The hospitality industry is an extremely competitive space that requires effective digital marketing. However, like all businesses, hotels have a limited budget for digital marketing. Simply spending money for digital marketing purposes will not deliver the results you want unless there is a strong strategy in place to help you achieve your goals.
This makes email marketing absolutely crucial for the hospitality industry. Email marketing offers up to $38 for every dollar that you spend, making it a great channel to maximize your digital marketing ROI. With COVID-19 having majorly disrupted the hospitality industry in unexpected ways, profit margins have become extremely thin. There is no budget to waste and no room for error. In such circumstances, email marketing can be a lifesaver.
Email Marketing Can Boost Your Hotel & Hospitality Business
Send Out Welcome Emails Before a Guest Visits
One of the best ways to ensure that your guests have all that they need is to ask them ahead of their visiting time by sending out a welcome email. Sending a welcome email to an expected guest shows that you care about their stay with you even before they set foot in the lobby. This not only shows that you care about their best interests but also creates a sense of excitement regarding their stay.
Try using a greeting email as an opportunity to learn more about your guest. Ask them if they have personal preferences or special requirements for their stay. Ask if there is anything that you or the hotel needs to know prior to their arrival, or, you can simply ask if there is anything you can do to meet their expectations.
Focus on Brand Awareness
Many businesses in the hotel industry, and outside of it, push sales messages through their email marketing campaigns. While the general idea behind digital marketing is to enhance sales, there are also other ways to transform subscribers into permanent customers by simply providing them with special offers and discounts to endear them towards your brand.
Branding is vital for every business and it can help make your hotel stand out from the others in your area who are offering similar pricing and amenities. Additionally, you would want your hotel to be known for its attention to detail and hospitality. By associating your brand with outstanding and consistent service you can help facilitate loyalty to your brand that can pay dividends in the long run.
Send Out Personalized Emails
Having an in-depth understanding of your customers and segmenting them into groups based on demographics and psychographics helps you deliver relevant email campaigns to your mailing audience. For instance, weekend travelers might appreciate information about local points of interest, while business travelers might want to discover the top restaurants for dinner after work hours.
Personalizing your emails can also increase their open rates by about 26%. By offering relevant, personalized content, you increase the chances of customers engaging with your brand and portray your emails as a trusted source of information, which helps develop your brand authority in your market.
Use High-Quality Images of Your Hotels in Emails
An average consumer remembers about 80% of what they see as opposed to 20% of what they read. Do not refrain from sharing some amazing pictures of your room views, amenities, and hotel to make your digital marketing experience more impactful. Email campaigns are just the opportunity you need to grab the imagination and attention of subscribers with great images.
For instance, if your hotel is located on a beach, you might want to give an image of a beachfront landscape to amplify your subscriber’s interest in being there. For a mountain resort, images of skiing and other adventurous activities can help seal the deal.
Always Send Out Feedback Emails
Online reviews have largely replaced traditional word-of-mouth marketing in recent times. A large portion of customers check online reviews before booking a hotel or visiting it. According to surveys, 88% of total travelers filter out hotels that have received an average rating of below 3 stars.
It is best that you ask a guest for their review or feedback 24 hours after they check out. You want to make sure that their positive experience is fresh in their mind when they’re writing their review of your hotel.
Utilize Email Marketing To Improve Guest Experiences
The guest experience starts long before they reach your hotel, and ends long after. Sending emails pre and post-stay will extend their time with your establishment in order to build a stronger connection. Ensure you are going above and beyond to be a part of your guest’s experience, and enhance it as much as you can.
When developing emails for guests, make sure to understand the journey they go through. From preparation to check-in, to check out, steps can be taken through email marketing to further
