Mastering email marketing isn’t easy – if it were, every hotel would be fully booked year-round. Yet, reality proves otherwise. Despite numerous how-to guides and instant fixes, there’s no magic formula. What truly matters is the strategic implementation of techniques that resonate with your audience.
We’ve delved into the winning strategies our customers have honed with For-Sight, and from this, we’ve selected 5 proven email marketing techniques. If you’re new here, For-Sight is a hotel CRM & Marketing Solution – so, we’ve got a lot to say about email marketing!
One quick reminder before we dive into the specifics: your email marketing plan demands a holistic view. Experiment, measure, and value the lessons from both underperforming campaigns and triumphs!
Leveraging Segmentation: Amplifying Email Campaigns via Targeted Tactics
Sending mass emails and hoping for the best? It’s time to pivot. By segmenting your guests, you can tailor your messages to different groups based on their marketing preferences, past stays, loyalty, and behaviours. This isn’t just personalised communication; it’s communication that truly resonates as guests find themselves genuinely aligned with the offerings presented.
Whether it’s enticing couples with romantic getaways, catering to families with exciting packages, or luring business travellers with tailored retreats, segmentation is the key to unlocking engagement and conversions.
If you’re curious about how effective segmentation can be in the real world, look no further than Crieff Hydro’s collaboration with For-Sight. Their success story demonstrates the impact of personalised transactional email, resulting in increased engagement, revenue growth, and enhanced guest relationships.
Read the Case Study: Crieff Hydro Case Study
Authenticity: Elevate What You Do Best
Every property has a unique charm and character that sets it apart. We’ve seen our customers harness the power of authenticity in their email marketing efforts. They showcase what makes their property special, be it breathtaking views, award-winning restaurants, or exclusive spa experiences. By highlighting your unique selling points, you can create a genuine connection with your guests, fostering loyalty and repeat business. Remember, authenticity builds trust, and trust builds long-term relationships.
Early Bird Campaigns: The 4-Email Structure
When it comes to email marketing, success follows a well-thought-out plan. Enter the 4-email strategy – a smart approach to promoting your deals and achieving success. Whether it’s a seasonal offer or a special deal, this approach comes highly recommended.
Our For-Sight Managed Service Team has demonstrated its effectiveness in numerous customer campaigns, and several of our customers have adopted this method for their campaigns throughout the year. It generates excitement, makes guests feel special, and drives revenue.
How does it work?
- Teaser Email: Invite contacts to join the ‘early access campaign.’ They’ll be the first to know and use your offer.
- Early Bird Email: The exclusive offer is for early subscribers, giving them a head start.
- Urgency Email: When your offer is live for all, send this email with a countdown timer to create urgency.
- Final Chance Email: Give guests one last shot to use the offer before it ends.
To optimise effectiveness, you can leverage automation tools to schedule emails at optimal times for your guests to harness the offer. It’s also essential for you to continuously monitor engagement metrics, allowing you to measure the success of your campaign and adjust your method for future campaigns.
Get inspired by our Feversham Hall Case Study to design your own 4-email sequence.
Read the Case Study: Feversham Hall Case Study
Timing is Everything: When Should You Send Your Campaigns
Have you thought about the best time to launch your email campaigns? Our customers definitely have. That’s why they use For-Sight’s analytical report to study the average lead time for their guests.
With this information, hotel marketers can plan and understand how early guests typically book during specific times of the year. This tool is also incredibly useful for revenue managers, providing vital data to optimise rates and resource allocation. By using this analytical tool, both marketing and revenue teams can coordinate efforts, ensuring campaigns reach the right audience at the right time. This data-driven approach boosts the guest experience and maximises the hotel’s revenue opportunities.
By aligning your campaigns with your guests’ booking patterns, you amplify relevance, leading to increased engagement and bookings.
Birthday Campaigns: Our Staff Pick
Hospitality is about making every guest feel truly valued. With this principle in mind, one standout campaign type, where our customers excel, is the Birthday campaign.
By creating personalised emails with exclusive offers or complimentary treats, hotels generate moments of delight that deeply resonate with their guests.
This method is also an excellent way to showcase amenities and encourage bookings.
Through For-Sight, you can design on-brand birthday emails and automate their delivery at the perfect moment for your guests—whether it’s on the actual birthday or ahead of time, encouraging guests to celebrate their special day with a stay. You can also include personalisation tokens within the email, so that every email is unique to each guest! Birthday campaigns not only cultivate a genuine sense of gratitude but also foster repeat visits.
Tip: To capture your guests’ birthdates, consider offering the option for them to share this information on various forms across your website. This could be during the email marketing subscription process or when making a reservation. You can mention that by providing their birthdate, they’ll be eligible for exclusive birthday surprises, discounts, or gifts – whatever you’re planning to implement for your birthday campaigns.
In Conclusion: Crafting Experiences that Resonate
Email marketing isn’t just about sending messages; it’s about crafting experiences that resonate with your guests. Our customers at For-Sight have demonstrated time and again that a strategic approach to email marketing can yield exceptional results. By embracing segmentation, authenticity, early bird campaigns, analysing lead time, and creating personalised experiences, hotels can elevate guest engagement. As you embark on elevating your email marketing plan, remember that each campaign is an opportunity to create lasting impressions and forge strong connections.
