5 Simple Email Marketing Resolutions For 2017

Posted on Feb 15th 2017 in Email Marketing

Whatever exciting new social networks, apps and digital strategies emerge for reaching your guests in the coming months, email marketing is going nowhere in 2017.

It remains one of the most powerful and cost effective ways to reach your guests wherever they are, strengthen your relationship with your audience and drive new and repeat bookings with enticing, ultra targeted offers.

Here are 5 tips to get more out of your hotel’s email campaigns in this new year of marketing.

1. Less is More

We live in an era of small soundbites and social media snippets. So get with the mood of the times and keep your content short and sweet. Could what you’re saying be said in fewer words? Then strip it back. Include a short and snappy subject line and don’t forget to add a “read more” link back to your property’s blog, as well as large, well spaced out CTAs which are easy for your guests to tap from their mobile devices.

2. Don’t Forget To Remail

Want a straightforward strategy that is certain to boost your open rates, engagement levels and bookings? Simply segment any contacts that did not open your email in your most recent campaign, switch up the subject line and then “remail” the same content to these non-engaged guests – you’ll be surprised at the results!

3. Mobile Matters

Over half of all emails are now accessed from a mobile device, so if your hotel’s campaigns are not optimised to be read on a small screen, you’re already way behind the pack. If you haven’t done so by now, make converting your email templates to a Smartphone-friendly responsive design one of your first marketing resolutions for the New Year. That way, your carefully put together content will adapt and look great across devices, which can only mean great things for your engagement and booking levels.

4. Don’t Treat All Your Contacts The Same

Your contacts have different needs, wants and come to you at wildly different points in the booking journey – don’t treat them all the same. Get super granular and segment your recipients on booking history, location, demographic information, engagement level and any other helpful category you can think of – anything that lets you reach out to them with the kind of highly relevant offers that convert. Aim to build a “personal connection” and provide content that’s engaging, helpful and speaks directly to the diverse needs of your guests.

5. Send More!

No hotel wants to irritate their guests by sending too many emails, but how much is too much?

You shouldn’t be afraid to send out more high quality, helpful emails as long as your unsubscribe rate doesn’t begin to creep up as a result of the increased production. If you normally only contact your guests once a month with a batch of resort news, trial contacting them bi weekly with smaller snippets of content. If the experiment is successful, move to weekly. Delve into your data and don’t worry if the open rates and click-through percentages are lower; what matters is the number of guests out there that are actually opening your messages, clicking and engaging with your content. If the unsubscribe rate hasn’t changed but the number of actual people opening is higher, you know to stick to your new content creation routine.

What are your email marketing resolutions for 2017? Let us know in the comments below!