Monthly Myth Buster:
All e-mail marketing campaigns are the same?
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There is a very fine line between successful e-mail campaigns and unsuccessful ones. One of the common myths about e-mail marketing campaigns is that it is easy to create winning e-mail offers. In this month’s Myth Buster we will focus on how to create effective e-mail promotions and the importance of creating offers you can track and analyze.
One mistake many hospitality businesses make is to create generic special offers (such as 10% off all rooms) and to send the promotion to everyone in their database. While ordinary campaigns can be somewhat effective, it is often more lucrative to produce highly targeted specials, sent to fewer people, who are specifically interested in them. To make this task easier, it is helpful to utilize a property management software program that inputs valuable marketing data each time a guest stays at your property. From that collected information, very specific marketing lists can be generated. Key data collected could include guest addresses, number of stays and number of nights stayed, money spent, guest interests, guest special occasions (such as birthdays and anniversaries), and referral sources. Armed with this information, focused marketing lists can be utilized to offer timely promotions that will yield more revenue than standard mass mailings.
Creating promotional offers that are compelling and desirable is critical to the success or failure of your e-mail campaign. Understanding what consumers are attracted to may seem like a daunting task, however, it is the first step towards a winning e-mail special offer. In general, customers are driven by value and convenience. Cost may seem like an obvious component to a campaign, but many people are also driven by convenience. The simplicity of having products bundled together to form creative and interesting packages is highly influential. For example, if a potential patron is thinking of planning a romantic weekend for two, the ease of having a unique romance package already created takes all the guess work and stress out, making that potential customer more likely to notice your special offer and stay at your property. If you are going to appeal to guests who are looking for value, then try to be more inventive than simply offering typical percentage discounts. For example, offering one night free to extend a stay sounds better, and is more interesting, than a 25% discount. Room upgrades, and bundled package items, also make special offers more attractive.
RezNEWS Tip: Make sure your e-mail campaigns include:
- All e-mail offers should be sent using custom HTML pages that incorporate the same look and feel as your website pages (if possible have a template professionally designed).
- Make sure your “call to action” (i.e. what you are offering) is stated clearly at the top of the marketing piece.
- Make sure your phone number and address are at the top and bottom of your templates.
- If possible, embed your online booking engine link in your special offer.
- Less is more. Don’t clutter the page with repetitive text. If possible, have an image that portrays the essence of your offer and use simple text to make it more attractive.
- Don’t use a “shotgun approach;” combining 5-6 special offers often makes it less likely someone will actually call or book.
- Have a professional edit your text.
Tracking e-mail marketing campaigns
It is not enough to create visually appealing special e-mail offers. Make sure you can track who opens them, and how much revenue your e-mail specials yield. RezStream uses a highly sophisticated e-mail marketing program that allows RezStream to track this information for our Internet marketing clients and send them detailed reporting. If you are a RezStream Internet marketing client, call us for more information about our Internet marketing e-mail services. Most RezStream Internet marketing plans include some e-mail marketing services. Contact our sales team at 866-360-8210 or Sales@RezStream.com for more details.
Purchasing e-mail marketing programs
Another misperception is that all e-mail marketing software programs are equivalent. There are a variety of good programs currently available that allow you to create attractive e-mail offers. A couple of the more popular programs for small businesses are Constant Contact (www.constantcontact.com) and E-Campaign (www.lmhsoft.com). However, these programs offer less functionality than programs that are designed to manage more sophisticated e-mail marketing needs. A better choice for larger hospitality businesses is Campaign Manager by Ariel Software (www.arialsoftware.com). The Arial Software program costs more but is worth it.
Conclusion
Creating successful e-mail campaigns is not easy. You must be creative, diligent, and seek professional assistance if possible. E-mail campaigns that are created without the proper skills will look unprofessional. Very few people possess the graphics and HTML skill to create visually appealing and well designed e-mail offers on their own. In addition, make sure you track who opens your e-mails (including actual e-mail addresses) and how much revenue you make from each e-mail promotion. The best way to track revenue is to use a special e-mail marketing program that tracks open rates, bounces, click throughs, and tracks revenue from online booking engines.
This month's myth, that all e-mail marketing campaigns are the same, is…BUSTED
About the author
Bill Mitchell is co-owner and Chief Operating Officer for RezStream. Bill has over 30 years experience in the hospitality industry with extensive knowledge in management and marketing for hotels, resorts, and bed and breakfasts. Bill is recognized nationally as a featured speaker and consultant for the hospitality industry.
