Now that you’re equipped with the email marketing basics to get your hotel started with this high-ROI channel, it’s time to take the next step: crafting your first campaign. We’re here to help you make it a success. Because when Data & Marketing Association reports that 66% of all online consumers have bought something as a direct result of email marketing, you can bet those campaigns weren’t created at random. For a hotel email campaign to yield results like this, it’s got to be well thought out, and it’s got to contain a few essential ingredients.
When you add each of these five elements to your first email—and to every email you send out thereafter—you can be sure you’re engaging your readers, encouraging them to take action, and building up awareness of and loyalty for your brand in the process.
CTA
Imperative for driving conversions, the CTA is literally your “call to action.” In other words, it’s your “what the reader should do after reading this email” button. For example, “Book now” if you’re offering a limited-time booking deal or “Sign up” if you’re promoting your hotel loyalty program. The entire email message is crafted around your CTA, so it helps to have one that is clear and direct.
Our tips for the perfect CTA:
- Have just one (yes, one, for the entire email)
- Keep it between two and five words
- Make it prominent and be sure it’s visible without scrolling, i.e., “above the fold”
- Use verbs
- Add urgency without being pushy
Subject line
This little line of text is perhaps the most important one in your entire email campaign. It’s the first thing the reader sees, and therefore your best, if not only, chance to convince them to open and engage with your email. Think of the subject line as a book title—if it doesn’t catch the reader’s eye and pique their interest, they’re not going to take it off the shelf to read the back cover, let alone buy the book.
Our tips for the perfect subject line:
- Make it short and actionable
- Keep it under 50 characters
- Have a clear and relevant message
- Don’t mislead readers—set proper expectations for what’s inside the email
And of course, always try out different subject lines so you know what works—test, test, test!
Images
An image helps the reader visualise your hotel and brand. Having the right image in your hotel email campaign can immediately engage the reader, get them excited about your offerings, and make them want to see more of your hotel. At the same time, a poor image could immediately turn the reader off, so choose wisely.
Our tips for the perfect image:
- Choose professional, high-quality images that are related to your CTA
- Evoke an emotional response
- Stick to the “Less Than 25% Rule;” at least 75% of your email should be readable without images
- Add alternative text (alt text) to describe your image in the background
- Don’t rely on images for vital information—not all readers will see images
Text
Including the headline, subline, and body, your email text is where you frame and support your CTA. It’s your chance to convince readers to take the desired action.
Our tips for the perfect text:
- Keep it short, sweet, and to the point
- Explain the benefits of your CTA
- Avoid spam words
- Have text that can stand alone without images
Also, try to write in simple language—your reader shouldn’t need a dictionary to understand the text.
Landing page
The landing page is the website the reader is taken to after clicking your CTA, and we can’t stress enough the importance of having a good one. Have you ever clicked on an email to take an action, gone to the landing page, and then couldn’t find where on that page you could complete said action? It’s a major conversion killer. Ensure the success of your hotel email campaign and maximise conversions by sending your readers to the perfect landing page.
Our tips for the perfect landing page:
- Create one per email
- Use the same design as the email
- Work with your ESP provider; they may have tools to help with creation
- Have a way to track readers who convert
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Now what?
All that’s left to do is decide what you want your first campaign to achieve. More direct bookings? More repeat guests? New customers? Whatever your goal, use these 5 essential ingredients to create a hotel email campaign that inspires readers to engage with your email and compels them to take action.
