How SkyRun Breckenridge Improved Marketing and Increased Vacation Rental Bookings

Welcome to the vacation rental testimonial video featuring Taylor McCreary of SkyRun Breckenridge. Discover how investing in Virtuance's suite of services has brought significant success to SkyRun Breckenridge.

In this video, Taylor McCreary, the Director of Business Development at SkyRun Breckenridge, shares how Virtuance emerged as a comprehensive solution for their real estate photography needs, addressing their challenges and transforming their operations. With Virtuance, they have achieved marketing consistency and a quicker turnaround time, improving their overall marketing strategy and generating more leads through their website and social media channels.

One of the remarkable successes experienced by SkyRun Breckenridge is the 6 to 8 percent increase in bookings for vacation rental homeowners who reinvested in their homes with a Virtuance photo shoot. This increase translates to an additional month of occupancy!

Virtuance's commitment to delivering standardized, high-quality products through their photography services has positively impacted SkyRun Breckenridge's brand image. They maintain a premium standard, ensuring consistent visuals across all platforms.

The online platform provided by Virtuance has streamlined SkyRun Breckenridge's scheduling process. Quick input of property details, service selection, and efficient scheduling of photo shoots have greatly improved their operational efficiency.

Partnering with Virtuance has elevated SkyRun Breckenridge's marketing strategy. The consistent and captivating visuals enhance their SEO on channel platforms and greatly improve the marketing for their property listings.

As a result of reinvesting in Virtuance shoots, SkyRun Breckenridge's homeowners have experienced an average booking increase of between 6 and 8 percent. One homeowner is even earning $10,000 more year over year, showcasing the remarkable impact of this investment.

Transcript

[00:00:00] We have one homeowner that we met with actually as part of a retention effort due to revenue goals. Part of that retention effort for us was investing in Virtuance's photography for the home. Virtuance was able to get out the home to photograph it. Next week we had to work around some existing reservations.

[00:00:18] photographed unit. So that was by the time we had the stills uploaded. It was the end of May 30th. So it's almost been six months. This property is making 10, 000 more year over year than it did previously. That is a 20 percent increase year over year.

[00:00:36] This is Curb Appeal. A podcast for real estate professionals who are looking to build out their business and get more deals done. And each episode we uncover what is and isn't working when it comes to scaling in the industry. Listen in and get actionable steps to grow your real estate brand, attract more business and expand your footprint in the industry.

[00:00:56] Okay, let's get started.[00:01:00] 

[00:01:05] Hi everyone. I'm Rachel Gombosch, marketing manager here at Virtuance, and I'm really excited to be bringing you our next client success story. Today, I'm talking to Taylor McCreery of Skyrun Breckenridge. She's the director of business development. Skyrun is a vacation rental property management company, and they've been around since 2009 delivering exceptional service, not only to their homeowners, but also providing any of those vacation rental guests an unbelievable vacation experience.

[00:01:30] I'm really excited to be talking to Taylor today about how Virtuants Has really been helping Skyrun get more eyes on those vacation rentals for their homeowners and also just more people renting out the property. She throws some amazing statistics your way. So I'm excited for everyone to hear it, but I don't want us to be waiting any longer.

[00:01:46] So without further ado, let's start chatting with Taylor. Let's go ahead and just get started, Taylor. And I think the best way to introduce this is if you could just tell me a little bit about yourself and your position at Skyrun, who Skyrun is, and really what [00:02:00] awesome things you guys are doing in the industry right now.

[00:02:02] Yeah, absolutely. So I am Taylor McCreary. I am the director of business development for SkyRun Breckenridge. We work in the vacation rental management space. We are a full service vacation rental management company, which means that we simplify owning a vacation rental for the homeowners that we represent.

[00:02:18] We take care of marketing and advertising, which our partnership with Virtuance really helps with. We also handle day-to-day maintenance, housekeeping, et cetera. So the scope of my role here for the company is making sure that these homes stay very profitable and that we are meeting revenue goals for our homeowners and for the business as a whole, because those coincide very intimately here in our business.

[00:02:42] So having really captivating visuals, making sure that you are up to date on your SEO and your keyword mining and your copywriting for listings, because we're. Selling available nights to potential guests is really important for us. So this partnership is just so valuable and just [00:03:00] enhancing our marketing overall.

[00:03:01] Yeah, that's awesome. So speaking on the partnership and you know how important it is to really take these vacation rental properties to market so they. They get attention and you get those spaces filled. What maybe were some of the challenges before the partnership that you and Skyrun were experiencing and some issues that maybe you really just needed resolved and that Virtuants could fill in some of those voids?

[00:03:20] Yeah, I would say our biggest challenges that we had to overcome prior to Virtuants were consistency. With our image quality, we were using a lot of photographer subcontractors, some of which were better than others. Timing, scheduling was an issue. For us, we would take sometimes a week or two to get a photographer into a unit, which is really difficult during what we call the onboarding phase for new homeowners, when it's imperative that we get a listing up and running as soon as possible so that we can actively market that property.

[00:03:49] And then the turnaround time also led to delays in the onboarding process, which led to frustration for both us and our homeowners. So we've been able to really streamline this process. We have a very [00:04:00] consistent product that we're able to give to all of our homeowners by using photographers that have shot lists that are very tailored to us and our vacation rental management space.

[00:04:10] We are typically able to get a photographer in the next week. I have really been impressed by. Actually, a couple of shoots that I had to schedule around this Thanksgiving holiday that's upcoming. And we were able to get someone in there right away for some new properties. And we have those edited stills back the next business day, which is huge.

[00:04:28] That's awesome. That's incredible. So on the topic of consistency, how would you say Virtuance's suite of services have really contributed to enhancing Skyrun's overall brand image and reputation? Yes, with consistency, we have a really beautiful product that we are able to roll out to guests and a product that homeowners are proud to roll out to guests.

[00:04:47] We get a lot of feedback consistently. That's overwhelmingly positive that our homeowners love their new images when they invest in a reshoot of their home. And for our new homeowners, they typically give us glowing [00:05:00] reviews on how much better their listing looked than it did previously under their previous management option, most management companies use in house photography services.

[00:05:08] The photo editing quality is just so much better. It's truly 4k ultra. It showcases the home in its best light. And it's really a captivating image that gets in front of guests. We have had feedback from guests that the photos look very consistent. They look like the space. So it's really capturing the home in the best light without making an upsell, if that makes sense.

[00:05:31] Yeah, absolutely. Still on that topic too. Can you provide any quantifiable data for maybe how the marketing that you're using or that Virtuance is assisting you in has helped you to fill some of these homes for. These homeowners. Yes. So with a homes that we've had on our program previously, where our homeowners have reinvested in their homes with a virtuance photo shoot, we have seen an average of a six to 8 percent increase in bookings, which is really [00:06:00] significant.

[00:06:00] Most of our properties, we're doing at least a 50. to 60 percent occupancy year over year in Brigham Ridge, which translates to somewhere between 180 and 215 nights a year. So we're adding in another month of occupancy here and there, which is really helping our homeowners meet those revenue goals. Yeah.

[00:06:17] Oh my goodness. That's incredible. That makes me. Really excited to hear those numbers and how we're really helping your homeowners as well. So that's really what it's all about. So I want to switch gears a little bit and talk more so about the Virtuance team that you have been working with and just discussing in what ways the Virtuance team has really assisted your business in meeting any unique marketing needs, um, and goals that you have.

[00:06:38] The customer service team is always friendly, easy to work with, very responsive, gets back to you very quickly. Which is huge because things move very fast in our industry. They are so good about taking very detailed notes. Being able to work with the photographers, um, and their schedules and sometimes we have timelines where, uh, [00:07:00] we need a home shot on a particular day and then it's not going to be available for three months because a homeowner might be staying in the property seasonally and they have been able to deliver every single time.

[00:07:12] They are always open to feedback, constructive criticism, if we ever have to provide that. And every single time we've had a property shot, we've been overwhelmingly pleased with the results. In the instances where maybe our homeowners have been less than pleased because they had some forks, and these are expectations that we have to work through in this industry on a regular basis.

[00:07:32] When we communicate that to the team, they've done a really great job of getting the photographers back out there, capturing these images. And creating a result that our team and our homeowners are very proud of. I really love talking about our team in general, because I think for us, it's such a big deal to make sure that our clients are happy, but also that we're really just providing not only amazing products and services, but that we are providing really great customer service.

[00:07:56] So that when there maybe is a quirk or a jump we need to get over that, we can [00:08:00] get over that really smoothly to ensure that on both sides, we're all really satisfied. And even to your homeowners as well, that they're satisfied with how. their property is captured. So I'm really glad to hear about that positive experience that your team and your homeowners have really been facing with our team.

[00:08:16] I do want to continue with our customer support team and really how their contribution has contributed to your businesses seamless. integration and utilization of services. So as far as how the team has really done a good job to support that, what is most valuable for us is a quick turnaround time. So harkening back to their responsiveness, we always have a response to.

[00:08:39] Uh, whether we can make something work or not by the end of the business day, usually before, which is really great. We have edited stills back by the end of the business day and we can upload those to the listing and get that property market day, get it advertised and get those nights sold. That's awesome.

[00:08:55] Do you have any notable success stories or client feedback? That [00:09:00] is directly related to the use of Virtuance's media and content. We have one homeowner that we met with actually as part of a retention effort, uh, due to revenue goals back in May of this year. Part of that retention effort for us was investing in Virtuance's photography for the home.

[00:09:17] Virtuance was able to get out the home to photograph it. Next week we had to work around some existing reservations. photographed unit. So that was by the time we had the stills uploaded. It was the end of May 30th. So it's almost been six months. This property is making 10, 000 more year over year than it did previously.

[00:09:36] That is a 20 percent increase year over year. Oh my gosh. And simply one of those factors just being the marketing that they're keeping, which I think too is really important because you're in a different space than just selling a single family property. These are vacation rentals and maybe touch on a quick second why it is so incredibly important for that marketing to be exemplary for a [00:10:00] vacation rental property.

[00:10:01] Absolutely. It's a very competitive market to the point where most people call vacation rentals, Airbnbs. So when you are fighting with over 3, 000 other properties in a group, and actually there are 3, 000 Airbnbs available in Breckenridge, so that's what every single one of our homeowners has to compete with.

[00:10:20] So that first impression when you're getting in front of that guest is so important. Guests really look for a clearly represented space, but professional photography, and Just is captivating. It draws the eye and it's really important to make sure that you are getting those booking conversions and not just from the guest experience.

[00:10:41] So channel managers that we use like Airbnb to put their top performing properties at the front and center, because it helps them generate revenue as well. So if we're doing a better job of marketing our homes, because we're the ones who are supplying that marketing content, that captivating copywriting, the photography [00:11:00] for the units.

[00:11:01] It's really important that we provide an elite level of marketing support for homeowners so that they do stay competitive. I think that's a really great point you brought up that when you're going through these channels like Airbnb, how they essentially function just like a Google search engine and just as Google have high quality SEO and you're implementing those really great strategies for SEO, how Google going to feed you to that first page when someone is searching for something specific.

[00:11:29] And I think that's a really great point to bring up that these channels you guys are tapping into for your vacation rental properties are essentially doing the exact same thing. And one of those strategies is that exemplary marketing that your homeowners are using for their properties, which clearly has shown from your success story of You're one property manager who's getting 10, 000 more a month.

[00:11:49] That is wild simply from just the marketing that they're using. Year over year, 10, 000 more a month would be awesome. We would love to get there. Yes, actually year over year. Yes, but still that's an [00:12:00] incredible statistic to really just bring to the forefront. Remaining on the topic of just providing really quality visuals, what are some of your favorite products or enhancements that Skyrun is using for your homeowners to help get that extra attention to their vacation rental?

[00:12:15] Our favorite products to use are twilight photography and the aerial photography. So out here we are Located in Brickenridge, which is a high alpine location, and it's really difficult to capture just the grandeur of the area without hitting the area at its best light, which is hit by light here, capturing some gorgeous sunset over the Rockies or going.

[00:12:38] With the aerial options where you have the drones, I don't know if they have like more of fish islands or what it is, but they can really capture the entire valley, which is amazing. Yeah, and I think that's also a great point to bring up of a lot of times in vacation rentals, you're not just selling the property itself, but you're really selling the location.

[00:12:55] And so having those aerials to really help someone identify where the property [00:13:00] is within vicinity to the mountains or any other amazing features that your vacation rental is providing is really important. And does go that extra mile for any type of vacation rental to not only sell the property itself, but also sell the location, which is where aerial photography can really come in handy.

[00:13:16] But yes, I also absolutely love our twilight. I love that beautiful cotton candy sky. It's such an amazing hero image for you to put on like front of your listing to really capture someone's attention. Considering especially a lot of listings in general just have a standard daylight photo. So those twilights are really amazing and helping to actually draw more attention to your listing as well.

[00:13:36] So that's really great to hear that Skyrun is taking advantage of some of those enhancements to draw more eyes to vacation rentals. I do want to start wrapping up and I want to discuss why you would recommend Virtuance to anyone in the real estate industry, more specifically for vacation rentals. But why would you recommend Virtuance?

[00:13:54] I would recommend Virtuance for anyone in this industry, either real estate or an [00:14:00] affiliate field like vacation rental management, when you're looking to make your brand image more consistent and you're looking for a quick turnaround time for your visuals. That's where I feel like Virtuance truly shines in our industry.

[00:14:15] That's amazing. Thank you so much again for your time. Is there any other final comments? that you have before we wrap up this session. We really appreciate this partnership. It's really helped us and our location and I'm excited to see you guys grow. Thank you so much. We're excited about this partnership and just have heard.

[00:14:35] Nothing but amazing things. You're a fantastic partner to work with, and we're just happy that we can help you bring attention to all of your vacation rentals to help you guys and your homeowners boost their business as well. So thank you for the partnership. Thank you for your time. Thanks for listening to Curb Appeal.

[00:14:52] If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to follow along on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. This podcast is brought to you by Virtuance. [00:15:00] Whether you market one listing a year or thousands, Virtuance is your go to real estate photographer for consistent, magazine quality images that are scientifically proven to get results.

[00:15:10] For more episodes of Curb Appeal, please visit Virtuance. com slash podcast.