Hotels today face competition from online travel agencies and home-sharing platforms like Airbnb. To stay ahead of the game, hotels must find effective ways to reach and engage with potential customers. That’s where email marketing comes in.
Email marketing is a highly effective way for hotels to connect with their target audience, promote their brand, and drive more bookings. Email marketing can provide hotels with valuable customer insights and a high return on investment, thanks to the inexpensive cost and ability to gather customer data.
In this article, we’ll explore the benefits of email marketing for hotels, as well as provide tips and strategies for creating effective email campaigns that can help drive business growth.
What Are the Benefits of Email Marketing for Hotels?
Effective email marketing provide a range of benefits for hotels, such as:
- Increased bookings: By sending targeted and relevant emails to your audience, you can encourage more people to book a stay at your hotel. Whether you’re offering a special promotion, showcasing your amenities, or sharing local events, a well-crafted email can entice potential guests to book a room.
- Improved customer loyalty: By providing valuable content and personalized offers, you can build a strong relationship with your email subscribers. This can help you create a loyal customer base that returns to your hotel for future stays.
- Greater brand awareness: Email marketing helps you promote your hotel brand and increase your visibility among potential customers. Regularly sending emails to your subscribers allows you to keep your brand on potential customers’ minds and increase your chances of being chosen over competitors.
- Increased revenue: Effective email marketing campaigns can lead to increased revenue for your hotel. By driving more bookings, encouraging repeat business, and promoting additional services and amenities, you can generate more profits for the company.
- Better customer insights: Analyzing email data such as open rates, click-through rates, and subscriber behavior allows you to gain valuable insights into your customer base. This can help you better understand your customers’ preferences, interests, and behaviors, which can inform future marketing and business strategies.
Marketing Emails for Hotels
There are different types of marketing emails, but not all of them will be relevant for the customer base of a hotel. Even still, there are many categories of email that hotels can send with the goal of promoting their brand, engaging with their target audience, and driving bookings. Here are examples of the best marketing emails for lodgings:
- Welcome emails: A welcome email is the first email a new subscriber receives after signing up to your email list. This type of email can introduce your hotel brand, provide a warm greeting, and offer exclusive deals or promotions to encourage the recipient to book a stay.
- Promotional emails: Promotional emails are designed to promote a specific offer or deal, such as a discount on room rates, a complimentary breakfast, or a spa package. This type of email can create a sense of urgency and encourage recipients to book a stay as soon as possible.
- Newsletter emails: Newsletter emails can provide subscribers with useful and engaging content, such as local events, tips for travelers, or stories about your hotel’s history and culture. This type of email can work to build a strong relationship with your subscribers and keep your hotel brand top-of-mind.
- Abandoned booking emails: Abandoned booking emails can be sent to subscribers who initiated the booking process, but didn’t complete the reservation. This type of email can remind the recipient of their interest in your hotel and offer incentives to complete the booking process, as well as recommend other services for up-selling opportunities.
- Post-stay emails: Post-stay emails can be sent to guests after they check out, thanking them for their stay and encouraging them to leave a review or book a future stay. This type of email builds customer loyalty and generates positive reviews for your hotel.
- Seasonal or holiday-themed emails: Seasonal or holiday-themed emails can be sent to subscribers during special occasions, such as Christmas, Valentine’s Day, or summer vacations. This type of email can promote special offers or packages that are relevant to the occasion and encourage recipients to stay at your hotel.
Hotel Email Marketing: Best Practices
So, now that you understand the kinds of emails you can send to engage with your customers, let’s talk about the best practices for email marketing. These practices are important for you to follow, because they guarantee that you’ll send email campaigns that are relevant, engaging, and highly valuable. Here are ideal practices and marketing strategies:
Segment your email list
Segment your email list based on customer behavior, preferences, or interests. Email list segmentation is the practice of dividing your email list into smaller groups or segments based on specific criteria. This allows you to send targeted and relevant emails to each segment, rather than sending the same email to your entire list.
By segmenting your email list, you can personalize your emails, increase engagement, and improve your email marketing results. For example, you can segment your list by geographic location, past bookings, or interests, like spa or outdoor activities. This will allow you to personalize your emails and make them more relevant to each recipient’s needs and interests.
Use good subject lines
Use eye-catching subject lines that entice the reader into opening the email. For example, instead of “Hotel Newsletter”, try “Don’t Miss Out On Our Exclusive Summer Offer!” or “Escape To Our Secluded Beach Resort”. Make sure your subject line reflects the content of your email and creates a sense of urgency.
Provide value
Provide valuable content in your emails, such as exclusive discounts, promotions, or insider tips. For example, you can offer a special discount code for booking directly on your website, share local events or attractions, or offer a guide to the best restaurants in the area. This will help build trust and loyalty with your customers.
Optimize for mobile
Optimize your emails for mobile devices, as many people check their emails on their smartphones. Use a responsive design and keep your content both concise and easy to read. Make sure your call-to-action buttons are easily clickable on a mobile screen.
Encourage social media usage
Encourage social sharing by including social media buttons in your emails. For example, you can encourage recipients to share their vacation photos on Instagram or Facebook using a branded hashtag, or share a post about their stay on Tripadvisor. This can expand your reach and encourage user-generated content.
Use a call-to-action
Use a clear and concise call-to-action (CTA) that directs the recipient to take action. For example, you can include a button that says “Book Now” or “Get Your Discount Code,” which links to your website or booking engine. Make sure your CTA stands out and is easy to find.
Test and optimize
Test and optimize your email campaigns to see what works best for your audience. For example, you can test different subject lines, email formats, or types of content to see what generates the highest open and click-through rates. Use A/B testing to compare the performance of different email variations and optimize your campaigns accordingly. A/B testing is a method of comparing two different versions of an email to test which version performs better.
