With so many ways to market your travel agency, choosing a strategy to find holidaymakers who want to book with you can be a tricky task in itself. However, having options is a good thing. You just need to make sure you give each method enough time to bear fruit. But how do you craft an email marketing strategy that hits all the right tones? That’s what we’re here to tell you with our guide for how to win at email marketing.
But first… email marketing is impressive 💪
Email marketing is often scoffed at as a way to communicate and acquire new customers, with low open rates cited as the primary reason for its inefficiencies. Yet, the average return on investment (ROI) for each email is $36 for every $1 spent.
With 4.3 billion people expected to have an email account by 2023, your reach is pretty expansive too. Of course, you don’t need anywhere near that amount to tap into your customer base. But it doesn’t hurt knowing the chances for high reach metrics look promising.
How Travel Brands Can Win at Email Marketing
Make your email personal 👋
Let’s face it; no one likes getting a ton of emails every day – especially when they lack any type of personalisation. Your emails need to hit specific pain points, offering travellers solutions to their problems through genuine, helpful advice.
As a travel brand, you already have the answers. So show your target audience how you can help with interesting content that hits all the right spots. Email doesn’t necessarily need to only promote shiny new holiday deals.
Instead, talk about what’s going on in specific destinations, offering readers travel guides and fun facts about holiday destinations. Be informal, be personal and treat the email as a chance to be conversational without pushing the hard sell.
Get your subject line right 📧
First impressions really do count, and email subject lines provide the chance to announce your arrival in style. Around 33% of email recipients open an email because of a catchy subject line, so try and create intrigue.
There’s a balance between writing a subject line that piques someone’s interest and offers clickbait – you want to avoid the latter and go for the former. It’s never as easy as conjuring up a great subject line at the first attempt, and you might even decide to test different ones to see which resonates best.
Try subject lines that offer play on different emotions, sometimes opting for one that creates urgency while being curious or slightly comedic for others. Again, always be personable – no one wants to feel like they’re receiving the same thing hundreds of other people get (even if they know deep down that may very well be the case).
Create a sense of community 🤝
As a travel brand, your focus could be on destinations all over the world. Still, that doesn’t mean you can’t create a sense of community with your customers, bringing together different types of holidaymakers.
Create emails aimed at backpackers, others catering to luxury holiday lovers and some to adventure seekers. There are so many different types of holidays, and you can use your emails to bring people together, perhaps pointing them to your social media pages where they can discuss their favourite vacations.
Have a strong call to action 📣
You will want to ensure you have a strong call to action, especially if your killer subject line has got people opening your email. Your parting message doesn’t always need to be “book a holiday”, though it’s fine to go down that route if the email is a sales one.
Whatever you decide, make sure that it’s clear and concise, and get people to take definitive action. For example, you may choose to send an email notifying people about new partnerships that allow them more flexible ways to pay for their travel. Or you might just want to share something that’s going on across your social media platforms. Whatever it is, the CTA is your chance to get readers to take definitive action.
Electronic mail
Email still has a vital role to play in the world of marketing, and it can be a fantastic tool for travel brands to engage with customers. Get your messaging right, and you could very well be on your way to building a brand profile and getting more people booking holidays through the handy medium of electronic mail.
