Well that's it then, peak season over, kids safely back in school and time to draw a breath and reflect on how it all went. Hopefully those of you with holiday rental properties had a successful summer and managed to see a decent return on your investment, but would you have liked more bookings or a slightly longer season, and does the prospect of next year's empty calendar already fill you with worry?

I often hear mixed messages from holiday home owners about what works and what doesn't in terms of generating the most bookings. Is Owners Direct better than Holiday Lettings? Does the success of a certain rentals listing site over another depend on whether you own a golf property or a large country retreat? I honestly don't think it does, but what does matter is how you stand out from the rentals crowd.

I know one house owner who sees bookings sway each year with her listings site, one year outstanding then the next a disappointment. She did nothing different but the bookings just didn't come in as well as the previous season. So is that the problem then, that she did nothing different?

Success in holiday property marketing will not come from putting all of your eggs in one basket, but it will come from focusing on your unique selling point and offering it to the very best of your ability. Property expert James Dearsley recently asked the question "how important are holiday letting websites to your overseas property purchase?" and went on to review some of the top players, Home Away and Holiday Lettings.

He commended them for pricing, reach and customer service, but interestingly also concluded that "I firmly believe that you need to "carve out a niche" on your holiday let to make it appeal to a certain market place" and that is where smaller specialised companies like www.totstotravel.co.uk come in, helping property owners to focus on who their market is and successfully tapping into it.

So why is September so important? Well, I know peak season is only just finished, but this is a crucial month for sorting out your 2012 marketing plan. Getting ready for success in a special niche can take a couple of weeks, and with December being the start of peak booking season for 2012 summer holidays you will surely want to have your holiday property in the right place at the right time to take advantage of those enquiries!

For more details of the work that Tots to Travel is doing in Andalucia, see http://holidaypropertyexpert.com/holidaylettings/lindsay/ or visit www.holidayrentalsbook.co.uk and we will send you our FREE book full of tips and advice on niche marketing and filling those empty weeks with happy families!