What does it mean to be a data-driven marketer? It means using information to make your hotel email marketing campaigns stand out from competitors’ and really hit home with recipients.
NB: This in an article from Revinate
To do this, you may need to go beyond the standard data collected in your CRM. The more information you have about individuals, the more highly targeted and effective your campaigns can be.
Use these four strategies to power up your hotel email marketing.
1. Begin to build guest profiles at the first contact, and don’t stop.
Asking guests for a bit of information about their interests during the email opt-in process can build trust while it enriches your profiles. At opt-in, for example, you could offer guests a choice of three promotions, such as a discount on a golf package or spa visit, or a free appetizer at the restaurant. In your post-stay email, you could ask guests to rank features of your property in order of importance. Every time you communicate, provide a lightweight way for a guest to reveal a bit more. This information can be used to segment your customer database in a more granular way.
2. Segment your database again and again.
There are all sorts of ways you can dice up your customer data to hone your hotel email marketing messages. For example, travelers with kids want photos of happy families, information about kid-friendly activities, and services such as babysitting. Sans kids, guests might look for spa services, fine dining and nightlife. Can you find guests who travel with dogs? An AYTM survey found that 48 percent of pet owners care more about their pet’s comfort than their own when they travel. Revinate’s Segment Builder lets you create and save segments that you can use over and over.
3. Use data to upsell during the stay.
Use data about a guest’s behavior during a previous stay to find upsell opportunities during the current stay. If a guest booked a massage previously, it may be time to send an offer for other spa services. If a couple visited the restaurant last time, tempt them with a happy hour special. This is a tactic that uses very specific prior interests to provide hyper-focused marketing while a guest is on-premise, so make sure you are capturing all this data about each guest.
4. Think ahead. Way ahead.
National holidays, peak travel times and local attractions all play a part in attracting guests to your locale. Consider using data to go beyond the typical, holiday-themed promotions. What data points could help you connect with prospects and customers? For example, if your property is near a big, annual rodeo, could knowing which guest like country music help you identify a segment for a special rodeo cross-promotion? If you’re in the Northeast, knowing which guests love to hike could let you craft a great package. Plan a year ahead and begin gathering the specific data that will help you target a custom campaign.
