If you’re anything like us, you’ve probably grown pretty bored of all the promotional emails that ended up in your inbox over the recent Christmas break. It’s highly likely that some of your guests feel the same, which is why this is a great time to bring up an important, but often overlooked, component of email marketing that can be described as ‘value added’ content. It’s all about creating content which is of real interest and value to your audience; instead of simply contacting your guests each time you have a new deal to promote.
That doesn’t mean you should abandon your promotional emails; they are still one of the best ways to direct traffic to your website and drive bookings. However, including some carefully crafted value-added content in your messaging is a great way to encourage loyalty and forge stronger and ultimately more profitable relationships with your subscribers.
Adding value to your email content needn’t take up huge amounts of your time. Here are some quick ideas to get started.
Include Useful Information
Try mixing promotional offers with genuinely useful content about your city’s attractions, local history and traditions, general travel tips and more. These emails still contain links to your latest offers, but the snippets of relevant and helpful information will really help keep your guests engaged and coming back for more.
Offer a Glimpse ‘Behind The Scenes’
Your subscribers may have joined your contact list because you enticed them with a promotion, but there’s a good chance they are also interested in your hotel or resort’s brand as a whole. Why not create an email and accompanying blog post inviting them ‘behind the scenes’ of a typical day at your property, including a quick interview with your managerial staff? This type of content may not seem interesting to you because it’s your day job, but it can be very engaging for your subscribers who want to find out more about your brand and how you operate as a company. It works great in video form, too.
Share Your Brand History
Has your property been established for awhile? Sharing a little background information on the history of your company is a great way to position yourself as an authority within your niche while providing your guests with some new and interesting email content.
Recycle Old Content
You don’t always have to create brand new content when it comes to adding value to your emails. In fact, there’s a good chance you already have a sizeable library of blog posts, guest reviews, About pages, videos and social media posts to draw from. Don't be afraid to reuse this material in your email messaging to keep your engagement and click-through rates up.
Do you add value to your emails with interesting and relevant content that isn’t strictly promotional? Is it something you would try in the future? Let us know in the comments below!
RELATED PAGES AND BLOG POSTS:
- 6 Things To Check Before You Send That Email
- 6 Quick Tips for Writing Emails That Drive Opens and Clicks
- How To Clean Up Your Contact List For Better Email Marketing Results
