The case that we bring you today is one that takes some empathy. Riederalm is a hotel at the foot of the slopes in the Austrian Leogang, not far from the famous Zell am See. This hotel gets the most visitors in the winter of course.
In that period of the year marketing is hardly necessary. The rooms are almost automatically filled in the winter. But during the summer season every empty room is a source for frustration for the owner. That’s why they use email marketing to lure visitors back to the hotel. But how do you do that with an image of snow, skiing and cold? We use images!
1 This is the very first image. Your brand always belongs on top – preferably in the upper left corner, and the title follows. In this email, there is no title, and the image is positioned in the middle. Just to recall the recent skiing holiday at one glance.
2 This is the contrasting image. The hotel swimming pool is being portrayed with some nice exposure. If you didn’t notice the mountains in the background, you might think that it was taken in some exotic place. So no, it’s definitely Riederalm. Many guests probably didn’t even realize there was an outdoor pool. If surprise doesn’t strike here, no text in the world – no matter how well-written – would have gotten that result.
3 Now we get to the title of the newsletter. Summer is being tied to the hotel. If the title would have been positioned at the beginning of the message, a lot of contacts would have closed the message. Because Riederalm and summer aren’t really a match. And I will take care of the skiing holiday in the fall.
4 Now there is room for the biggest USP that Riederalm has, the small scale and family approach. Every member in the picture you probably encountered at the reception, the bar, the restaurant during your last stay. “We are always your friend” is the appearance of the hotel. This article is always included in any email that’s sent. And sometimes that photo changes. When someone marries or when a baby is born, the group in the picture grows. Equally ingenious as Facebook.
5 The motto of the day. No stress, no unnatural sales pitch, just a break between the opening and the subsequent message. Between the contacts that read the newsletter there are definitely some that are looking for the wisdom of the month. Something that will naturally benefit the open rate.
6 Usually the text is positioned to the left and the images on the right. In this email they do things differently. From now on, the images need to create the atmosphere again. Again, no winter to be seen. In Leogang it’s as fun in the summer as much as anywhere else.
7 Using sub titles is the best method to serve the scanning eye. All summer activities are highlighted. Relaxing in the summer, walking, skydiving, cycling. They are textual additions to the photos that have probably already done their work.
8 Here we can finally find the first call to action. You would expect it to appear earlier, because now it’s definitely positioned below the visible part of the preview. But there are two reasons for it. First, there is the family – almost zen – character of the company. So we’re not being aggressive with CTAs. And besides, they first had a rather unusual message to explain. A CTA higher would not have had the same effect. Note the gentle message: “more details”. But make no mistake. It leads straight to a landing page with an offer and rates for a summer residence.
9 The footer is used to highlight some additional services. It still is a four-star hotel. Rent bicycles, order a gift certificate to pamper someone, or their gastronomy, it should all contribute to the temptation and obviously the turnover.
