We’ve written about email marketing for vacation rentals before and offered suggestions to grab attention with captivating and engaging copy. While those tips will be helpful to promote your vacation rental portfolio, knowing what to steer clear of might be just as important. After all, it’s the most effective form of digital marketing and one of the best ways to reach consumers, build relationships, and establish loyalty.
Whether you’re creating promotional emails, newsletters, or drip campaigns, here are the top mistakes to avoid to help drive engagement and boost conversions!
Ever spend an inordinate amount of time crafting (what you felt anyway) the perfect email? You sent it to yourself to preview, beamed at your expert writing skills, scheduled the sends, and…silence. We’ve been there. But after tweaking, testing, and analyzing, we’ve learned what questions to ask to optimize email performance. Here are a few to start with:
Who is my audience?
Is this information relevant to them?
How and when might they like to receive it?
Not all of your subscribers will have the same interests or needs. Their purchase intents will also vary, so begin with a clear understanding of their behaviors, preferences, and level of engagement, then deliver targeted, relevant content that speaks directly to them. You can segment your audience in a number of ways—demographics, purchase behaviors, interests, or lead sources are all good places to start.
Think about where they are in the guest journey. Are they potential customers, new subscribers, or loyal followers? Your emails should match whatever stage of the funnel they’re in. For example, if a guest already has an upcoming stay, they shouldn’t receive a promotion announcing that their travel dates are now on sale. When done correctly, you’ll notice lower unsubscribe rates and higher open and click-through rates, so get ready to launch, test, measure, and iterate!
We know it’s easy to fall into the trap of bombarding your subscribers with irrelevant or overly promotional content. It’s also probably the quickest way to irritate potential guests and risk losing them forever. To increase engagement and conversion, aim for a healthy balance of different types of messaging to avoid repetition. Focus on offering content your audience values, like guest tips, special offers, and information on local events. Mix it up with a seasonal newsletter about fun things to do when the weather changes, or highlight a new restaurant near your vacation condos. If a popular concert is coming up, let your audience know that it draws large crowds and vacation homes book up fast, so they can better plan their getaway.
Since you’ve taken the time to segment your email list, you know exactly who’s on the other end of those inboxes. Show your audience some love with personalized messages that let them know you understand them! The goal is to get them to open, read, and engage, so now’s your opportunity to extend the conversation beyond just browsing your website.
There are lots of different ways to build on that relationship and make a lasting connection. Try including their name in the email or tailoring the subject line to address a pain point.
“Craving an extended vacation, Sarah?”
“Hey John, tired of crowded resorts?”
This simple gesture lets them know you clearly understand their problems and want to provide a solution. Highlight offers that cater to their vacation style, promote dates they’ve booked in the past, or feature destinations they’ve shown interest in. Thoughtful, personalized messaging will separate your emails from the generic clutter and turn doubts and curiosity into trust and clicks!
If you’ve ever been on the receiving end of a poorly designed email, you’ve no doubt struggled to understand what to do next. Do they want you to click, read, or buy? If you want more information, is it clear where to find it?
You don’t want your readers to scan and then abandon your email, so pay attention to structure, incorporate a visually appealing design, and include all the essential components:
If you’ve made it this far, you’ve avoided the biggest email mistakes, created beautiful personalized messages, and started sending emails that demonstrate you connect with and understand your audience. But don’t stop there—dig through open rates, click-throughs, and conversions to see what’s working. Test different subject lines and other email components and make small tweaks as necessary.
Frequency and timing play a key role, so analyze for optimal cadence and the days and times that resonate best with your audience. Before long, you’ll be connecting with travelers who actually look forward to hearing from you!
Since email is one of the most dependable digital marketing channels, we highly recommend you leverage its potential for sustained growth. If you’re still struggling, consider working with a digital marketing agency like B2 Collaborative! We’ve pretty much cracked the code on email marketing for vacation rentals and can personalize, automate, and analyze your emails to help you connect with your audience in new and exciting ways. Let’s Collaborate!