Content that engages guests and informs is key for making your hotel stand out, whether on its website, social media channels, or through an email newsletter.
Email can provide an easier and more personal way of reaching out to your target audience; this is particularly effective with automated solutions like Rezdy.
1. Keep it short and sweet
Email marketing remains one of the best strategies for hoteliers looking to develop customer relationships and increase repeat business. According to data from DMA, hotels reportedly generate an estimated return of $47.17 for every $1 spent on email marketing.
No matter the purpose, hotel newsletters should always provide interesting and engaging content for subscribers. With proper planning and the appropriate tools, creating an effective newsletter can be easy and enjoyable – and ultimately provide real value for your audience.
People typically spend only 10 seconds reading brand emails, so it’s crucial that content be brief and simple. Focus on just a few key points using images as visual cues; for instance if your hotel recently renovated its pool area or restaurant, highlight them briefly with links leading back for more details. Likewise, videos are great ways to engage viewers while showing off special amenities while simultaneously building trust with potential customers.
Hotel newsletters can also serve as an effective means to connect with local communities and promote events taking place nearby. If your hotel has an active social media presence, consider cross-promoting its newsletter on Instagram or Facebook to ensure its message reaches an even wider audience.
Your hotel website, social media channels, and property should all provide subscription options, making it easier for guests to subscribe in ways that fit them best. Hotel email newsletters provide a cost-effective means of reaching target audiences while building brand loyalty; with the appropriate strategy and tools in place you can create one that keeps guests coming back for more.
2. Keep it relevant
Many hotel marketers find themselves stuck when it comes to creating newsletter content, either because they lack ideas for topics to write about or don’t have enough time to research ideas for research purposes. That is why creating hotel content pillars can help provide you with some key topics you can refer back to when it’s time to send out the hotel newsletter.
Planned content in hotel emails will keep your list engaged and will prevent email from going directly into the “Spam Folder.” Additionally, making clear what action guests should take next will increase conversion rate and revenue at your hotel.
One of the best ways to ensure that your hotel newsletter reaches potential subscribers is with lead magnets – opt-in offers given away in exchange for an email address. You can employ this strategy with both new and existing audiences; such as including sign-up forms in booking confirmation emails, welcome emails, websites and social media profiles.
Provide your audience with useful local area information to keep them engaged with your hotel, such as listing popular attractions nearby or informing them about exciting local events that are taking place – for instance Hotel Windrow included such details in their October newsletter which resulted in 30% open rate and 82 room nights booked!
Share information specific to your hotel, such as its new menu or an exciting event being hosted by its staff. Informing your audience will make them more likely to remember and refer it on.
Social media has turned us all into curious voyeurs who enjoy peering behind the scenes at hotels. Give your audience an exclusive sneak peek by posting photos of your staff preparing rooms or meals or laughing during staff meetings; this will humanize your hotel and build trust among its guests.
3. Keep it interesting
An effective hotel newsletter provides an ideal opportunity to cultivate customer relationships. By regularly sharing brand imagery and exciting hotel happenings, your hotel stays top of mind with both current and potential guests, leading to loyalty and repeat business. Plus, email marketing continues to deliver one of the highest returns across channels; according to data analysis it is estimated you could earn approximately $47 for every dollar spent.
Keep this in mind: your hotel customers aren’t interested just in what your property can do for them; rather, they want to hear more about how you are reinventing hospitality, improving their experience, and ultimately making their trip more pleasurable. Share exciting developments that make your property special and create exclusive email lists by offering promotions exclusive for that list of customers.
If your hotel features an on-site restaurant, highlight the culinary offerings for your guests to enjoy. Perhaps there’s also an outstanding local chef or bartender reinventing dining with ingredients grown right on site or offering exclusive experiences that set it apart from similar hotels in the area.
Your hotel newsletter should feature engaging and entertaining events taking place locally that may encourage potential visitors to book with you. Check with your Convention and Visitor Bureau about what seasonal or citywide events they could feature, or scour the web for local museums, sports teams, theaters or concerts that could fill out your content calendar.
As always, adding some humor can do wonders in keeping hotel newsletter content interesting and engaging for readers. Humor helps build audience relationships while adding a personal touch – share an amusing story about your hotel or one of its guests to help readers become acquainted with who’s behind it all.
Personalizing your hotel newsletter is key to its success. Leveraging an email platform that integrates with your PMS allows you to target specific categories of subscribers such as current guests, website visitors or new audiences with tailored information tailored specifically for them – opening a dialogue about how your hotel can fulfill their needs.
4. Keep it fresh
By choosing a responsive email template to deliver newsletters for your hotel, it ensures that its content will display correctly across a range of devices people may use to view them. In addition, using mobile-friendly emails ensures modern marketing efforts don’t fall flat on their faces.
Share recent hotel updates such as new rooms or amenities being added or renovated in order to keep guests up-to-date and eagerly anticipate their next stay with you. Highlight any additions like in-room washer and dryer sets or cocktail combinations created by chefs as part of a newsletter so they know when planning their vacation to book at your hotel. This will encourage booking your hotel for their vacation getaway!
By including testimonials and reviews in your hotel newsletter, you can build trust among potential visitors. While sharing positive guest experiences on your hotel website is one way of doing this, sending monthly email through your newsletter adds a personal touch that increases engagement.
Add local events, restaurants and attractions as part of your newsletter content to give subscribers more value. Your local convention and visitor’s bureau may provide such details; include them in your local audience newsletter to make the best impactful message possible for subscribers. Hotel Windrow did this successfully when sending out seasonal newsletters highlighting their destination; their open rate hit an incredible 30% and they booked an impressive 82 room nights!
Staying current with your emails will not only help convert prospective guests, but will also inspire existing visitors to return. Include fun trivia in your newsletters to engage and entice your target audience or feature intriguing historical facts about the area in which your hotel resides – this is particularly beneficial for bed and breakfasts who can showcase both history and their own house’s.
Make sure your newsletter addresses frequently asked questions from customers as this will provide invaluable assistance and demonstrate your dedication to providing exceptional service during their stay – something especially valuable for B&Bs with an established brand name, where maintaining it can play an essential role in future success.