You've put the finishing touches on your vacation rental property and you're ready to open the doors to the hoards of awaiting guests. And now the big question is, "How many guests do you have confirmed this season at your vacation rental property?”

Unfortunately, that's the one question many vacation rental property owners leave to chance. Whether you're approaching your first rental season or your tenth, you can't expect your vacation property to fill with guests without aggressively marketing it. You've got to let vacationers know it's out there and why they should choose it over all the other properties that are available.

Vacationing might very well be America's favorite thing to do, but the vacation rental market is an extremely competitive market. Many vacation property owners leave the tasks of marketing and booking guests to businesses that specialize in renting vacation properties. That approach is fine, as long as you're getting the results you're paying for.

If you'd rather market your vacation rental property yourself, start by creating a web site for it. Fill the site with photos that actually highlight the property's features. For example, don't just take photos of the living room; be sure to also capture the view outside the sliding glass door. Use words to help describe the property's best features including accurate distances to area attractions. Add a booking calendar and display rental rates. Build your rental business around satisfied guests. Offer guests incentives such as discounts to entice them to re-book next season. Use their testimonials to add credibility to your vacation rental property.

There's much more you need to do to ensure your vacation rental marketing efforts are successful. Regardless of how you may have imagined it, owning a vacation rental property takes a lot of effort to become a profitable business.