Whether you’re running a coworking space, managing holiday rentals, operating event venues, or building a marketplace platform, your success hinges on two critical elements: attracting property owners to list their spaces and converting visitors into bookings. PPC advertising offers a direct path to both objectives when executed strategically, providing the immediate visibility and targeted reach that organic methods take months to achieve.
Understanding Your Dual Audience
The first strategic decision is recognising that you’re actually marketing to two distinct audiences with different motivations, pain points, and search behaviours. Property owners seeking listing opportunities search differently from customers looking to book spaces.
A venue owner might search “how to list my event space” or “earn income from unused office space,” whilst a customer searches “meeting room hire Manchester” or “warehouse space for pop-up shop.” These audiences require separate campaigns with tailored messaging, landing pages, and conversion goals.
Many platforms make the mistake of running generic campaigns that try to appeal to both audiences simultaneously, diluting effectiveness for each. Separate campaigns allow for precise targeting and messaging that resonate with each group’s needs.
Attracting Quality Listings
For the supply side—property owners and space providers—your PPC strategy should target motivations rather than just descriptions of what they have.
Focus on benefit-driven keywords: “earn from spare office space,” “monetise empty retail space,” “flexible venue income,” or “holiday let marketing.” These searches indicate active interest in generating income from property, making them highly qualified prospects.
Your ad copy should address their primary concerns directly. Property owners worry about the effort required, commission rates, the quality of customers, and whether the platform actually delivers bookings. Address these upfront: “List in 10 minutes,” “No upfront costs,” “Vetted customers only,” or “Average hosts earn £X monthly.”
Importantly, showcase social proof in ads when possible. “Join 5,000+ venue owners” or “£2M paid to hosts last year” builds confidence that your platform delivers results. Property owners are making business decisions and need assurance that listing with you is worthwhile.
Geographic Targeting for Listings
If you’re building local or regional presence, geographic targeting becomes crucial for listing acquisition. You need property density in specific areas before those markets become viable for customers.
Use location-specific campaigns targeting property-rich areas with high potential for listings. A coworking platform might target business districts in specific cities, whilst a holiday rental marketplace focuses on tourist destinations.
Layer demographic targeting when appropriate. Commercial property owners likely skew older and more affluent than the general population. Holiday let owners might cluster in certain age brackets or income levels. Refining audience targeting reduces wasted spend on users unlikely to have relevant properties.
Converting Browsers into Bookers
On the demand side—customers seeking to book spaces—your PPC strategy needs to capture high-intent searches whilst also educating and nurturing earlier-stage researchers.
High-intent keywords include specific locations, dates, or occasions: “meeting room hire today,” “birthday party venue Leeds,” “monthly desk rental Birmingham.” These searches indicate an immediate need and convert efficiently when matched with relevant listings.
But don’t ignore broader research queries. Searches like “types of event venues” or “how much does office space cost” might not convert immediately, but they represent potential future customers who can be retargeted once they’re ready to book.
Create campaigns organised by space type, use case, or customer segment. Separate campaigns for event venues, office space, storage facilities, or holiday rentals allow specific messaging and budget allocation based on performance and strategic priorities.
Seasonal and Event-Based Opportunities
Space bookings often correlate with predictable seasonal patterns or events. Wedding venues peak during summer months, office space searches increase in January, holiday rentals surge before school holidays, and event spaces see spikes around major occasions.
Build campaigns that activate during these high-demand periods with increased budgets and targeted messaging. “Christmas party venues—book now before December fills up” or “Summer office space available—flexible terms” capitalise on temporal urgency.
Monitor local and industry calendars for opportunities. Trade shows, conferences, sporting events, and festivals all create temporary demand spikes for various space types. Campaigns timed to these events capture motivated customers willing to book quickly.
Landing Pages That Convert Both Audiences
Generic homepage destinations waste PPC budgets. Each campaign needs dedicated landing pages that maintain message consistency from ad click through to conversion.
For listing acquisition, landing pages should immediately address property owner concerns: simple listing process, transparent fees, quality customers, and earning potential. Include calculator tools showing potential income, testimonials from existing hosts, and simplified sign-up forms that capture leads even if they’re not ready to list immediately.
For booking customers, landing pages should showcase relevant spaces with clear availability, pricing, and booking processes. Remove navigation that might distract from conversion goals. Include filters that help users narrow options quickly, high-quality images, clear calls-to-action, and social proof like reviews or booking statistics.
Retargeting to Close the Loop
Both property owners and booking customers rarely convert on the first visit. Listing a property requires significant consideration, whilst booking often involves comparing options, checking with others, or waiting for budget approval.
Implement retargeting campaigns that bring back visitors who showed interest but didn’t convert. For potential listers, remind them of earning potential or showcase success stories. For customers, display specific spaces they viewed or similar alternatives, perhaps with limited-time booking incentives.
Segment retargeting audiences by behaviour. Someone who started a listing but didn’t complete it deserves different messaging than someone who merely browsed your homepage.
When to Consider Professional Management
Managing dual-audience PPC campaigns with multiple geolocations, seasonal adjustments, and continuous optimisation demands significant expertise and time. Many platform operators find that partnering with a PPC agency delivers better returns than internal management, particularly during growth phases where focus should remain on operations and customer service rather than advertising minutiae.
The decision point typically comes when monthly ad spend exceeds several thousand pounds, when campaigns become complex enough to require daily management, or when the opportunity cost of internal management outweighs agency fees.
Measuring What Matters
Track both acquisition metrics separately. For listings, measure cost per qualified listing, activation rate, and long-term host value. For bookings, track cost per booking, average booking value, and customer lifetime value.
Don’t optimise solely for immediate conversion costs. A listing that generates dozens of bookings over the years has a dramatically different value than a single booking. Similarly, a customer’s first booking might have a high acquisition cost, but if they become repeat users, the economics completely change.
Building Momentum
The beauty of PPC for two-sided marketplaces is that success compounds. More listings attract more customers, which makes your platform more attractive to additional property owners, creating a virtuous cycle. PPC provides the initial fuel to start this flywheel spinning.
Strategic PPC isn’t just advertising—it’s the growth engine that transforms platforms from concepts into thriving marketplaces with dense supply and strong demand. The investment in getting both sides right pays dividends long after individual campaigns end.
Photo credits: Freepik