Mike Jackson has been running his business, Southwinds Rentals, through the Outdoorsy platform for the past 4 years. “I chose my first RV because it was a low-cost travel trailer,” Mike tells us. “I first bought it for personal use in November of 2016 and started renting it in May of 2017.
“Initially, I chose to list on Outdoorsy because of their customer service,” Mike explains. “This kindness is the main reason I stay, but it’s also a very safe experience renting on Outdoorsy. We have the Outdoorsy rules plus our own additional rules that make it that way. We have also found that Outdoorsy has the best comprehensive rental software for the RV business.”
In fact, Mike has had such a good experience with Outdoorsy, he even stuck around when he chose to focus more on cargo and utility trailer rentals rather than RVs at the end of last year. Mike uses Wheelbase for all of his trailer rentals, and it is serving him well as his business continues to grow.
Of course, while Wheelbase is helpful when running a rental business, it isn’t responsible for Mike’s success. What is? Well, it could be attributed in part to the various ways Mike advertises. “We advertise on Google Ads very heavily,” Mike shares. “We also advertise on billboards and Facebook.”
The most interesting of his advertisement ideas? Putting a float in the local Christmas parade. “One great way to advertise your RV business this time of year is to be in a local Christmas Parade,” says Mike. “Thousands of people will see your RV, and the word will get around that you rent adventure! This kind of advertising goes a long way and has great returns for a low-cost investment. We entered some of our trailers in one today, and we all had such a great time. The local TV station broadcast the parade along with live feeds on Facebook.”
Besides clever advertising tactics, Mike also focuses intently on customer service and happily gave this bit of advice for those looking to get into the rental business: “Be customer focused. Make your customers feel like you have their back. We are on call 24/7 for all active reservations, with a special number they can call.”
All about Mike
Favorite morning beverage: “Almond milk.”
Favorite campsite meal: “Hamburgers and hot dogs.”
Music you like to play on the radio: “Genesis.”
Favorite season: “Summer.”
Last photo you took: “Sunset.”
If you could travel anywhere in an RV, where would you go? “South Dakota.”
