Travel marketers are wrestling every day to make their business stand out in this ultra-competitive and billion-dollar travel industry. Here are a few email marketing tips to help you nail your endeavors.
Travel industry is one of the most popular and largest industries in the world with global internal tourism revenue amounting to 1.48 trillion US dollars.
With growing competition, it’s crucial to jump the digital bandwagon to make your travel business stand out in the market. It has also become inevitable to explore the potential of the travel industry, reach new customers, retain the existing ones and establish yourself as a brand. Email Marketing is one of the best amongst digital armamentariums that helps you nail the industry.
Benefits of Email Marketing as per Industry Experts
As per email marketing experts, more than 84% of travel brands use email marketing to broaden their reach and retain customers. According to mailchimp, the average open rate for travel and transportation industry emails is 20.44% which is pretty good as compared to other industries.
Litmus states that email marketing is a great tool that helps to woo the customers when they are planning their trip or making their minds. It can even influence the decision of people who weren’t actually planning a trip and later decide to buy one.
A well-defined email marketing strategy helps to build a strong brand presence and loyalty amongst your existing customers. This marketing strategy is an ingenious way to attract, win and retain new customers. It also helps the small travel firms to improve their visibility and even compete with the giant ones.
Read More: Tips to Create a Successful Digital Marketing Campaign
Steps to Email Marketing
There are essentially 5 steps to kick-start your email marketing efforts.
- Set up your professional email by choosing an email service provider or use any email marketing software.
- Build your subscriber list.
- Beautifully tailor the content of your email.
- Set the timings right by using an email calendar.
- Send your first email.
Tips to Make Your Email Win Hearts
1. A Touch of Prsonalization
Never greet your email with Sir or Mam rather address the recipient with his/her name. This makes them feel special and instantly triggers a connection that prompts the reader to open the email. Millennial travelers today prefer experiences more than things. Around 70% of them follow their favorite travel brands on social media.
So, it becomes very important to tailor the email marketing promotions as per the individual’s interest and behavior. You can use certain software that helps you store their interest in the form of cookies. These insights can be used to tailor a personalized and customized email and offer a deal to the customer that he/she cannot deny.
2. Add Videos
Videos are always attention-grabbing and persuade the visitor to make a pitch. According to Econsultancy, around 70% of travelers watch videos while researching for a travel destination. Embedding video in your email content influences reader’s travel decisions and increases your brand awareness simultaneously.
3. Use Their Location
Go for location-based targeting. Adapt your email marketing strategy based on the location of your prospects. There are many email marketing software/ CMS plugins available that help you track your user’s location. Use this information to create lucrative offers for your prospects. Weather is one of the most common factors influencing travel decisions. Sharing some pictures of snow-clad mountains in your next email could be a big draw for people living in hot regions.
4. Inculcate a Sense of Urgency
Creating a sense of urgency is truly a tried and tested email marketing strategy that makes “buy now” turn into a limited-time offer. Offering flash travel sales would help you convert better and assist you in cracking those unexpected travel purchases. Setting a countdown theme, a timer or setting an end date would help you grab better leads.
5. Add Testimonials
While researching for a perfect trip, travelers are also scouring the web for reviews. According to research conducted by the famous tourism company TripAdvisor, 93% of travelers across the world share that their decisions are majorly influenced by online reviews and testimonials.
When travelers are so dependent on online reviews, why not give them the things they want?
Travel industry email marketing experts say that add a few testimonials from happy customers in your email and share a link to read more.
Winding up
Being a part of the travel industry, you need to embrace a way that suits the mindset of today’s travelers i.e. millennials and makes them feel special. You can take the help of professional email marketing experts or email marketing software to kick-start your endeavors.
Stay tuned with us to learn more hacks about digital marketing. Keep sharing!