It’s probably fair to say that email marketing can often be overlooked in place of some of the glitzier marketing channel favourites like social media. Sure, it’s no TikTok, but it’s relative importance within your hotel’s marketing mix really shouldn’t be underestimated.
NB: This is an article from 80 Days
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And, as we move towards a first-party future where ownership and understanding of your data becomes increasingly valuable, we think it’s fair to say that email marketing is ready for it’s glow-up.
In fact, the numbers paint a very pretty picture. From an 80 DAYS study of independent hotel groups’ email marketing in 2023, we found that:
- Email traffic attracts a lower-than-average bounce rate of just 32%, compared to 39% across a group hotel website. This would of course suggest higher engagement levels.
- This is further illustrated by email traffic driving a higher number of pages viewed per session, as well as longer dwell times.
- But the killer stat is that email traffic generally converts higher than average website traffic – in some instances by as much as 2.5X
1. KILLER COPY
It’s tempting to get hung up on choosing exactly the right image to accompany your email campaign – and while that’s important, don’t downplay the impact of strong creative copy on influencing the purchasing decision. And we’re not just talking snappy subject lines, but the preview text, the body copy and CTA (Calls to Action) too.
Stop and question; what is the purpose of your email and the copy that you’re trying to craft?
Generally speaking, copy falls under three different purposes:
- To persuade: where you want your audience to do something
- To inform: where you want your audience to know something
- To entertain: where you want your audience to feel something
Of course, you might want to weave elements of all three within your copy – but giving thought to the ‘why’ behind your writing can help you create far more compelling messaging.
Another good rule-of-thumb is to lead with value; what will the recipient get from reading yet another email in their already bulging inboxes?
And give it the brutal 5-second test; can your email get the main point across in under 5 seconds? No? Back to the drawing board.
Often, it’s far easier to write for a more specific audience or segment as you can talk more confidently to their unique needs and wants. Conveniently, our friends at For-Sight have some fantastic advice on how to segment your audiences.
