Cottage and seasonal-owner marketing: winning customers who aren't here most of the year

Who the seasonal owner is

The seasonal owner isn't one person. Treating them as one is why a lot of cottage marketing falls flat.

• The long-time family cottager on a Tiny or Ramara beach road who has used the same plumber for years and only switches when that plumber retires.
• The newer owner who bought in Oro-Medonte or along Georgian Bay recently, doesn't know any local trades and searches from home in the city.
• The rental owner in Wasaga Beach or near Horseshoe Valley who needs fast turnarounds between guests.
• The property manager or watcher looking after several places, who becomes a referral source if you make their job easier.

Each needs a slightly different message. The family cottager needs to hear that you're dependable and here to stay. The new owner needs to find you at all. The rental owner cares about speed, and the property manager about paperwork.

What the programme includes

We build the marketing around the jobs that repeat every year.

• Opening and closing packages. Clear, priced bundles your customers can book ahead, presented on their own pages.
• Pre-booking campaigns. Reminders sent in late winter for spring openings and in August for fall closings, to people who have done business with you and whose consent is on record under Canada's anti-spam legislation.
• Check-in and winter-watch services. Pages and messages for owners who want someone to look in during the cold months.
• Proof-of-work routine. A habit of sending photos and a short written note after each visit, which absentee owners value and often share.
• Search ads and pages for GTA searchers. Content written for someone in Toronto who needs work done at their property up north.
• Referral loop with property managers. A simple way for watchers and managers to send you work and know it will be handled.

Timeline and what success looks like

The first season is about building the list and the habits; the second is where repeat bookings show up.

We measure success by rebooking rate (how many last-season customers booked again), pre-booked jobs before each season starts, and cost per new seasonal customer from ads and search.

A worked example

Numbers make the case clearer than adjectives. Suppose you have 120 seasonal customers and each one spends about $450 a year on opening and closing work.

• If 50% rebook without any reminder, that's 60 customers and $27,000.
• If a simple reminder programme lifts rebooking to 70%, that's 84 customers and $37,800.

The difference, $10,800, comes from people who already trust you. Very few ad campaigns can match that cost.

Mistakes to avoid

Seasonal owners forgive a lot, but not silence.

• Not answering when they call from the city. They often call during their workday; if you can't pick up, a fast text reply matters.
• Vague scheduling. "Sometime in May" doesn't work for someone planning a drive north. Give a date or a window.
• No proof of work. An owner who can't see what was done wonders whether it was done.
• Marketing the season too late. Closing season ads that start in October chase the owners who are left over.
• Messaging without consent records. CASL applies to commercial texts and emails; keep a clear record of how each contact joined your list.

Related services

This programme fits inside a wider seasonal campaign plan, and the ads side runs through our Google Ads service. Our guide to reaching absentee cottage owners goes deeper into messages and timing.