7 Key Components of RV Rental Photograpghy

In this episode of the RV Rental Secrets Podcast, Stacy Maxon details the critical aspects of RV rental photography, emphasizing its pivotal role in garnering more bookings. Highlighting photography as the first impression potential customers have, Stacy shares insightful strategies to enhance listing appeal. The discussion opens with the importance of cleanliness, advising listeners to ensure their RVs are spotless inside and out to avoid deterring customers.

Stacy then shifts focus to the significance of the environment in photographs, advocating for scenic backdrops to make listings more appealing. She suggests taking advantage of natural beauty to make RVs stand out and shares research indicating a 40% higher booking chance with picturesque backgrounds. Lighting is another crucial topic; Stacy advises capturing exterior shots during golden hours and ensuring ample lighting for interiors to showcase the RV in its best light.

The episode also covers technical tips, such as using the horizontal landscape orientation for photographs and leveraging smartphones’ editing features to enhance photo quality. Stacy touches on the importance of capturing spaciousness through strategic angles and the use of wide-angle lenses, especially in compact RV interiors.

Staging emerges as a key element in differentiating listings. She recommends tasteful decoration to convey comfort and attractiveness, suggesting the inclusion of nature-themed elements and vibrant linens. She also discusses the potential impact of featuring people and pets in photos to showcase the RV’s family and pet-friendly aspects, recommending professional photography for optimal results.

Concluding, Stacy encourages listeners to reevaluate their current listings with these tips in mind, especially during the off-season, to maximize their rental potential. She stresses the significance of standout photos in attracting more clicks and, consequently, more reservations, underscoring the episode's guidance as a roadmap to success in the RV rental industry.

     

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Welcome to the RV Rental Secrets Podcast.

(00:02):
.999I'm your host, Stacey Maxson, and I'm thrilled to guide you through the journey of launching, growing, and managing a profitable RV rental business. 3 00:00:08,717.664399093 --> 00:00:09,677.664399093 Hello, everyone. 4 00:00:09,677.664399093 --> 00:00:14,417.664399093 I'm so excited that you're joining me this week for the RV Rental Secrets podcast. 5 00:00:15,112.664099093 --> 00:00:20,252.665399093 This week, we're gonna talk about the seven key components of RV rental photography. 6 00:00:21,72.664399093 --> 00:00:39,672.664399093 So As you may know, I know I've talked about it on other episodes, but the photo on your listing is gonna be the first impression of your RV rental is gonna be the most important thing, what makes people click on You're listing to get more reservations. 7 00:00:39,672.664399093 --> 00:00:52,7.662399093 So I really wanna take a whole episode to dig deep into how you can make your RV rental photography better and how you can use that to get more bookings. 8 00:00:52,7.662399093 --> 00:00:56,507.662399093 You know, we've really been working on that a lot with Fireside recently. 9 00:00:56,647.660399093 --> 00:01:06,552.663399093 We purchased a three sixty camera so that we can do virtual tours of our of all of our units. 10 00:01:06,962.663399093 --> 00:01:21,182.659399093 We've been giving that to each of the franchise so that they can take photos and we can upload those on our website to help us stand out and do virtual tours and video tours of our rental units. 11 00:01:21,182.659399093 --> 00:01:28,82.663399093 We really see the importance of this and wanna share some of our the tips that we have with you. 12 00:01:28,82.663399093 --> 00:01:35,382.663399093 So the first thing is you wanna make sure that you clean your unit inside and out. 13 00:01:36,17.668399093 --> 00:01:37,297.663399093 Everything should be clean. 14 00:01:37,297.663399093 --> 00:01:41,17.66839909 There should be no garbage, no personal items, nothing. 15 00:01:41,17.66839909 --> 00:01:54,482.67339909 So I don't know how many times I've gone through listings and see Dishes out on the counter or things lying in the sink, you know, garbage in the garbage bin. 16 00:01:55,52.67339909 --> 00:01:59,527.67339909 Think of being a customer And seeing that, it's really gonna be a turnoff. 17 00:01:59,697.67339909 --> 00:02:05,797.68339909 You have hundreds of RVs in your area most likely that you're competing against. 18 00:02:06,462.68339909 --> 00:02:11,202.68339909 So you really want to show that your RV is clean. 19 00:02:11,422.68339909 --> 00:02:16,657.67339909 You wanna show how they'll be receiving it, and that's gonna be a clean unit. 20 00:02:17,277.68339909 --> 00:02:24,737.68339909 So number one, make sure all of your RVs are clean top to bottom, inside and out before you take the photos. 21 00:02:25,332.69339909 --> 00:02:29,672.68339909 You know, I know it can be very time consuming, but it's gonna be so worth it. 22 00:02:29,672.68339909 --> 00:02:32,732.68339909 Next is focus on your environment. 23 00:02:33,517.68339909 --> 00:02:40,337.68339909 So everything seen in the background of your photos will reflect on you and your camper. 24 00:02:40,832.69339909 --> 00:02:49,572.68339909 So you wanna make sure to park your camper in a nice environment to capture a clutter free exterior photo. 25 00:02:49,572.68339909 --> 00:02:53,12.68339909 So utilize the amazing outdoor spaces near you. 26 00:02:53,12.68339909 --> 00:03:04,122.67339909 Renters wanna visualize the vacation, You know, with lakes and trees, mountains, or a beautiful desert they don't wanna see it in a driveway or a storage lot. 27 00:03:05,157.66339909 --> 00:03:10,597.63339909 And another thing with that, you I've seen a lot,, when they are in a driveway or a storage lot. 28 00:03:10,597.63339909 --> 00:03:18,872.64339909 Like, I get That's where it is, and, it's time effective for you to just snap those photos where the camper is. 29 00:03:18,872.64339909 --> 00:03:31,337.65339909 But, again, there can be garbage in the background or other RVs, and it's just taking away from that feeling that the renter could get when they're gonna be renting the unit. 30 00:03:31,427.65339909 --> 00:03:46,572.65339909 You know, so just A great thing I like to do is after I've set up the RV for a renter you know, it's already gonna be clean, and then you can go ahead and take the exterior photo with the RV all set up in a campground. 31 00:03:47,142.65339909 --> 00:03:50,762.65339909 So that can be a nice easy way for you to get that photo. 32 00:03:50,762.65339909 --> 00:03:57,847.65339909 Research shows that your camper has a forty percent higher chance of being booked with a scenic background. 33 00:03:58,457.65339909 --> 00:04:05,357.67339909 It's worth taking the time to take in the RV to a beautiful location to get those pictures. 34 00:04:05,357.67339909 --> 00:04:06,657.67339909 Next is lighting. 35 00:04:07,277.67339909 --> 00:04:10,497.67339909 So good lighting is gonna be incredibly important. 36 00:04:10,802.67339909 --> 00:04:18,822.69339909 For your exterior pictures, the best lighting is right before the sun fully rises and right before the sun fully sets. 37 00:04:19,557.67339909 --> 00:04:24,457.67339909 If you can't do it during these times, it's always best to have the sun behind you. 38 00:04:24,837.67339909 --> 00:04:28,937.67339909 For interior photos, you wanna make sure to turn on every light in the RV. 39 00:04:29,592.67339909 --> 00:04:38,752.67339909 If you have a nice exterior, you can keep the windows open for even more lighting, but close all the blinds if you don't have a nice landscape exterior. 40 00:04:38,892.69339909 --> 00:04:48,52.69339909 And, again, if you're not great with lighting, then that may be where you wanna bring in a professional photographer to take those photos for you. 41 00:04:48,52.69339909 --> 00:04:55,657.71339909 Next a lot of times, people are just taking the photos on their camera on their phone, and that's okay. 42 00:04:55,657.71339909 --> 00:04:58,877.71339909 You know, cameras these days are excellent. 43 00:04:59,337.71339909 --> 00:05:09,742.71339909 But one of the things that I suggest is to make sure that you're holding your camera phone in the horizontal landscape position for all your photos. 44 00:05:10,497.71339909 --> 00:05:13,687.71339909 So that'll be side to side, not up and down. 45 00:05:13,827.71339909 --> 00:05:19,832.73339909 So your photos will look much better on the scene and they'll also help your camper to appear larger. 46 00:05:19,832.73339909 --> 00:05:22,972.73339909 Number five is you wanna make sure you edit your photos. 47 00:05:23,467.71339909 --> 00:05:28,687.71339909 So most smartphones have awesome editing capabilities, so make sure you use them. 48 00:05:29,307.70339909 --> 00:05:35,912.73339909 After taking a photo, use the editing feature to brighten it up, Add some contrast or soften the edges. 49 00:05:36,292.75339909 --> 00:05:41,752.73339909 You know, just play around with it to make the photo pop, but be careful not to make it unrealistic. 50 00:05:42,587.73339909 --> 00:05:44,207.71339909 So some filters are great. 51 00:05:44,587.73339909 --> 00:05:54,242.73339909 It just adds a little bit more lighting to the photo if it's a little bit off but you don't wanna make it look like it's a fake photo. 52 00:05:54,242.73339909 --> 00:05:56,662.73339909 Number six, hallways and corners. 53 00:05:57,42.75339909 --> 00:05:59,782.73339909 Don't shoot directly into a wall. 54 00:06:00,197.75339909 --> 00:06:04,297.75339909 Try shooting into a corner or straight down a hallway instead. 55 00:06:04,837.73339909 --> 00:06:10,92.73339909 This will give your pictures more depth and make this space feel more open. 56 00:06:10,632.73339909 --> 00:06:17,797.73339909 So try positioning yourself as far back in a corner as possible and shoot towards the opposite corner. 57 00:06:18,337.73339909 --> 00:06:24,837.73339909 If your camper or phone has a wide angle lens option, that's a great time to use it. 58 00:06:25,492.73339909 --> 00:06:32,392.71339909 Campers obviously have small spaces, but you want to make it feel as large as possible. 59 00:06:33,97.71339909 --> 00:06:37,357.73339909 And that's going to help, get you more views and more rentals. 60 00:06:37,357.73339909 --> 00:06:42,562.73339909 And the last key component, Number seven is staging. 61 00:06:43,372.73339909 --> 00:06:52,57.75339909 Staging a camper is one of the best ways to set yourself apart from the competition, but it has to be done in a clean and tasteful manner. 62 00:06:52,757.77339909 --> 00:06:58,537.77339909 So for example, you can position a plush towel on the edge of the bathroom countertop. 63 00:06:58,537.77339909 --> 00:07:16,357.77339909 Try placing throw pillows on your couch, a nice throw blanket on the bed To give some texture, color, and comfort, you can use tiny potted succulents or cacti, would work well in small RV shelves or on countertops. 64 00:07:16,357.77339909 --> 00:07:23,502.77339909 Because RV'ing's always about nature, so bringing that nature into the RV can be good. 65 00:07:23,502.77339909 --> 00:07:32,527.77339909 In the main bed, make sure it's always made with nice fresh liddens and a pop of color for the pillows. 66 00:07:32,527.77339909 --> 00:07:36,227.77339909 Just really make it inviting, clean, bright. 67 00:07:36,227.77339909 --> 00:07:41,467.74339909 The photos should make the the potential renters want to get the RV. 68 00:07:41,467.74339909 --> 00:07:44,47.68339909 Another thing is having, people in the photos. 69 00:07:44,267.72339909 --> 00:07:53,252.71339909 You could have it staged where, a board game is set up on the dinette, and there's a family there playing game. 70 00:07:54,112.71339909 --> 00:07:59,622.71339909 And You could have it staged where, the family is having a movie night in the camper. 71 00:08:00,242.71339909 --> 00:08:06,1.04673243 Or If you're pet friendly, you can have photos of pets in the unit. 72 00:08:06,1.04673243 --> 00:08:15,221.01673243 But if you're using, people and pets, I do suggest using a professional photographer so that they can look really clean and staged. 73 00:08:15,221.01673243 --> 00:08:17,801.05673243 You don't want it to look messy. 74 00:08:17,941.05673243 --> 00:08:24,526.05673243 You want it to just be really inviting, and that can help get you more rentals. 75 00:08:24,526.05673243 --> 00:08:27,611.05673243 So I hope these tips were helpful for you. 76 00:08:27,611.05673243 --> 00:08:42,461.04673243 Go back, listen with a pen and notepad and go back and take a look at your listings and see, do they meet these criteria? And if not, then go ahead and get some new photos taken. 77 00:08:42,791.04673243 --> 00:08:53,126.06673243 I know it can be really time consuming to clean and stage but it can be a great time to take a look at it when you're during your off or slow season. 78 00:08:53,826.01673243 --> 00:09:02,241.01673243 And go ahead, and it'll be so worth it because you'll see if you have photos that really pop, It's gonna get you so many more clicks. 79 00:09:02,301.01673243 --> 00:09:07,441.01673243 And, obviously, the more clicks you have, the more potential you have to get more reservations. 80 00:09:07,441.11673243 --> 00:09:09,761.04673243 So thank you so much for joining me this week. 81 00:09:09,761.04673243 --> 00:09:10,981.08673243 I'll talk to you soon.