Top ten tips for Holiday Let email marketing success

Last Updated on February 10, 2016 by admin

With so much time and attention now spent on social media it can be easy to forget how effective email marketing can be for your holiday let business, or even have space for it on your ever-growing to-do list. To give you a helping hand here are our top ten tips for Holiday Let email marketing success.

The problem if you’re not using email is that it can deliver results; research shows that £23 of sales is generated for every £1 spent on email marketing in the UK.

Interested in how you can harness the power of email to gain bookings?

We give our top ten holiday let email marketing tips…

Know your audience

You should use your emails to build an effective long-term relationship and as a reason for guests to return to your holiday home. In order to do this it’s vital that you understand what your recipient is going to want to receive in their inbox. Think of content that will be of interest; latest availability and deals, new attractions or events, discounts you’ve organised with local restaurants etc.

Build on content that works for you

Some articles will be clicked on more than others. This is an indication that this content is more interesting to your recipient than those left unclicked. Monitor your emails over time; is a certain type of article or topic gaining more clicks than others? If so, create more of what works and jettison those articles that don’t!

Don’t just send discounts

It can often be tempting to bombard people with sales offers and discounted rates in order to generate interest. Avoid just sending sales information; if you send too much it can be both off-putting and also mean that people are always waiting for a deal before booking.

Keep your contact constant

A core principle of your email marketing should be keeping in touch with people on a regular basis.  Ensure you’re mailing your list on a constant basis, for example once a month.  Do so at the same time and day each month, which leads us onto our next point.

Send at a time that works for your database

Email marketing and research will tell you that the best results are achieved by sending at around 2pm on a Tuesday or a Wednesday.  Remember that your email database will be unique to you; ensure you’ve tried sending on different days and at different times in order to find the one that gives you the highest open rate.

Learn from your subject lines

Before people even read your email they’re going to read the subject line. This is make or break time for whether or not they’ll open it; 33% of people will open an email based only on its subject! For this reason it’s always good to include the name of your holiday home in the subject line to give familiarity, but just as you do with your sending times and days, test to see what gives the best result.

Incorporate email into your booking and leaving processes

Use email to add value – send automated emails to upcoming visitors before they arrive suggesting things to do and other useful information. Also consider sending a thank you or survey once they arrive safely home.

Understand your statistics

You can gain better results from your holiday let email email marketing by understanding how you’re performing.

Open rates should be between 25 – 35%.

Your click through rates should be in the region of 15 – 30%.

Not hitting these figures? Consider why this may be happening and rectify any potential issues.

Make sure you ask for emails

All of the above is obsolete unless you ask for visitor emails! Ensure this becomes a central cog in your booking wheel; whether that be when they’re making their initial enquiry or during their stay.

Understand the law

If you’re handling emails then you’ll want to do so in a legal way. For more information on data protection legislation and your responsibilities when using electronic communications for marketing please read the guidance from the Information Commissioners Office here.

Find it all a little too confusing or time consuming? Why not appoint a holiday home letting agent to take care of the marketing for your your holiday letting business.

When holiday letting your second home to paying guests it’s essential to take advice on suitable insurance. Boshers offer specialist holiday home insurance to holiday letting owners across the UK. For more information on how a specialist insurer can help and support your holiday home business, please give us a call on 01237 429444.