Email marketing is often overlooked, yet it can be a stellar way to nurture your hotel’s relationship with its guests, encouraging them to return time and time again.
Consider this: on average, email marketing efforts generate £28 for every £1 spent. The ROI is four times higher than other marketing channels like social media or search campaigns. Moreover, if you invest time in testing these campaigns, you could see a 28% boost in performance.
With these quick wins in mind, let’s explore some straightforward steps to maximise your hotel email marketing.
1: Segmenting Your Data
Segmentation is foundational in the hotel industry. If you haven’t done this already, now’s the time.
Segmentation involves dividing your email subscribers into groups based on specific criteria. For hotels, this could include age, location, travel purpose (business or leisure), and preferences (room type, dining, etc.). By analysing these trends, you can create segments with shared qualities.
Examples of hotel segmentation might be business travellers, couples, families, or loyalty programme members. This allows for personalised marketing strategies, such as promoting exclusive family breaks to the family segment or special facilities for business travellers. This not only drives conversions and higher ROI but also ensures your audience receives relevant content, reducing dissatisfaction.
2: Send-Time Optimisation
Timing is everything. The time you send your email campaigns can significantly impact customer engagement.
Many email marketing platforms provide insights on the best send-times based on past campaign performance. Don’t let your efforts go to waste by sending emails at the wrong time. Segmentation helps here too, as different audience segments may have optimal times for engagement, further personalising your approach and boosting engagement.
3: Email Campaign Design and Device Optimisation
A successful email campaign needs logical and easy-to-understand design. Consistency in branding colours, fonts, logos is crucial for recognition.
Your email should have a clear hierarchical structure. For instance, if promoting an exclusive offer, place your call to action near the top to immediately engage users before delving into other unique selling points.
Ensure your emails are responsive, adapting to various devices. With 60% of emails accessed on mobile devices, a mobile-first design approach is essential to avoid losing engagement due to poor navigation.
4: Using Analytics to Improve Campaigns
Numbers don’t lie. Tracking key performance metrics; click-through rates, conversion rates, open rates is essential.
Most email marketing platforms offer reporting tools. By monitoring these metrics, you can identify successful elements and areas needing improvement, continually refining your strategy.
Email marketing is a potent tool for enhancing guest relations and boosting your hotel’s profitability. Incorporate these practices into your process, and you’re bound to see success!
