effective email strategies for travel marketing webinar

EFFECTIVE EMAIL STRATEGIES FOR TRAVEL MARKETING

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BEFORE WE GET STARTED…

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• Everyone will receive a link to a recording of the presentation and a copy of the slide deck within 1 to 2 business days

Today’s Moderator:

Sarah ZibanejadradInbound Marketing Coordinator

WhatCounts, Inc.@SarahZiba

TWEET!

Tweet about this webinar using #wctravel

Follow:

@WhatCounts@TimBrechlin@SharonMostyn@RoamRight

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WHO WE ARE

• Sharon Mostyn (@sharonmostyn or @roamright)– Inbound Marketing Certified Professional at travel

insurance provider RoamRight– Encouraging people to venture farther and travel

smarter.

• Tim Brechlin (@timbrechlin)– Services Account Manager at WhatCounts – Lover of life, living and deep-fried cheese.

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TODAY’S AGENDA

• Improve email and other digital marketing practices• Apply lifecycle marketing principles to the travel / tourism

market• Show how travel marketing principles apply to other

verticals• Your questions answered

CONTEXT

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THE SEARCH ENGINES HAVE WON

• Between Flight Finder, Hotel Search, the Frommer’s acquisition, etc., Google has taken direct aim at the travel market

• Do people go to a CVB site first, or do they go to the search engines / TripAdvisor / etc.?

• People want authentic information• It’s more important than ever to have great, engaging content

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MOBILE IS BIG AND GETTING BIGGER

• 1/5 of destination website traffic now comes from a mobile device• Most users (62%) find your destination's content via mobile search• Smartphone growth for 2013 will be near 100%

while tablet growth will top 180%• The majority of mobile traffic (62%) comes through mobile search,

with nearly 90% from Google– Source: Travel 2.0 Consulting Group / The Mark Report (

www.travel2dot0.com)

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SO WHAT DO WE DO?

• Engage the customer in all phases of the travel cycle• Who are we talking to? What are we saying to them? What do we

want them to do as a result of receiving our message?• At the end of the day, we’re looking for heads in beds / people

buying our product / people using our services• Make it as easy and attractive as possible for the customer to find

us

THE ONE QUESTION EVERYONE ASKS

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WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?

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WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?

• Applies to every stage of the travel process:– The Idea– The Plan– The Trip– The Aftermath– The Return (?)

• Also applies to retail, other ecommerce, food & beverage … you name it!

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HOW NOT TO ANSWER THE QUESTION

• The Description Approach– Tell, rather than show– “This is what the destination / product is”

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HOW NOT TO ANSWER THE QUESTION

• The Description Approach– Tell, rather than show– “This is what the destination / product is”

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HOW TO BETTER ANSWER THE QUESTION

• The Aspirational Approach– Show, don’t tell– “This is what you can do in this destination / at this place / with this

product”

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HOW TO BETTER ANSWER THE QUESTION

• The Aspirational Approach– Show, don’t tell– “This is what you can do in this destination / at this place / with this

product”

THE IDEA

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THE IDEA

• At the very beginning, the whole world is an option, it only gets narrowed down from there

• Essential to make yourself as easy to find as possible– Strong SEO and social

• Put your email signup everywhere

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THE IDEA

• Travel is not as seasonal as many ecommerce products, since people love to travel year-round– That being said,

travel is often a cyclical proposition

• Ask for the email sign-ups in unexpected places, – ex. social media

where people talk about their vacations

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THE IDEA

• 52% of travelers use social media to find vacation inspiration, with 29% of respondents flocking to Facebook for travel planning ideas

Source: MDG Advertising infographic , August 2012

• 76% of social media users post their photos on social networks – which encourages others to travel!

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BE THERE BEFORE THE SALE

• By the very definition of travel, you have many competitors as a tourism marketer

• If you aren’t everywhere humanly possible, something has gone horribly wrong

• Set expectations - make sure your readers know what to expect from your emails– Frequency (daily, weekly, monthly…)– What day (Travel Tuesdays, 1st Saturday, 15th of the month…)– What time (overnight, morning, afternoon, evening…)

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BE THERE BEFORE THE SALE

• Be findable!

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EXERCISE BEST PRACTICES FROM THE START

• From address– Tell them who you are: Be consistent – builds trust

• Subject line– Personalized –not just name, travel topics, destinations– Short – so can be read/understood and stands out– Respectful– No “bait and switch”

• Pre-header– Text preview –important in a crowded Inbox to stand out– Call-to-action– Get the reader to open – gives them an idea of what’s inside without

images turned on

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GATHER YOUR INTELLIGENCE

• At the very least, be collecting ZIP codes from your subscribers• The more you know, the better you can target your emails• Monitor the search queries people are using to find you

THE PLAN

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HOW TO STAY RELEVANT DURING THE PLANNING PROCESS

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HOW TO STAY RELEVANT DURING THE PLANNING PROCESS

BE AWESOME.

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HOW TO STAY RELEVANT DURING THE PLANNING PROCESS

• Drip campaigns are a great strategy– And easy to set up if you’re a WhatCounts client!

• Travel may not always be a single-visit purchase, so get them to sign up for email newsletters so you can tell them a bit more – Example: tips, tricks, insider information…

• Holiday campaigns– Not just “standard” holidays – Earth Day, destination-specific holidays

(Founder’s Day), wacky holidays – today (12/20) is Go Caroling Day and the signing of the Louisiana Purchase so it’s a great day to plan a trip to Louisiana and purchase something!)

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HOW TO STAY RELEVANT DURING THE PLANNING PROCESS

• Segmentation!– Target by interest at the sign-up– More targeted emails = more engagement

Baltimore.org

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CONTINUING TO STAY RELEVANT

• If you have travel dates:– Pre- trip emails – reminding them to check passports, send packing

lists, what to do while you’re at your destination– Post-trip emails – ask for user reviews, connect via social media, show

us your pictures…

THE TRIP

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YOUR WORK ISN’T OVER

• Just because the traveler is in your destination / has purchased your product / doesn’t mean that your job is done

• Travelers are using their phones more and more during a trip• Do you have SMS (for special offers / deals) set up?• How about social?• Don’t neglect the offline channels

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YOUR WORK ISN’T OVER

• Just because the traveler is in your destination / has purchased your product / doesn’t mean that your job is done

• Travelers are using their phones more and more during a trip• Do you have SMS (for special offers / deals) set up?• How about social?• Don’t neglect the offline channels

THE AFTERMATH

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• Build loyalty and keep them coming back– Don’t have discounts/specials

of your own? Offer readers someone else’s specials and monetize your email through selling ad space

– Join affiliate programs for complimentary products and services

• Repeat buyers are worth 4.8x one-time buyer LTV

THE CHAPTER IS OVER, BUT THE STORY DOESN’T END

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MAINTAIN GOOD LIST PRACTICES

• As Google goes, so goes the Internet• Inbox placement is weighted heavily on engagement• Segment your lists properly

– Recommend a 30/60/90/other breakout

• When in doubt … ask!

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ALWAYS BE TESTING

• If you aren’t testing, you’re doing it wrong• Be cognizant that things may need to be changed up• Pay attention to your click-through performance and heat maps

– Are you burying the lead?

• Give them options to update their preferences• Make it easy for them to opt out

–You don’t want them clicking the Worst Button In The World

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DON’T FORGET: WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?

• The subscriber’s inbox is crowded – don’t forget to remind them of why they signed up for your email in the first place

• Remember that travel is cyclical – the subscriber may not be making another trip for a year or more

• Offer a special deal or discount after a period of disengagement• Always be planting seeds

THE RETURN…?

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THERE’S ALWAYS A NEW OPPORTUNITY

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IF YOU’VE DONE YOUR JOB RIGHT…

• Travel is, at its core, aspirational– “I want / need to see and do more”

• Offer specials for return visitors• Emphasize what else there is to do

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Email has a place in every phase of the travel cycle• Be everywhere• Gather as much intelligence as you can: The more personalized

and targeted your marketing is, the more effective your marketing will be

• Never, ever stop testing• Now is the perfect time to email – especially for travel

marketers. Try sending an email this weekend!

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WHATCOUNTS 2013 DIGITAL MARKETING SUMMIT

• April 24 – 25, 2013; Atlanta, GA• Two days of email and digital marketing strategies, best practices,

trends, education, advanced platform training and more• Face-to-face time with WhatCounts team members

• Early Bird Special: Registration only $299 ($349 after December 30)

• http://www.whatcounts.com/emailsummit

QUESTIONS?

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CONTACT US

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CONTACT ROAMRIGHT

Speaker Contact Information:Sharon MostynEcommerce Director, RoamRight443-279-7344smostyn@roamright.com

RoamRight1-877-687-7170 8601 LaSalle Rd. Suite 102Towson, MD  21286

CONTACT WHATCOUNTS

WhatCounts, Inc.3630 Peachtree Road, NESuite 900Atlanta, Georgia 303261-866-804-0076www.whatcounts.comTwitter: @WhatCountssales@whatcounts.com

THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING!

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