We have previously mentioned the importance of a holistic management of marketing activities for hotels planning to successfully increase direct sales while marketing online. Your website, social media management, online ads and e-mail marketing activities must be carried out in consistency with each other.
In the meanwhile, you need to comply with the basic rules of those specific activities for effectiveness. With this aim, HotelRunner’s blog posts many details and tips that might come in handy for you.
Of all these marketing channels, e-mail marketing is one that brings the highest booking rates. We have already explained why your hotel might need to carry out e-mail marketing activities. However, there are more details that you’d better not miss.
Here is what you need to know about e-mail marketing in accommodation industry:
Don’t get lost in spam folders!
In e-mail marketing, the biggest trap would be falling for spam while staying in contact with your guests and striving to offer them added value. Described as “unwanted mails”, spam is among the most common traps in e-mail marketing.
Today, almost every e-mail service has a “report as spam” option for their users. Analysis shows that 7 out of 10 e-mail users have used this option at least once. Your e-mails may even be blacklisted by spam filters unless you send allowed messages.
Set selling as your top priority
You may receive online bookings once or twice through messages with titles as “Book now” or with similar subject lines aimed at direct sales. However, such messages generally pose the risk of losing potential guests.
Prefer catchy words which, instead of asking them to book now, explain the recipients the advantages and benefits that come with bookings. For example, a subject line reading “5 things our guests love about our hotel” would definitely draw more attention than a “Book now” discourse, and thus increase the rate of direct sales.
Pay attention to when e-mails must be sent
The time to send e-mails plays a significant role in preventing your messages from being missed in the hectic e-mail traffic. There are some general trends for finding out the right time to send e-mails. However, each hotel has its own target group with specific online habits. Therefore, you’d better determine the right time for your target group.
Send e-mails at different times of the day, e.g. morning, afternoon and evening in order to compare the results. Once you identify which hours bring you higher rates of feedback, you only need to arrange your e-mailing patterns according to those hours.
Different e-mails to different target groups
In order to maximize the benefits of e-mail marketing, you can create different lists of recipients and take into consideration the characteristics of those recipients while sharing content with these lists of people. Sending different content to male and female recipients; preparing separate texts for students and business people; or creating special content for people in different locations will increase the effect of your e-mail marketing activities.
Once carried out properly, e-mail marketing activities could help increase the attention shown to your hotel. However, you need a solution that will help you increase your direct sales while addressing all your needs for the promotion of your hotel and facilitating online bookings on the Internet and via mobile devices. HotelRunner might be the one that you need. Create your HotelRunner account and see what we can do for you…
