The tourism industry: A ray of sunshine in your mailbox

Endless white beaches, ancient architecture and beautiful settings.The tourism industry has everything it takes to make its customers long for vacation using just one image. unfortunately images alone won’t be enough to convince the customers to choose your travel agency. You have to entice them to take that final step and trust you to take care of the details surrounding his trip. You can do that by following a well thought out communications strategy. 

Why use email marketing?

People like to find the best deals they can by comparing offers. That means that the booking process from start to finish can take a long time. Therefore It’s a marketeer’s job to support the customer in this process. Answer questions like why is your company the better choice? What does the customer get out of it? Why are you better than the competition? You have to look at these questions critically whilst composing your strategy. Using good email marketing you are able to approach your client at the right time with the right content for him.

Pique the customers interest with a good subject

It just takes a couple of seconds for contacts to decide whether or not they like your email. That is why it is important that you draft a good subject line. The contact has to know what’s important immediately and that’ll better be a showstopper. Choose a short and powerful sentence that appeals to contacts immediately and contains a clear call to action. Offers fare very well in the tourism industry. Use a subject line like: “early bird special: Book now and save up to 40 percent!” or “Flash sale: dozens of city trips at small prices!”

Types of mails

• Newsletter

Newsletters are your most important email related communications tools. They are ways to entice your customer. He might not be looking for a vacation but will keep your company in mind when he is ready to book a vacation. A part from that it’s just fun to fantasize about an upcoming vacation. Therefore be sure to use beautiful pictures, that works.

• Info

Info mails are indispensable within your communications strategy. You use these mails to notify your clients of something.There are many kinds of info mails, some more positive than others. For example your message can be that you’re introducing a new feature that simplifies payements. But an info mail can also mean that something went wrong. A good example could be that you have to update your customer about an airplane that is delayed. If you don’t communicate that kind of info clearly, your client will book a trip with the competition next time.

•   Confirmation mail/ Follow up

Most customers book their vacation in advance. You send them a confirmation mail but that shouldn’t be the end of the story. You should communicate with your clients on a regular basis to stay top of mind, to create customer loyalty and to up and cross sell. For example you could offer an upgrade in the airplane.

• Thank you/ feedback mail
  

When the customer returns from his trip, you thank him for his trust in your company. on top of that you could send him an email to ask for feedback on his stay or the collaboration with your company.

They use mail to their advantage

Shivering or frying

Neptune reizen Shares it’s group journey’s with the subscribers

• Neptune reizen offers a large variety of vacations. Do you want to “chill out” in Lapland, go sightseeing in Berlin or fry in Italy? The possibilities are endless.
• They highlight the fact that they plan your trip from beginning to end. They are solely responsible for the itinerary of the group travels. That invokes trust.
• Neptune reizen crafts a beautiful description of it’s travels. They compile the advantages and use personal references. For example Ann will look after the group trip to Namibia. Returning customers know Ann. That again invokes trust and contributes for customer loyalty.
• At the bottom of the letter they provide some useful info about the office hours. Because of this addition they don’t have to send an extra email and they combine the functional and the commercial.

Something for everybody

Copco travel and it’s diverse newsletter.

• Copco travel makes sure there’s a lot of variety in its destinations. There’s something for everybody. Adventures in Sri Lanka, take the whole family to Disneyland or opt for a close to home vacation.
• They use clever puns like “Disneyland: the perfect present for a communion.”
• Their buttons contain clear call to actions like, “I am going”.

Party time

Isis Reizen Celebrates it’s 25 year existence and customers benefit from the festivities.

• The company offers a present with bookings in honor of their 25 year existence. This is a nice way to reward your customers and gain conversions.
• Isis reizen sends an email filled with discounts. The client feels appreciated and feels connected to the company.
• The owner’s personal text highlight their most important points. Isis reizen is an experienced, client driven company. The team photo is a fun extra. People like to see who they’re dealing with. This induces confidence.

Tips for occasional emails

• Birthdays or anniversaries
  

Who doesn’t want to celebrate their birthday in a magical location? For example you could send a personalized email containing a promo code for a weekend in Paris. Anniversaries are a good opportunity as well. For example you could give your client an upgrade on his hotel room to celebrate your years together and to thank him for his continued loyalty.

• Flash sales

The company most well known for making it’s core business flash sales is Groupon. Other companies in  the tourism industry can score using these kinds of discounts too. They can use these sales to raise short term sales. For example: Only this week: 20 percent off on a weekend in Prague.

• Nurturing

It’s important to maintain a good relationship with your clients no matter what industry you’re in. Instruments that can help you with that are for example feedback mails, newsletters and nurturing mails. These are mails that don’t necessarily sell products but show your clientele that you appreciate them. The content of these mails could be a free guide to Barcelona or a top 10 list of the best restaurants in Paris.

Every industry has it’s own strong points that you can include in your email marketing. You only have to uncover them. The next industry we are going to tackle is Real estate. Be sure to keep an eye on our blog and read what tips we found for them.