3 Effective Methods for Engaging Your Guests Through Email Marketing

In the current competitive hotel landscape, an effective email strategy that targets your guests at each stage of their stay (booking, pre-arrival, and post-stay) has become increasingly impactful at exciting guests about your property while remaining the most cost-effective tool in your toolkit. Fortunately, your Property Management System (PMS) provider likely offers features that can enhance and automate your email campaigns. Below, we'll explore how to identify these features and refine your email content and timing strategies to effectively engage your guests at critical moments of their stay. 

1. Utilize Built-in Email Marketing Features in Your PMS

Your PMS provider should offer an integrated email marketing module either for free or through a monthly subscription. Look out for the following features within your PMS database to streamline your email strategy: 

• Customizable Design Tools: Seek tools that allow for branding consistency with customizable elements such as colors, images, videos, and text formats. Eye-catching, uniquely designed emails tend to generate more engagement from recipients. Some PMS providers may even offer pre-designed templates that you can personalize to align with your brand and give you ideas for future email campaigns. 
  
• Customer Segmentation and List Creation: Utilize tools that enable you to filter and target specific customer segments effortlessly. For instance, you can target guests who stayed during particular events or booked certain services during their stay, ensuring personalized communication tailored to their interests. 
  
• Automated Personalization with Merge Fields: Incorporate merge fields to automatically personalize email templates with recipient-specific details like names and reservation information. This simplifies the process of addressing individual guests without manual input for each email. Additionally, some PMS providers allow you to save customized templates for future use, saving time and effort. 
  
• Scheduled and Triggered Emails: Leverage features such as Triggered Correspondence to automate email sends based on predefined visitor actions, such as check-out or reservation confirmations. Additionally, scheduling emails in advance ensures timely delivery, enhancing operational efficiency and freeing up your time for other tasks. 
  
• Comprehensive Reporting: Monitor campaign performance metrics within your PMS, including open rates, click-through rates, unsubscribes, and more. Analyzing these insights enables informed decision-making for future marketing endeavors, optimizing engagement and retention strategies. 

2. Cultivate Meaningful Messaging to Nurture Guest Relationships 

Stand out in your guests' inboxes by crafting personalized and meaningful content that resonates with their preferences and past experiences. About 75% of marketers believe personalization increases sales and the likelihood of a contact becoming a repeat customer, so avoid generic mass emails by incorporating personalized elements and creative messaging strategies, such as: 

• Tailoring offers and add-ons based on previous stays or preferences, like champagne for guests who repeatedly celebrate their anniversary at your property 
• Providing exclusive discounts or perks to reward returning guests, such as 50% their next booking as a thank you for being a loyal visitor 
• Offering personalized activity suggestions based on past interactions or notes, like proactively suggesting a nearby museum like one they visited during their last stay 
• Highlighting property upgrades or new offerings since their last visit to create excitement around your property that converts guests into repeat guests 
• Recognizing special occasions like birthdays or milestones such as anniversaries to foster a sense of appreciation and loyalty 
• Leveraging design tools to enhance visual appeal and capture attention, aligning with seasonal themes or property-specific events to further engage recipients 

3. Optimize Email Engagement through Strategic Timing 

Map out your email outreach timeline strategically to maximize engagement and impact at key stages of the guest journey: 

• Making a reservation: Impress new guests with personalized booking confirmations and highlights of your property's unique features, encouraging confidence and excitement for their upcoming stay. This is also a good time to offer registration for any guest rewards program your property offers. 
• Pre-Arrival: Provide relevant information and solicit necessary details or preferences ahead of arrival, offering opportunities for upselling or additional services to enhance their experience. 
• Checking-in: Extend a warm welcome upon arrival, furnishing essential details and resources to facilitate a smooth and enjoyable stay. 
• Checking-out: Express gratitude for their patronage, summarize their stay experience, and offer insights into upcoming events or promotions to encourage future visits. 
• Nurturing: Don’t forget about your guests in between their stays. Maintain ongoing communication between stays through occasional updates, special offers, or holiday greetings, ensuring your property remains top-of-mind for future bookings. 

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