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The topic you are about to read is the second part of a three-part series of email marketing. brought to you by one of our Professional Educators: Andy Ogg, CTIE, Co-Owner of Travel Professional NEWS.
You can find more of this type of education in a variety of programs and certifications at The Travel Institute. A powerful program we offer is the Premium Access Lounge, where you will find many TED-talk-like recorded power sessions on marketing. Check it out.
In the first part of Andy’s series, he discussed many basics and definitions that surround successful email marketing campaigns. In this segment, he is going to dive into the creation process, effective design outlines, as well as execution of getting it sent to your growing list of subscribers.
Creation of a Successful Email Marketing Campaign
In today’s offerings, there are numerous options when it comes to partnering with a quality and effective email list management provider. From MailChimp to Constant Contact and much more, there are affordable tools at your disposal that will not only provide everything you need but also will grow with your list and business.
When getting started, I highly suggest doing some research into these options: MailChimp, Constant Contact, JackMail, SendGrid, Drip, or SendinBlue
No matter what platform appeals to you, most providers will offer a high-tech platform to drag-and-drop content to create an attractive and effective email.
To ensure your email marketing will be opened, read, and engaged with, below are three rules to follow:
1. K.I.S. (Keep It Simple)
Focus on three things that present a value or offer to your list that only you can provide as an experienced travel professional:
– Promotion
– Content or blog post
– Recent experience
– Motivation to travel
– Education on what you offer
– Destination of interest
– Trip or itinerary of interest
2. Don’t Overwhelm
It’s easy to overload an email with information, especially when the information is exciting; however, it won’t provide the same results as a simple, to-the-point email. Too much information contained in an email can immediately turn your readers into deleters.
Focus on a few things and ensure there is a clear call to action for viewers of the message to engage with.
3. Don’t Bait and Switch
One of the quickest ways to be unsubscribed is to bait and switch. Not only does this damage your list, but it also can create distrust from your audience. If you are offering a “special” or “free download,” make sure it follows what you are offering.
Designing a Successful Email
While each platform offers a different interface for the design process, the finished product can be relatively similar in terms of function. While every single email you may send to your list will differ in one way or another, below are a few key points that all of them should contain, no matter what the messaging.
- Logo and Business Contact Information
This seems like a no-brainer, but you may be surprised how many emails get sent without any reference to the business sending it. Design a header for your emails that incorporates your business logo, business name, and relevant contact information for people to reach out at.
- Images
Let’s face it, travel is beautiful, and inspiring others to book their vacations with you should be as well. Subscribe to a stock photo resource to download high-quality images that not only are appealing but are legally licensed for distribution. Remember that copyright infringement is still a very real thing, so protect your business and yourself by ensuring the images you use in an email marketing campaign are allocated for mass distribution.
- Text – Short but Informative
Engagement is the key to email marketing. The goal is to get a viewer of your email to go to your website or landing page. Provide text, just not too much of it. Text, especially in today’s shortened attention span, immediately can turn off a viewer of an email if it looks similar to a book, so keep it simple with just enough text to encourage but not too much to give it all away.
- Clear Call to Action
“Click here” or “Learn more” should be prevalent throughout the entire email marketing campaign and should be unique to the content it references. If you are promoting a special offer, using a “Book now” or “Find out the details” can be a great way to entice viewers to take that next step.
While having hyperlinked terms in your text is a great way to call out specific information, a clear Call to Action (CTA) should be unavoidable. It should be a bright or vibrant color, with large and easy-to-read text. If they can’t find out where to click, they won’t bother looking for it, so make it easy.
- Mobile Responsiveness
In our business, we operate an email list with over 75,000 subscribers. Over the past year, there has been a 10% increase in the percentage of mobile views to our emails. The new average for mobile views is well over 30%, so make sure your messaging works on it all, including desktop, mobile, and tablet devices.
Many suppliers already provide a responsive based coding that automatically adapts to the device it’s being viewed on. Before you schedule or deploy a message to your audience, make sure to send a test of it to yourself and check it out on multiple devices. This will ensure that all is working as it should be, and your viewers will have every opportunity to engage with it.
- Footer
In accordance with ICANN and SPAM laws today, it is imperative to have a footer in your email marketing. Again, many suppliers automatically will assist you in the creation of this necessary information, but it’s your responsibility to verify and check that everything is current and correct.
In addition to a footer displaying information about your business, including the required subscriptions options is required. That includes the ability to easily unsubscribe from your list or from the message itself. Again, most of these requirements will be facilitated by your email marketing vendor, but it’s best to double check.
Execution of Your Email Marketing
Once you’ve created, designed and tested your email, you’re ready for the best part, sending it! Now, there are about 18,000 opinions as to what the best day and time to deploy an email is. But, in all honesty, I suggest you try different things to find what works best for you, your business, and your list.
While sending during the workweek is often said to be the best time, I personally have witnessed exceptional results with a weekend day send. In fact, our list reads emails, weekdays, weekends, and even nights. Although your list is going to be comprised of people from all walks of life, you’ll eventually find a day and time that provide the best results for your messaging.
Try different options and then measure the results. After a few sends, you’re going to see a day and time that is peaking engagement and responses to your email marketing efforts. Once you have discovered that preference, stay consistent and keep the ball moving forward.
As you can see, there are many parts to make up a successful email marketing campaign, and that list keeps growing as technology and digital marketing grow in popularity and use. A successful email marketing campaign undoubtedly will improve your business in a multitude of ways, including brand exposure, educating of your services, and increased sales. Stay tuned to the next issue of Travel Professional NEWS for the final segment based on Tracking, Assessment and Ongoing Email Campaigns.
