• If you want to build your own brand (in order to be less dependent on listing sites), you’ll have to dedicate some of your marketing budget to do so (e.g. building out your own vacation rental website and driving traffic to it through search engine marketing and social media advertising etc.).
• In order to leverage the traffic you’re sending to your vacation rental website, you need to collect contact details (especially email addresses) from your website visitors (potential guests that might still not be ready to book). Email marketing services (like MailChimp) help you to embed opt-in forms on your vacation rental website. Stress the benefits of opting in to receiving your newsletter (e.g. offering an incentive – a special guide or discount).
• Gather contact information over the phone (phone numbers, email addresses etc.).
• Send marketing emails to your guest database (e.g. guests who have stayed with you or were interested in staying with you). Keep your target audience informed about your area, your vacation rental and special deals.
• Consider Facebook Custom Audience Advertising. Build a list of potential guests using the gathered data (e.g. email addresses, phone numbers) and upload it to your Ads Manager. Create Facebook ads and exclusively show them to people on the list you’ve uploaded.
• Use „Remarketing“ on Google and Facebook (e.g. showing ads only to users, who have already visited your vacation rental website). Google lets advertisers opt in to remarketing from Adwords. You’ll have to put a special piece of code on your vacation rental website that tracks the visitors to your site. As soon as those visitors navigate to a site that is running Adsense, your ad will have a chance to be displayed. This way potential guests will be steadily reminded about your vacation rental business. If you want to use Facebook Remarketing you’ll have to install a Facebook Pixel on your vacation rental website, which will track anyone who visits your website while logged into Facebook. Vacation rental owners can create Facebook ads that are only shown to users who have visited their website.
• Partner with local businesses (negotiate special perks for your guests).
• Branding matters (logo, company name, social media handles, hashtags, branded giveaways etc.). Make sure your guests know who you are (e.g. „About Us“ page on your website; Pre-Stay/Post-Stay Communications – include your branding; Onsite Information – printed material at your property etc.).
• Strive to offer amazing guest experiences (e.g. roses and a bottle of wine for guests who are celebrating an anniversary).

(Source: via @LiveRez – Get full details at http://blog.liverez.com/2017/06/29/use-these-9-simple-hacks-to-get-more-direct-bookings-for-your-vacation-rentals/ )