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Robyn Hardman, Digital Consultant
Email Marketing Helps Hotels and Travel Organisations Retain Customers
According to a recent study, travel companies rely on email marketing more than any other technique to keep guests coming back.
Around 43% of the travel organisations surveyed cited email marketing as their primary driver for customer retention, and we’re not surprised – newsletters are a fantastic way for hotels, restaurants and travel organisations to reach out to former guests and keep them up to date with their latest news and offers.
However, it can be easy to get it wrong, meaning that your e-newsletters miss the mark and don’t result in that all-important conversion. To make sure that you’re on the top of your email game, follow our top tips to make the most of your newsletters.
Be frequent, but don’t bombard your database. You don’t want people to forget about your business, but if they’re receiving emails from you every other day, they’ll stop caring about what you have to say. One or two newsletters a month tends to work well, as long as they focus on different things.
Don’t drop your prices with every newsletter. Flash sales can be a great way to bring in new guests, but, if you use them too much, then your database won’t make a booking unless there’s a tempting discount heading their way. After working on several campaigns with a spa hotel, we noticed that guests weren’t booking until the flash sales came around, resulting in a vicious circle of price-dropping.
So be smarter – time your flash sales for the quieter times of year, and make sure you’re enticing guests in with added value, rather than rock bottom pricing.
Keep newsletters short and sweet. We’re in 2017 now – nobody has the time or inclination to read through everything you have coming up over the next six months. Think about one offer, package or event that you’d like to promote and keep your newsletter focused on that key message.
Know your database. There’s no point in sending hotel offers to locals, or dining offers to people who live halfway across the world. If you segment your data properly, you’ll be able to send targeted emails to the right people and maximise profits.
Want to make more marketing magic happen? See more of our top tips:
- Not a shot in the dark: how dark posts on Facebook can improve your advertising strategy
- Instagram’s new ‘album’ feature is now available for everyone
- A matter of influence: using video to finalise sales
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