My husband and I purchased our first VR on Sanibel Island nearly 12 years ago.  We have purchased several more since then, on and off Sanibel, but found that those off island were not that profitable as a VR and turned them into annual rentals.  Love Sanibel, love our rental guests and love working the business of VR's....admitting that things have not be easy this past year!

Never rely on one VR portal to get all your business and go a step beyond traditional marketing of your VR. 

Vacation rental sites have their place, but I have found that social media has been very helpful for me in getting the word out on our VR's. 

I blog, submit articles, and use Facebook and the new application, still in Beta, Second Porch for additional exposure.

Second Porch is easy to use, offers enormous potential for visibility among people you know and trust and, best of all, it's free.  Here's a link to my listing, which like the site, is also in beta.  I will be adding and adusting as time permits:

http://apps.facebook.com/secondporch/properties/49