In the tour industry, there are few roles more important than that of tour guide. Guides--with their vast knowledge, passion, and enthusiasm--inject life into tours. And good guides can transcend the cultural barriers that many long distance visitors face, bringing entire groups together and leaving them with exhilarating experiences and a new understanding.So, when it comes to finding the right guides for your business, just where do you look for a pool of certified, experienced guides with outstanding personalities to lead your tours? Here a few leads.

1. Tour Guide Community Websites

Though tour guide community websites—such as Tours By Locals, Siroube, and Who's My Guide—are typically used to pair individual guides with travelers seeking guided tours, the sites will also allow tour operators to join and contact local guides to pitch job opportunities. There are few places that make it easier to view licensed, qualified guides in your area and message them all at once.

2. Tour Guide Associations

There are several large tour guide associations you can join that will allow you to post job listings on their sites and newsletters to connect with local guides. These organizations exist on all levels, including international, national, and local. For instance, there is the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations and the National Federation of Tourist Guide Associations. Local guilds include the SF Tour Guide Guild, Guild of Professional Tour Guides of Washington, DC, and The Professional Tour Guides Association of Houston. To find an organization in your community, simply Google "tour guide guild [your city]."

3. Visitor's Bureau or Travel and Convention Bureau

Your city's local travel bureau will most likely offer a free partnership or paid membership where local businesses can join, attend events, connect with other members of the community, and gain access to job bulletin boards where you can post job listings. They may also be able to provide leads to qualified tour guides or companies already working with them.

4. Social media.

Post your job listing on your Twitter page using hashtags such as #tourguide, #tourismjobs, #tourguidejob, and #licensedguide. For instance, we used the hashtags #tourguide and #jobs and found several job postings. You should also be using these hashtags to find and follow tour-guide related Twitter pages with whom you can interact. For example, we found Guide Trip@guide_trip (a company that connects tour operators and guides) using the #tourguide hashtag.You can also type "tour guides [your city]" into Facebook. This will produce a list of local guides, who you can then message about job opportunities. You can also message and/or join tour-guide related groups or pages that already have a following of tour guides. For instance, typing "Tour Guide Jobs" will lead you to find Get Tour Guide Jobs, a tour guide job posting site, where you can post job listing directly on the page.

Post your job posting on Twitter and Facebook to reach more potential tour guides

5. Use LinkedIn.

Create a company page, then create a job posting that links to your company's careers page or a job application. Once that's done, conduct an advanced search for "People with tour guide titles" or "Groups about tour guides,"and send invites to connect with people and groups of interest.

6. Coolworks.

Coolworks is a tour guide job network that acts as a virtual staffing company for tour guides and trip leaders. Tour operators can sign-up, create a profile, and after a brief verification process, create a job application and start connecting with applicants.This is a short list of ideas that will help you find a pool of qualified guides. To get the best results from your search, post your job listings using all of the above. And although you only have a need for a limited number of guides, create a database to keep records on all qualified applicants and let it be your go-to source for future hires. It will save you a lot of time and money on job listings and hiring a staffing company.If you've hired the staff, and now need a reservation platform to manage bookings and availability, check out Peek Pro.

It's growing increasingly important for websites to be mobile-friendly. Research from Google found that 72% of mobile users say mobile-friendly sites are important to them, with another 50% saying that even if they like a business, they'll use them less often if the website isn't mobile-friendly. And this is especially crucial in the travel industry, in which there was a 50% increase in mobile use across business and leisure travelers, with 30% relying purely on their mobiles to make last minute bookings, according to BuzzCity>. On top of all that, Google now factors in mobile-friendliness to determine where sites appear in search results.Now that you know why a mobile-friendly site is important, let's explore how to get it that way.

1. Assess your current site to identify any needed changes.

First and foremost, you need to determine how well your site already accommodates mobile users. Google offers a simple online tool that will analyze a web page and report any mobile-related design issues. Your site may already meet the basic criteria required by Google, or may just need a few relatively simple changes. (If changes are needed, the tool will walk you through the technical guide that tells you how to correct the problem issues.)In addition, you can also use Google PageSpeed Insights to identify issues that may be slowing down your page loading times—which is one of the most common “fatal flaws" of web pages that don't work well for mobile users.

2. Choose a responsive design.

The best (and most popular) approach to making a site mobile-friendly is to choose a responsive design. A responsive design is one that automatically adjusts to accommodate whatever device the visitor is using. There are many responsive themes and templates available now for Wordpress, HTML5/CSS3, and other frameworks—including a number of free options.How much time and effort will be required to convert an “unfriendly" site to a more mobile-accommodating one will depend on a number of factors, including the specific design elements of your existing site. The older your current site is, the greater the odds that it was created using elements or platforms, such as Flash, that are now outdated or don't interact well with mobile devices.

The best approach to making a site mobile-friendly is to choose a responsive design

3. Keep things simple.

One of the most common ways that businesses cause problems for mobile users is by loading up a site with lots of fancy bells and whistles. This can create unnecessary clutter that crowds the page and makes navigation difficult. Equally problematic: It can also drastically impact page-loading speeds. A site that is slow to load is very frustrating to mobile users (and users in general) and is one of the top reasons they will abandon your site before even checking it out. In fact, Kissmetrics found that 40% of shoppers will abandon a site that takes more than three seconds to load. The data also found that a one-second delay in page response can result in a 7% reduction in conversions. Providing a simple, scaled-down site will help optimize load speeds and make things easy and efficient for mobile users.Bonus tip: Pay attention to the content formats on your site. Video, in particular, can be tricky. Some types of video won't play properly (or won't function at all) on mobile devices. Double-check that any video content on your site is playable on mobile devices. Older, Flash-based videos are a common issue and generally won't be viewable on mobile devices. Videos published on major sites such as YouTube and Vimeo typically have a mobile-friendly embed code for sharing.

4. Put the central focus on the call to action.

Consumers today tend to have short attention spans and want to accomplish tasks quickly. This is particularly true for mobile users. Put the most important information—like contact details and how to book—front and center. Also, if there's a primary action you want visitors to take, such as booking a reservation, that must be prominently highlighted in a central location where it is easily visible. Using online booking software, such as Peek Pro makes this goal easy to achieve by adding a prominent button to your site, where visitors won't be able to miss it.Making your site mobile-friendly may take a little bit of time and work. But just consider how much of your potential business likely comes via mobile channels these days, and you'll see it's in your best interest to do everything possible to provide a smooth, efficient experience for users of mobile devices.

Personalization and customization—two buzzwords in the travel industry and among the top travel trends.Today's travelers are not only seeking out unique experiences but also want their options delivered to them in a certain way. Whether this involves receiving updates about the latest tour packages via email or keeping up-to-date with your company on social media, customer behavior is shifting with a demand for a more personalized approach. Cookie-cutter communications, such as a standard email newsletter that is sent to everybody that signs up, or maintaining a website with basic list of tours and activities, are no longer enough to attract and retain customers.Today's successful travel companies need to take extra steps to engage and reach these customers in new and creative ways. Here's a closer look at how your tour and activity company can drive business with personalization and customization.

Customizing Email Distribution

According to the “At the Big Data Crossroads" study by Amadeus, four out of 10 travelers are willing to share data in the interest of personalization. The information they're willing to share could be anything from their categories of interest, how much they spend (on average) on vacation, and how often they plan to visit a certain destination in the upcoming year.You can customize your email correspondence to cater to these travelers by segmenting your lists to target different groups. For example, a subscriber who shares they are planning a trip within the next six months and enjoys outdoor adventures might receive a series of emails every few weeks showcasing your outdoor adventure packages. For a subscriber who shares that they plan family getaways regularly and seek out deals and special offers, send a customized email every few weeks or every month with an offer targeted to the whole family.If you have a subscriber base of less than 500 people, you could have a staff member send these emails manually and set up categories for your list—family travelers, planning to book within 6 months, single travelers, etc—so that you are sending a certain type of email to a certain type of subscriber. For larger lists, consider using a third-party email management program, such as OmnistarMailer or Benchmark, that allows you to segment lists automatically using certain criteria.At the very minimum, you can and should divide your list into prospects and existing customers so that you are sending different types of emails to each group. Prospects would receive general marketing emails promoting your tours and activities, and perhaps an introductory offer on a certain tour or activity. Existing customers might receive emails that provide information about upcoming events in the area, customer appreciation events and invitations, and return visitor discounts.Use an online booking software program, such as Peek Pro, with a built-in email customization tool. This tool allows you to set up templates for different types of customers so that you can segment your list directly from the customer database. As each customer signs up or provides personal information as they go through the checkout process, their contact information and details are stored in the database. Business owners and certain staff members can retrieve this data to learn more about your customer base and create targeted lists for email newsletters and email marketing sends.

Strengthening Social Media Relationships

This infographic about the impact of social media within the hospitality industry reveals that 48 percent of those who used social media to research travel plans stuck with their original plans and that 55 percent have liked a Facebook page specific to a vacation. These statistics tell us that almost half of all travelers are very active on social media—especially during the planning stages. This opens up several opportunities for tour and activity operators that want to stay at the forefront of these trip planners' minds during the critical trip planning process.If a prospective customer has never visited your site before, they may be able to find you in another way: social media. Consider how many prospective customers are searching for interesting photos on Instagram with the hashtag #travel, #yourcity, or something you offer (e.g. #kayak, #hiking, etc). Or, Facebook users who see a post of a friend sharing a photo of themselves on a tour you offer with your Facebook page tagged in the post.Anybody who sees these posts may be clicking back to your Instagram feed or Facebook page to get learn more about what you have to offer. Some may even start following you on social media just to receive more updates, which may translate to a booking if the follower's interest level is high enough. Interacting with these prospects—even though they have not become a customer yet—can make them more comfortable with your company and personalizes the entire customer service experience from the very beginning.Focusing on strengthening social media relationships, whether you are active on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or multiple social networks, could help you stay in touch with prospective customers right at the time they are planning to book a trip. You could run social media contests to show up in your fans' and followers news feed with exciting news and to generate buzz about your company and offerings. You could also respond positively to customers who tag you in a post or share something on social media related to your location or venue. You could maintain a regular Facebook posting schedule so that your audience can learn more about you and even share something of interest with their entire social network. (We shared some best Facebook marketing practices here.)

Focusing on strengthening social media relationships could help you build relationships with prospective customers

Finding different ways to engage with these customers publicly helps you maintain a positive image in the public eye and may even generate some bookings when a traveler is in the mindset of making a reservation.

Boosting Revenue with Ancillary Sales

Any sales made outside of direct reservation bookings are ancillary revenue for tour and activity operators. Add-ons, such as souvenirs, equipment and gear purchases, or gift cards, are a few examples of ancillary sales. You can boost revenue per customer by giving your customers more options to make their booking unique—offering add-ons, such as a gift card to an area restaurant, souvenir purchases, or equipment to purchase instead of renting for the tour, can give the customer a chance to customize their visit at their leisure.Charles River Canoe & Kayak, a company that offers kayak rentals and paddling classes, does exactly that with custom outing services. The company offers customized group tours where the customer can choose from a set of guided trips or head out on their own, order catering, or hire an expert instructor to teach for a portion of the trip.Capital Cruises offers a unique experience with its bat-watching tours with the option to enhance the experience with live music, children's entertainment, or murder mystery and entertainers for groups. These add-on options give customers more opportunities to enjoy the general public tour in a new way.Use an online booking program, such as Peek Pro, to configure add-ons on your checkout page. The software program is set up with easy drop-down menus for you to select different add-ons for certain tours and activities. Just make your selections and these add-ons will appear on the customer's checkout page.

Providing Curated Experiences

The experts at Tnooz point out how curated experiences and the chance to "live like a local" are some of the emerging trends in travel. Travel companies that can provide customers with a completely customized itinerary, the chance to learn something new, or expand the visitor's horizons in some way may be able to appeal to this growing market.Bespoke concierge companies, like NINE, which cater to the luxury travel market, are thriving with a business plan based on this concept. Busy customers who simply don't have the time or knowledge to create an itinerary leave the task in the hands of NINE concierge service staff members to provide insider information about the area and ticket details for various experiences based on the customer's personal preferences.Even though your tour and activity operator isn't serving as a travel agent or concierge, they can serve as an adviser by recommending complementary tours and activities, providing recommendations on where to eat before and after the experience, and tips on how to prepare for the experience. The idea is to connect with each and every guest in a way that makes them feel as though the entire visit was orchestrated and organized for them.From taking the time to strengthen social media relationships to providing a curated experience, tour and activity operators have several options for personalizing and customizing the customer service experience. Use these tips to develop your revenue generation and marketing strategy for the upcoming season.

Just last year, there were 53.6 million snowsport visits across the country, according to the National Ski Areas Association. Those visits occurred at the approximately 470 ski resorts in operation in the United States, which accounted for more than $3 billion in revenue between 2008 and 2013, according to The Statistics Portal. So if you're part of this industry, it's important to develop and implement a solid marketing strategy using multiple channels of engagement to help your business thrive in any season. Here are 10 impactful marketing strategies for ski and snowboard resorts.

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1. Send personalized promotions via email.

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Staying in touch with current and prospective customers, whether it's through a newsletter or sending a thank you email after a customer's visit, can help drive more bookings. In fact, nurturing your leads—walking them through the booking process with email marketing or even phone calls—can increase sales by an average of 20 percent, according to a DemandGen Report. And personalizing your emails with a special offer could increase those numbers ever more. Issue special promo codes via email or snail mail to customers in your database around a particular theme, such as a new guest invitation or a holiday special, so that the customer is more inclined to make a reservation. Use an online booking system, such as Peek Pro, that allows for easy redemption of promo codes so customers can enjoy a streamlined booking process.

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2. Send snow updates via text message.

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Retailers are already taking full advantage of text message marketing (SMS marketing) to drive sales. Cellit reviewed more than 1,100 campaigns by national retailers and found that SMS has eight times the response rate of email. As a ski and snowboard activity operator, you can encourage past and prospective customers to stay in touch by signing up for text alerts from your company. Keep them engaged by sending relevant updates, such as snow conditions, events on the ski grounds, and promo codes or other special offers.

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3. Connect with travel bloggers.

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Share insider information about some of your most popular trails or details about ski and snowboard experiences you offer throughout the year on a company blog. Sharing this type of content will not only engage some of you site visitors but may also encourage travel bloggers and visitors in the area to blog about your offerings—or try them out and write about them for their audience. Other ways to connect with bloggers: send a company representative to events to network and promote your company, or invite travel bloggers to an event you're hosting or for a complimentary day at your venue.

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4. Host seasonal events.

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Whether you manage a full-service ski resort or a smaller snowboarding operation, host special events around major holidays to catch the wave of visitors in town over the holiday season. For instance, run Christmas specials and promote these holiday packages and add-ons through your website and marketing materials. Make use of an online booking system that allows you to include add-ons at checkout for packages that might include upgrades and specialty services, such as one-on-one instruction with a ski instructor or a discount on gear you sell at your ski and snowboard store.

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5. Take advantage of Facebook.

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Maintain an active Facebook presence to share information about your ski rentals, weather conditions, and any special events or activities you're hosting. Facebook can be a valuable communication tool for skiing and snowboarding enthusiasts since it serves as the perfect platform for sharing photos and videos about your destination in real-time. You could also make use of a Facebook tab that allows for online bookings.Ethan Austin, director of marketing at Sugarloaf Ski & Golf Resort, explains how Facebook has been such a valuable part of the company's marketing strategy. In a podcast, Austin explained that the resort's Facebook following is now one of the largest among all New England ski resorts. The company posts captivating content every single day, has a full-time videographer on staff to capture high-quality videos to share, and even has a snow reporter to come in and share current weather conditions with photos and videos of the area.

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6. Share video demos and tutorials for beginners.

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First-time skiers and snowboarding enthusiasts may appreciate a quick introduction from the pros. Share short videos of what to expect at your venue and an introduction on how to use basic gear and equipment. How-to videos are viral by nature—the latest Google Data reveals searches related to "how to" on YouTube are growing 70 percent year over year, indicative of consumer trends to seek out ways to learn new skills. Post your videos on YouTube and share them on your website, blog posts, and across social media to attract more prospective customers.

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7. Stay in touch with a seasonal newsletter.

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Email newsletters can be a very effective way to promote your message. The experts at Convince and Convert reveal that people who buy products marketed through email spend 138 percent more than those who did not receive email offers. In addition, 44 percent of email recipients made at least one purchase based on a promotional email. This means that many of your email recipients may be willing to book a reservation just by clicking through an email offer they received. Send a newsletter to your email list every month informing them about the latest developments at your destination, to share skiing and snowboarding tips from the pros, and to promote any specials and packages you are running at the time.

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8. Run "bring a friend" offers to build your customer base.

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Increase your customer base by letting your existing customers do some of the marketing for you. Tim Warren of Travel Business Success references a study from Nielsen that reveals 92 percent of consumers trust word-of-mouth marketing the most. He also emphasizes the importance of having "social proof"—a measure of your company's impact on others.As a ski and snowboard activity operator, you need to generate social proof in the form of word-of-mouth referrals, positive reviews posted online, and any positive content surrounding your business to acquire new customers. Running a "bring a friend" offer by extending a deep discount on a second booking or running a 2-for-1 booking deal for a short period of time can help with this strategy.

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9. Get on the social media bandwagon.

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Facebook isn't the only platform to engage past and prospective customers. Generate buzz about you company by sharing videos, photos, and updates on Twitter, Instagram, or sharing brief updates on micro-video sites like Periscope. Social media sites can complement your marketing strategy by giving you another outlet to share content about your business. Whether this is in the form of behind-the-scenes footage of your team preparing for a ski event or a step-by-step guide on how to choose the right snowboard, start creating and sharing content to engage fans and followers in new ways. Ski and snowboard activity operators can share images of current snow conditions, beautiful photos or short videos of the landscape, or short video captures of customers enjoying an activity.

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10. Become an authority on skiing and snowboarding in the community.

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Develop a strong presence in the community by hosting educational workshops about skiing and snowboarding techniques, gear, and other details for area residents that may enjoy these adventure activities as a hobby. Become an authority by positioning your owners or lead tour guides as educators about the sport and the industry, answering questions about the sport on your blog, posting video tutorials, and sharing insights via social media for the audience at large. All of these activities can help to set your company apart from the competition and attract more guests. From sending snow updates via text message to running exclusive promotions and offers, there are several ways to reach out to your target customer and book more reservations each season. Use these marketing tips and strategies to generate more bookings for your ski and snowboard activities business.

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Read about King's Landing and their experience moving onto the Peek Pro booking system

A huge corner of the world you should be focusing on: China. As we recently detailed, Chinese travel to the Unites States continues to rise. A report by Oxford Economics for InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) reveals income growth and expansion of China's middle class in recent years is making long-haul travel a common occurrence. And leisure tourism companies are expected to make up most of the market share—59 percent of Chinese travel and tourism spending is dedicated to leisure travel and is expected to reach 62 percent by 2023, according to the report.Here is a closer look at the top Chinese travel trends that may impact your tour and activity business.

Demand for Niche Travel

Skift reports on how the fragmentation of Chinese outbound tourism and increasing demand for new experiences is encouraging tourism boards—and, perhaps, tour and activity operators—to promote more niche offerings such as experiential travel and uniquely packaged experiences. Everything from culinary tours to nature trail trekking and kayaking adventures will cater to the needs of the Chinese travelers' intent on enjoying a new adventure.Make sure to include engaging and descriptive copy about your tours, activities, and services on your website to pique your customers' interest. Include photos and videos to enhance your descriptions and give the traveler a taste of the experience from afar as a teaser.

Rise in Independent Travelers

Approximately two-thirds of Chinese travelers prefer to travel solo, according to the 2014 hotels.com Chinese International Travel Monitor (CITM). This means that the majority of Chinese visitors may be looking for excursions or activities where they can experience and enjoy something new on their own.Consider packaging tours and activities for singles or promoting ideas that would appeal to a solo traveler, such as private tours and workshops as add-ons to an activity. Use an online booking program that allows you to set up add-ons at checkout so the customer can customize their experience.

Demand for Local Experiences

The newest visa policy allows Chinese tourists to visit the U.S. multiple times over the course of a decade, which means there is no longer a need to pack in as many activities as possible in a single itinerary. Whether they will be in town for a long weekend or an entire week, these Chinese travelers are making the time to seek out authentic experiences and activities that will give them a taste of local culture.Tour and activity operators can expand their offerings to provide more educational experiences or specialty tours that give international travelers a taste of the U.S. Whether this is in the form of a hands-on cooking class by a food-tour operator, seminars or workshops about nature and geology from a rainforest tour company, or a short movie introduction to the world of watersports and competitions from a surf-lesson company, consider some different ways to enhance the experience with an educational element.

Heavy Internet Usage

Updating your website regularly and maintaining a website with eye-catching photos, video clips, and other media may help you grab a visitor's attention.China's Internet population hit 618 million people by the end of 2013 alone so many are already comfortable with navigating the web for information—and possibly making travel plans along the way.

Rise of Mobile Bookings

According to TNW News, mobile Internet users increased by 80 million people year-on-year in 2012. The China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) describes how mobile usage is the highest mode of Internet access for new users in China.Tour and activity operators can cater to those tech-savvy travelers by maintaining a mobile site and offering mobile booking options using an online booking system, such as Peek Pro. You need to make sure each user can go through the checkout process seamlessly and prioritize the components of your mobile website to make sure it appeals to your user.Chinese travel trends in the next decade or two will have an impact on tour and activity operators around the country. Tour and activity businesses can cater to Chinese travelers with niche experiences and by streamlining the booking process for the tech-savvy international visitor.

Examine the industry's current and future growth, and see how your company stacks up.There's a shift in how Americans are spending their money. Mostly spurred by the proliferation of the Millennial generation, they're now prioritizing experiences rather than material items — saving up their money to go new places and take part in new activities. A large beneficiary of this changing mindset: the recreational rentals industry, whose growth is currently outpacing the average annual growth of other retail and service industries. The industry is made up primarily of businesses renting equipment for people to experience recreational activities, including kayaks, mountain bikes, skis, surfboards, scooters, Segways and even luxury cars.But coming hand-in-hand with the increasing number of people trying these activities is heightened competition, along with additional administrative tasks. While the industry has long relied on traditional pen and paper to take reservations, track equipment and update calendars, with a growing customer base and booming industry, it's time for rental business owners to consider how they can improve efficiency, streamline their services and ultimately set their businesses apart utilizing new technologies.

In this research report, you'll discover:

• How much the recreational rentals industry has grown, and what experts forecast for its future.
• What that growth looks like on a per firm basis, and whether your business is keeping pace with the industry or falling behind.
• How your firm's annual revenue and operating expenses compare with industry averages.
• How technology can improve your business processes and give you a competitive edge.

An Industry on the Upswing

By and large, Americans are becoming more interested in travel and trying new things. At the forefront of this movement are Millennials, who are almost twice as likely as non-Millennials to travel for a hobby, according to research by the Boston Consulting Group. This generation also travels “more for personal interest, food and wine, entertainment, outdoor activity and shopping than non-Millennial leisure travelers," BCG reports. But this push for new experiences spans generations. The average age of the leisure traveler (those not traveling for business) is 47, and mature travelers — those older than 55 — comprise 36% of the leisure travel population, according to the U.S. Travel Association.For this large swath of the population searching for new activities, the recreational rental business plays a key role in making these experiences come to life. And whether they're renting kayaks, sailboats or skis, their collective revenues have been growing. The industry garnered $1 billion in revenue in 2014, with those revenues increasing by 5.7% annually for the past three years. That growth has outpaced the 3.3% annual revenue growth of the broader retail services industry, and placed recreational rentals in the top 40% of all retail industries[2].The increased popularity of renting combined with the continued interest in experiences bodes well for the industry's near future. Kentley forecasts that the recreational rental industry revenue will grow by 4.9% per year for the next five years[3].Boating and Watersports Take OffWhile the industry as a whole has benefited from the uptick in rentals, there's one segment of the industry that's exploding in popularity: boating and watersports. In 2013 alone, more than 88 million people — or 37% of the population — participated in some form of recreational boating. That's near an all-time high.Additionally, the public now views marinas as recreation destinations, instead of simply places where people store their boats. And marinas have responded in kind — nearly one-third of marinas now offer boat rentals and 18% provide water-toy rentals, according to research conducted by the Association of Marina Industries.The desire to be on the water has also boosted interest in stand up paddleboards, and opened a new rental market in the process. Stand up paddling was the top fastest growing recreational sport in 2014, according to the Outdoor Foundation's most recent Outdoor Recreation Participation Report. The sport grew by 38% compared to the previous year, with more than 2.7 million participants — many of whom were likely renting their boards from a local shop. That's nearly triple the number of people who tried the sport a mere five years ago.Is Your Business Keeping Pace?The recreational rental industry is undoubtedly on the uptick. But knowing whether your business is keeping up with current and projected industry growth can help you determine whether the status quo is sufficient for business growth — or if you need to make changes to remain competitive.According to the Kentley research, the average annual revenue per recreational rentals firm was $500,000 last year. The firms surveyed experienced an annual revenue growth rate of 2.9% over the past three years[4].But while most businesses were seeing their revenue rise, whether they were actually profitable is a different story. Just 51% of recreational rental firms are in the black, with their average net income representing about 10% of their revenue. The picture may be better for the marinas, according to a survey by the Association of Marina Industries and Dock Age magazine. Of the more than 250 marinas surveyed, 69% reported that they expected to be profitable.For the rental industry overall, operating expenses have grown by 4.8% per year for the past three years — notably outpacing revenue[5]. Operating costs per firm averaged about $387,000 annually in 2015.So what do rental companies spend their money on? Depreciation and amortization charges for equipment tops the list, followed closely by employee payroll. Combined, those two cost centers account for 70% of total average expenses. Property costs accounts for 6.2% of expenses and IT accounts for just 1.1%[6]For most rental companies, great employees can make or break the business — which is often reflected in their pay. In 2014, the average employee earned nearly $30,000 annually, with an annual increase of 3.8% over the past three years. That wage puts the recreational rentals in the top 20% of service industries when it comes to employee earnings[7].One thing that may explain why only about half the firms are profitable: their focus on growth. Companies are putting their revenue toward providing new services or opening new locations. For instance, in 2014 the number of firms grew by 2.8%. Forecasts for the next five years reveal that growth, on average, should remain just under 3% annually[8]. Additionally, the number of rental establishments — which includes multiple locations owned by the same company — also grew by 3%. This figure should continue to increase by 2.3% annually over the next five years[9].

Technology Offers a Competitive Edge

Today, rental businesses faces ever-increasing competition as existing firms expand and new ones enter the market. And with only half these firms earning profits and operating expenses continuing to rise, many business owners are likely asking how they can get to cash-flow positive faster. Investing in online booking technology may be part of the answer.Online booking has taken the travel and tourism industry by storm over the past few years. For example, global traveling booking has grown at 4.3% annually since 2011, while online bookings have increased by an average of 10% each year, according to research by Phocuswright. And though bookings via desktop still dominate, mobile bookings are quickly gaining ground, accounting for 11% of all U.S. online travel bookings last year.So if you're not yet offering online booking, you're likely missing out on a significant number of quality customers who prefer using the Internet to arrange their equipment rentals. Indeed, many rental business operators report that online booking software not only helps their business grow, but also streamlines their operations.

The benefits of moving your booking online include:

• The ability to maximize your reservations. When you rely on staff to make reservations over the phone, you're limited to bookings only when your employees are available to answer the call or handle a walk-in customer. Online reservation systems allow customers to make reservations around the clock. Additionally, if one of them cancels, another customer can immediately fill that spot — ensuring that your equipment isn't sitting unused because of a no-show.
• An opportunity to maintain or reduce payroll expenses. For most firms, one of the biggest cost centers is payroll. An online reservation management system can help you maintain or reduce the staff you have working reservations, even as you grow, by allowing your customers to reserve online instead of over the phone.
• Improved inventory management. For many merchants, keeping track of what's rented and what is available is a challenge. Online management tools allow you to track all your inventory in one place so there is a single source resource for that information.
• Faster payments. With online booking software, customers typically prepay for their rentals. You don't have to wait for payment, and you have greater insight into your business' pending revenue. That way you can activate deals to fill gaps or reduce staff to cut expenses.
• Easier up-sells. Give your revenue an effortless boost by offering up-sells and add-ons to your rentals — such as dry sacks and wetsuits for a kayaking trip or meal packages for long excursions — as your customers are making their reservations online. Customers will get a fuller picture of your offerings and be able to take advantage of any current deals or packages. And the power of so-called ancillary revenue to boost business in rentals and other related travel is impressive: In the airline and cruise industries, for instance, it can account for 30% or more of a company's revenue.
• Improved time management. Online reservations allow you to check your business' booking and availability in real-time, from any device or location. It enables rental businesses to better allocate their staff, and devote employee time to improving the customer experience