paper with her face, butt or favorite words.
Vacation Rental Owners
There are niches for every and any vacation rental, from budget villas for surfers in Bali to huge private five-acre properties near the lake for a water skiing weekend.
It’s also a great idea to offer extra services like tours, spa sessions and equipment rentals. Just because you specialize in vacation rentals, doesn’t mean you can’t diversify your brand to include those additional luxuries.
For example, Beachside Resort not only specializes in Cabin rentals, but also offers their guests a fishing tour:
Key Takeaways
Vacation rental owners don’t have to offer every little product or service related to travelling, but it helps to offer other services that will make your guests’ vacation more enjoyable!
Who would’ve thought we could learn so much from a celebrity like Kim Kardashian West?
