For a holiday park, a lead is a person who has shown an interest in a holiday or a holiday home and given you a way to get back to them: an email address, a phone number, or a message you can reply to. A website visit or a like on a post shows interest, but it only becomes a lead once there is someone you can follow up. Agreeing that definition between marketing and sales is the first step to counting leads properly and following them up well.
Why does the definition of a lead matter?
Every number in a marketing report depends on it. If marketing counts every brochure download as a lead and the sales team only counts people who book a viewing, both are right by their own measure, and the owner hears two different stories about the same month.
The definition also decides what you can work out. Cost per lead, lead-to-sale rate and which campaigns are worth the money all rely on everyone counting the same thing in the same way. When the definition shifts from one report to the next, those figures stop being comparable, and budget decisions end up resting on whoever argues most convincingly.
What is the difference between interest, a lead and a qualified lead?
It helps to name each stage, so everyone in the business uses the same words. A simple version for a park looks like this:
Interest: someone has looked at the holiday homes page, watched a video or reacted to a post, but you have no way to contact them. Worth measuring, but not a lead.
Lead: someone has given contact details and shown interest. A brochure or price list download, a Facebook lead form, a booking enquiry, a call to the sales office or a sign-up at an open day all count.
Qualified lead: the sales team or marketing has confirmed real intent and fit, for example a budget that matches the homes available, a rough timescale and an interest in viewing.
Viewing or next step booked: the person has agreed to come and see a home, or to a specific follow-up.
Sale or booking: the result the earlier stages are working towards.
Writing these down in one short paragraph each, and sharing them with everyone who touches enquiries, solves most of the confusion on its own.
Do holiday bookings and holiday home sales need different definitions?
Yes, because the decisions are so different. Buying a holiday home is a large purchase that people often think about for months, so each lead is valuable and usually needs several contacts before a viewing. Holiday bookings are quicker, and many guests book online without ever speaking to anyone, so most bookings never pass through a lead stage at all.
For bookings, leads matter most where a person needs a reply before they can book: group stays, accessibility questions, longer stays, pet questions and general enquiries through the website or social media. Count those separately from holiday home leads. Mixing the two in one total makes both harder to manage.
How should a park sort its holiday home leads?
Sort them by intent as well as by source. Intent tells the sales team how to respond; source tells marketing where to spend.
Higher intent: asked to view, asked about a specific home or price, phoned the sales office, or visited in person.
Medium intent: downloaded a brochure or price list, or came to an open day without booking a viewing.
Lower intent: entered a competition, signed up to a newsletter, or filled in a quick social media form with no further questions.
A lower-intent lead still has value. That person needs a slower, more informative follow-up than someone who has asked to view a home, often over several months. Treating every lead the same, whether with an immediate hard sell or with no follow-up at all, is where many good leads are lost.
Record the source on every lead too: website form, Facebook or Instagram lead form, phone, walk-in, show or event, or a referral from an existing owner. Over a season this shows which channels bring people who go on to view and buy, which matters far more than which channel brings the most names.
Can you keep emailing someone once they become a lead?
Replying to someone's enquiry is different from adding them to your marketing emails. In the UK, the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) mean that marketing emails and texts to individuals generally need their consent, or must meet the conditions of the "soft opt-in" for existing customers. The ICO's guidance on direct marketing by electronic mail sets out the rules. Build a clear opt-in into your enquiry forms so a lead can choose to hear more, and check your own position with a qualified adviser if you're unsure.
How do you put a lead definition into practice?
Start with a short meeting between whoever runs the marketing and whoever handles sales. Agree the stages above in your own words, then make the CRM match them: fields for source, intent, stage and the date of first contact. Agree who follows up each type of lead and how quickly.
Then report on it the same way every month. Compare with the same month last year rather than last month, because holiday park demand is seasonal and a quiet November will always look poor next to October. Within a season you will be able to see how many leads you need, from which sources, to reach your sales target.
Want an independent view of your enquiries?
JEM's Marketing and Customer Journey Review looks at how your park appears to a prospective guest or holiday home buyer, including what happens after someone enquires. You get clear findings and agreed priorities, whether you make the changes yourself or with support. Get in touch to find out more.
Frequently asked questions
Is a Facebook lead form submission a real lead?
Yes, if the person knowingly asked for something and left contact details. Facebook forms are quick to complete, so intent is often lower than a website enquiry. Respond promptly and use the follow-up to find out how serious the interest is.
Is a brochure download a lead?
Yes. Someone who downloads a holiday home brochure or price list has given contact details and a clear signal of interest. Most parks would class it as medium intent until a conversation confirms more.
Should newsletter sign-ups count as holiday home leads?
Count them, but keep them separate. A general newsletter sign-up may be a past guest, a future guest or a possible buyer. Ask a simple question at sign-up, such as whether they are interested in owning a holiday home, so you can sort them from the start.
How many leads does a park need?
Work backwards from your sales target. Divide the number of homes you want to sell by the share of leads that usually become sales at your park. If you don't know that share yet, defining and recording leads consistently for one season will give you the figure.
Written by Melanie Brook MCIM, founder of JEM Marketing and former Head of Marketing at Beverley Holidays. Mel works with independent holiday parks on marketing strategy, holiday home lead generation and developing in-house skills.
