Episodios

  • Are You Making Real or Fake Progress With AI?
    Apr 1 2026

    In this episode Conrad and Paul talk about the realities of AI slop, how you know if you’re making real progress or fake progress, being fooled by hallucinations in AI data, and a lot more!

    Enjoy!


    ⭐️ Links & Show Notes

    • Paul Manzey
    • Conrad O'Connell
    • Conrad's Book: Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing
    • Conrad's Course: Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing 101


    🔗 Connect With BuildUp Bookings

    • Website
    • Book A Call With Us


    🚀 About BuildUp Bookings

    BuildUp Bookings is a team of creative, problem solvers made to drive you more traffic, direct bookings and results for your accommodations brand. Reach out to us for help on search, social and email marketing for your vacation rental brand.

    Más Menos
    41 m
  • What Is The Future Of Direct Bookings (With Arthur Colker)
    Mar 25 2026

    Welcome to our second-ever guest episode! We're joined by Arthur Colker to chat all things direct bookings, OTAs vs direct booking "sourcing", what percent of Airbnb listings are direct bookable and a LOT more topics.

    A special thanks to Arthur for reaching out and joining us.

    Enjoy!


    ⭐️ Links & Show Notes

    • Paul Manzey
    • Conrad O'Connell
    • Conrad's Book: Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing
    • Conrad's Course: Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing 101
    • Arthur Colker
    • StayFi


    🔗 Connect With BuildUp Bookings

    • Website
    • Book A Call With Us


    🚀 About BuildUp Bookings

    BuildUp Bookings is a team of creative, problem solvers made to drive you more traffic, direct bookings and results for your accommodations brand. Reach out to us for help on search, social and email marketing for your vacation rental brand.

    Más Menos
    51 m
  • Here's The Problems With Vacation Rental Marketing Attribution
    Mar 18 2026

    In this episode Conrad and Paul talk "All About Attribution" including how ads platforms track "bookings made", limits of pixels, how to proceed when you get conflicting data, Meta vs Google and a LOT more...

    Enjoy!


    ⭐️ Links & Show Notes

    • Paul Manzey
    • Conrad O'Connell
    • Conrad's Book: Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing
    • Conrad's Course: Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing 101


    🔗 Connect With BuildUp Bookings

    • Website
    • Book A Call With Us


    🚀 About BuildUp Bookings

    BuildUp Bookings is a team of creative, problem solvers made to drive you more traffic, direct bookings and results for your accommodations brand. Reach out to us for help on search, social and email marketing for your vacation rental brand.

    Más Menos
    37 m
  • How To Run A GEO/LLM Search Audit On Your Vacation Rental Website
    Mar 11 2026

    In this episode Conrad and Paul take a crack at defining what a LLM / GEO / AEO whatever ya wanna call it audit should look like.

    Want a copy of the audit? Email conrad@buildupbookings.com with subject line "LLM Audit doc" and you'll get it!

    Enjoy!


    ⭐️ Links & Show Notes

    • Paul Manzey
    • Conrad O'Connell
    • Conrad's Book: Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing
    • Conrad's Course: Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing 101


    🔗 Connect With BuildUp Bookings

    • Website
    • Book A Call With Us


    🚀 About BuildUp Bookings

    BuildUp Bookings is a team of creative, problem solvers made to drive you more traffic, direct bookings and results for your accommodations brand. Reach out to us for help on search, social and email marketing for your vacation rental brand.

    Más Menos
    35 m
  • Every Section You Need On Your Landing Page To Get More Homeowner Leads
    Mar 4 2026
    In this episode Conrad and Paul break down ALL of the sections you need to build a killer, lead-generating machine of a homeowner landing page.From the episode: 1. Hero The first thing a homeowner sees. A bold, benefit-driven headline, a subheadline with your USP, a compelling property photo, and a CTA (form or button). The entire job of this section is to get them to keep scrolling — or fill out the form immediately.2. Trust Bar A slim strip of logos and proof points directly below the hero: Google rating, Airbnb/VRBO partner badges, VRMA membership, BBB, years in business, properties managed. Builds instant credibility before the homeowner has read a single word of copy.3. Pain Point / Problem Agitation Addresses the homeowner's frustration before pitching solutions. Speaks to the stress of self-managing, the underwhelming results from big-box managers, or the fear of leaving money on the table. Creates emotional resonance and makes everything that follows feel relevant.4. Earnings Estimator / Revenue Calculator An interactive tool where the owner enters their address or property details and gets a projected annual income range. One of the highest-converting elements on any owner page — makes the value immediately personal and tangible.5. What Makes Us Different / USP Explains the core differentiators vs. competitors and self-managing. Boutique vs. national, local vs. generic, hands-on vs. automated. Should answer "why you specifically?" not just "why a manager?"6. How It Works / Onboarding Process A 3–5 step visual walkthrough of what happens after a homeowner signs up — from evaluation to first booking. Reduces fear of the unknown and lowers the psychological friction of committing.7. Full-Service Checklist / Everything Included An exhaustive breakdown of every service covered under management: dynamic pricing, professional photography, guest screening, 24/7 support, maintenance coordination, tax remittance, owner reporting, etc. Homeowners need to feel like every detail is handled.8. Channel Distribution / Where You'll Be Listed A logo wall showing all the platforms their property will appear on — Airbnb, VRBO, Booking.com, direct site, Google Vacation Rentals. Reassures owners their home gets maximum market exposure.9. Technology & Tools Showcases the software stack: PMS, dynamic pricing tool, channel manager, housekeeping platform, owner portal. Signals that you run a modern, professional operation — not a spreadsheet-based mom-and-pop.10. Owner Portal Preview A screenshot or short UI demo of the owner dashboard. "See your bookings, earnings, and maintenance requests anytime." Transparency about visibility is one of the top concerns prospective owners have.11. Explainer Video A 60–90 second video walking through the owner value prop — ideally featuring the founder or a real owner story. Vintory's research shows this alone can lift conversions by ~34%.12. Owner Testimonials Full-name quotes from real homeowners, ideally with photo, property type, and location. Best if mixed between long-form narrative quotes and short punchy pull-quotes. Video testimonials are even better.13. Owner Success Story / Case Study A single deep-dive narrative: one real owner, specific numbers, before/after comparison. "Sarah had a 2BR in Pacific Beach. Year one with us: $58,000 — 37% more than she earned solo." Makes results feel concrete and achievable.14. Star Ratings & Review Count A standalone visual callout of your aggregate Google/Airbnb rating and review volume. Deserves its own moment rather than being buried in the trust bar.15. Side-by-Side Comparison Table Self-managing vs. big national manager vs. you. One of the most persuasive conversion tools on the page. Directly neutralizes the "why not just list it myself?" objection with a visual, scannable answer.16. Risk Reversals / Guarantees Placed near CTAs to eliminate commitment fear. No long-term contracts, no startup fees, satisfaction guarantee, 30-day out clause, performance guarantee — whatever you actually offer. Reduces the perceived risk of saying yes.17. Local Market Expertise / Market Data Average nightly rates, occupancy benchmarks, peak season data, demand trends for your specific market. Positions your company as the local authority, not just a vendor. Especially powerful against national competitors.18. About the Team / Company Story A brief, human section with founder photo and origin story. Builds emotional connection and trust — particularly important for boutique operators competing against faceless national brands.19. FAQ / Objection Crusher An accordion of the real questions homeowners ask during the sales process: fees, personal use, damage protection, revenue reporting, how long to get started. Each answer should resolve a specific objection.20. Press / Awards / Recognition Any local media coverage, industry awards, or "As Featured In" mentions. Even modest recognition adds a layer of legitimacy that social proof ...
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    44 m
  • Here's Why Hotels Can Be Better Than Vacation Rentals
    Feb 25 2026

    In this episode Conrad and Paul flip the script and break down WHY a hotel often is a better stay than a vacation rental.

    Enjoy!


    ⭐️ Links & Show Notes

    • Paul Manzey
    • Conrad O'Connell
    • Conrad's Book: Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing
    • Conrad's Course: Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing 101


    🔗 Connect With BuildUp Bookings

    • Website
    • Book A Call With Us


    🚀 About BuildUp Bookings

    BuildUp Bookings is a team of creative, problem solvers made to drive you more traffic, direct bookings and results for your accommodations brand. Reach out to us for help on search, social and email marketing for your vacation rental brand.

    Más Menos
    41 m
  • Your Vacation Rental Website Traffic Is Up, But Your Bookings Are Down - Why?
    Feb 18 2026

    In this episode Conrad and Paul dive into a 2026 trend: your website traffic is up, but your bookings are down - why?

    Enjoy!


    ⭐️ Links & Show Notes

    • Paul Manzey
    • Conrad O'Connell
    • Conrad's Book: Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing
    • Conrad's Course: Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing 101


    🔗 Connect With BuildUp Bookings

    • Website
    • Book A Call With Us


    🚀 About BuildUp Bookings

    BuildUp Bookings is a team of creative, problem solvers made to drive you more traffic, direct bookings and results for your accommodations brand. Reach out to us for help on search, social and email marketing for your vacation rental brand.

    Más Menos
    38 m
  • AI Update: Q1 of 2026: OpenClaw, "Prompt Tracking" Useless?, Current AI Tools We're Using
    Feb 11 2026

    In this episode Conrad and Paul give their regular update on AI: what tools they're using, what's changing, and how you can use it to grow and scale your vacation rental business. They talk ClawdBot (aka OpenClaw), traffic from LLMs going down month over month, prompt tracking value (it's useless?!), and what tools they're using MORE and LESS of...

    Enjoy!


    ⭐️ Links & Show Notes

    • Paul Manzey
    • Conrad O'Connell
    • OpenClaw
    • NEW Research: AIs are highly inconsistent when recommending brands or products; marketers should take care when tracking AI visibility
    • ChatGPT vs Google Traffic Data
    • Conrad's Book: Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing
    • Conrad's Course: Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing 101


    🔗 Connect With BuildUp Bookings

    • Website
    • Book A Call With Us


    🚀 About BuildUp Bookings

    BuildUp Bookings is a team of creative, problem solvers made to drive you more traffic, direct bookings and results for your accommodations brand. Reach out to us for help on search, social and email marketing for your vacation rental brand.

    Más Menos
    52 m