Creating Emails That Truly Resonate With Your Guests

Who’s reading all of these emails? Well, 99% of users check their email every day (OptinMonstor) giving you a real opportunity to capture your guest attention. Unlike social media, your email list is an asset you own. You can reach out to your guests and subscribers with the right email and call to action.

Emails allow to develop specific and tailored messaging that can help you drive bookings and foster loyalty.

Together with our friends at 80 DAYS, the creative & digital marketing agency for hotel & travel brands, we’ve collated 6 tips to help hotelier’s create winning email marketing campaigns. You can find our 3 tips below, and another 3 on the 80 DAYS blog, here.

INDEPENDENT HOTEL SHOW, 16-17 OCTOBER, LONDON

For-Sight and 80 DAYS are exhibiting at Independent Hotel Show in London on the 16-17 of October.

Pop by stands 1221 and 1444  to have a chat!

1.Segmenting Guests for Targeted Emails Marketing

No two guests are alike. They come with distinct needs, behaviours, and preferences. Yet, with the right analysis, distinct patterns begin to surface. These patterns are the key to tailoring your services to your hotel’s target audience, truly knowing your guests, and crafting email marketing that resonates with them. Segmentation is the indispensable tool for achieving this.

Segmentation allows you to categorise your guests systematically. In the past, this typically meant classifying them based on basic demographic data. However, today, the process delves much deeper.

As consumers are increasingly expecting personalisation, the nuances of the hospitality industry demand more sophisticated strategies, and segmentation is becoming an essential exercise in targeting.

So, what does effective segmentation involve? To excel in personalising interactions with guests, you must move beyond basic demographics. Consider factors like guests’ booking history, preferred amenities, travel purposes and feedback from previous stays. By diving into these finer details, you can create segments that align with the unique preferences and requirements of your diverse guest base.

Furthermore, real-time data analysis plays a pivotal role in refining your segmentation strategy. Utilise advanced analytics tools to track guests’ behaviour from the pages they visit on your website to the content they engaged with in previous email campaigns. This invaluable data empowers you to fine-tune your email marketing campaigns to perfection.

Always remember that the hospitality industry thrives on making guests not just feel accommodated, but genuinely understood. Effective segmentation is the cornerstone of this understanding, enabling you to craft messages that feel tailor-made for each guest. For tips on creating compelling copy, 80 DAYS has the right guidance for you.

2.The Benefits of Automating Your Campaigns

When it comes to the art of crafting winning email marketing campaigns for hotels, automation emerges as a game-changing technique. It’s all about nurturing your guest journey holistically and efficiently. Automation simplifies the process, allowing you to create, schedule, track, and optimise campaigns without the need for round-the-clock attention. 87% of B2C marketers leverage automation as part of their email marketing strategy. (HubSpot Blog Research, 2021)

Automation enables you to set up workflows that can automatically send emails or perform other marketing tasks, triggered by specific timelines or guest interactions. This dynamic tool grants you the flexibility to create different narrative arcs tailored to your guests’ unique interactions.

We would recommend to start with straightforward email marketing sequences that align with your initial campaign objectives. As you evaluate the success of these sequences, you can gradually delve into more complex automated workflows to refine and expand your strategies.

Imagine the scenario where a customer subscribes to your email list on your website. Without the need for manual intervention, a well-crafted automated email sequence comes to life. It swiftly confirms their subscription, introducing enticing services such as spa treatments, golf courses or dining reservations while extending a heartfelt welcome. This personalised and seamless communication, ignited by the customer’s action, not only enhances their experience but also serves as a revenue-boosting opportunity for your hotel.

Automation doesn’t stop there. You can also use it for your transactional emails. Picture sending pre-arrival tips and upgrade suggestions, on arrival welcome or post-stay feedback requests. These thoughtful touches, guided by your guests’ journey, demonstrate a level of understanding and care that goes beyond mere accommodation.

A great example that illustrates the power of email combined with automation is set by our customer Rockliffe Hall. Since automating their pre-stay communications, the resort has seen a remarkable 47% increase in average room revenue, which can be attributed to the 37% increase in total revenue.

Email marketing automation is the catalyst that helps you respond to guest behaviours in real-time and nurture relationships throughout their journey. It not only saves time but also unlocks the full potential of personalised and efficient guest interactions, a pivotal element in creating winning campaigns for your hotel!

3.Measuring and Refining Your Approach

Effective hotel email marketing doesn’t stop at crafting and sending messages. It’s about keeping an eye on how your emails are doing and using what you learn to make them better. This third tip is all about measuring your email campaigns so you can get better results over time.

Start by setting clear goals for each email campaign. Do you want more people to book directly, book events, or know about special deals? Having specific goals will help you measure how well your emails are doing.

Key performance indicators (KPIs) are your allies in this process. They’re numbers that show how people interact with your emails, like how many open them or click on links. These numbers help you understand if your emails are effective or need improvements.

A/B testing is a helpful tool. It means trying two slightly different versions of an email on different groups of people to see which one works better. This way, you can keep making your emails better.

Don’t forget to keep your email list healthy. Remove people who don’t read your emails to make sure your messages get to the right people. Quality is more important than quantity in your email list.

Regularly check how your emails are doing and use what you learn to make your email marketing better. This is how you stand out and make your campaigns more tailored to what your guests like. Think of measurement as your helpful guide in creating emails that always hit the target.

To learn more about the final 3 tips on creating winning email marketing campaigns for hotels; killer copy, consider the bigger picture, know your baseline, head on over to the 80 DAYS blog here. 

About 80 DAYS

80 DAYS is a full service creative and digital marketing agency specialising in hospitality, working with over 450 of the world’s most respected hotel and travel brands.