Newsletters are an excellent communication tool for the hospitality industry. Indeed, you can use social media and phone conversations to communicate with guests. However, newsletters are the best means to truly update and engage them without being intrusive.
But existing and prospective clients must sign up to read your newsletters. So, this article reveals how to gain more subscribers on your list. It discusses five practical ways to increase hotel newsletter sign-ups, enabling you to build quality relationships, increase patronage, and attract more guests.
Let’s get right into it.
5 tips for increasing your hotel newsletter’s subscribers
You can adopt five brilliant strategies to increase your hotel newsletter sign-ups. Let’s take a look at them.
1. Find MailChimp Alternatives
The first option that probably comes to mind when you think of email marketing is probably MailChimp. Why? They’ve been around for a long time, so there’s a natural buzz around it.
However, despite its popularity, MailChimp isn’t the best option for businesses seeking to run effective email campaigns at low costs. For example, MailChimp’s basic plan, that’s $11 per month, is limited to 500 subscribers. If you want more subscribers, you must upgrade your plan at an additional cost, making it an expensive option for businesses planning to save big on email marketing.
In addition, businesses that are new to email marketing may find it challenging to use MailChimp. So, it may not be a great option if you are a newbie and hope to stay consistent. Consider easier, beginner-friendly email marketing tools to facilitate your newsletter campaign. The more seamless your experience is, the easier it is for you to send engaging newsletters to your subscribers consistently.
A straightforward email marketing platform also streamlines the signup process for subscribers, eliminating any hassle and increasing your subscription rate. So, you can explore MailChimp alternatives that support business growth. Then, select an option that aligns with your budget, and offers an intuitive and seamless experience for you and your subscribers.
This move will set up your email marketing for success and attract more subscribers to your newsletter when you do this.
2. Highlight the benefits of signing up for your newsletter
Your guests do not want to do you a favor by subscribing to your newsletter, they are interested in what is in it for them. If you don’t attach an enticing offer or benefit to the sign-up exercise, they won’t be motivated to go through the process, even if they merely have to click a button.
So, put your best foot forward and leave your guests wanting to sign up by communicating subscription perks. In other words, tell them why they need to sign up. Will they be the first to know about upcoming events and bonuses? Will they have access to exclusive offers? Whatever it is, state it clearly, and don’t leave your guests to figure it out.
Stating the benefits won’t clear up confusion only; it will also create FOMO– the fear of missing out. Your guests never want to be excluded from exciting benefits, so they will be eager to sign-up whenever you ask.
Highlighting value is key to generating more subscribers for your hotel newsletter. Again, your subscribers aren’t interested in what they can do for you. Instead, they are concerned about maximizing all the opportunities being a guest offers. So, give them a mouthwatering offer that convinces them to sign up for your newsletter and gain more clients for your hospitality business.
3. Create a persuasive call-to-action
A clear and compelling call to action is critical to getting more subscribers on your list. Regardless of how convincing your message is, you are less likely to get people to take the desired action with a weak or confusing call to action. In other words, they won’t sign up if they are unsure of what they should do or if they don’t see how beneficial the action is to them.
So, keep your call to action precise, clear, and beneficial to your audience. Make it easy to notice and understand.
Essentially, you must:
- Highlight your call to action to separate it from the rest of your message
- Avoid fluff
- Use a single call-to-action
- Use images or icons to illustrate what you need them to do.
More than 90% of people who read your headline also read your CTA, so make it count. Keep it straightforward and persuasive enough to get them to subscribe after reading it. This will generate more subscribers, allowing you to grow your list exponentially.
4. Use pop-ups
Although pop-ups are often seen as intrusive and salesy, they generate an average conversion rate of 28%. When done right, your visitors won’t see them as unwanted, rather, they will consider them helpful.
Imagine a visitor on your website wondering how to access first-hand information about bookings and upcoming events at your hotel. Suddenly, they find a pop-up that invites them to join your newsletter for news and updates. In this case, the guest will consider the pop-up relevant to their needs, encouraging them to subscribe.
So, use pop-ups strategically on your website and landing pages. Direct it to visitors interested in learning more about your business or to existing guests. Consequently, this will keep the pop-ups relevant to anyone who sees them, increasing your sign-ups.
5. Test and improve
Generating subscribers to your newsletter list is a continuous process. So, you must ensure it drives the right results to build an effective strategy and maximize your marketing efforts.
So, test your campaign to see how successful it is at increasing your sign-ups. Doing this will help you identify any challenges for users and make the best improvements. You will also identify what works and eliminate unnecessary features or bugs that may prevent visitors from signing up for your hotel newsletter.
Use testing tools or conduct consumer surveys to test appropriately. Create multiple landing pages to see which converts better. Ask survey questions that lead you to the challenge you can fix to simplify their experience and fast-track the sign-up process.
Focus on these areas:
- Call-to-action
- Call-to-action button’s color
- Opt-in box
- Opt-in box location
- Offerings or benefits
Testing your newsletter’s landing page will expose you to areas that require improvement. Fixing any issues will enhance user experience which will increase your signups and develop your list to drive more leads.
The ultimate guide to creating an effective newsletter
Your goal isn’t just to drive more people to your newsletter list; it’s to boost your marketing efforts by increasing your patronage and generating a returning client base with your newsletters. This boils down to attracting the right people and creating a newspaper that keeps them glued.
Here’s a simple step-by-step process to develop a newsletter campaign that works.
1. Create a relevant and organized database
Your newsletter is not for everyone. So, focusing on quantity over quality won’t yield the desired result. Also, an unorganized list will hamper your personalization strategy. Avoid this by targeting your campaign to the right category of people and categorizing them effectively.
You can target and section your list following this format:
- Website visitors: Your website visitors are interested in your hotel, and that’s why they are on your page. Take advantage of this by placing the newsletter pop-up strategically on your website. Remember to include the perks involved to encourage them further to sign up.
- New audiences: Invite new audiences to sign up when you find them through ad campaigns, social media, or other platforms. When you do this, you encourage them to know more about your business, creating the best opportunity to convert them into clients.
- Existing guests: It’s easy to get current guests on your newsletter list, especially if they were satisfied with your hotel services. So, reach out to them after their visit and suggest that they sign up for your newsletter to stay updated.
2. Personalize your emails based on consumer category
You will achieve better results with your email marketing if you personalize your newsletters. Figure out your subscribers’ profiles and create a newsletter based on their category and needs to personalize their experience.
Here is a simple format:
- Concierge emails: Dedicate this type of email to current visitors in your hotel. This newsletter may include fun facts about your hotel, business, values, and insider tips to enhance their experience. Keep it precise and interesting. Your current visitors never want to read long and boring details about your property during their stay.
- Sales emails: This email category is great for all categories of visitors. It contains offers, news, and updates that pique their interest. However, you can personalize these offerings based on what you think each category will find attractive.
- Entertainment emails: Again, this email type is suitable for every audience category. It includes interesting details about your company, hacks, tips, and other information that engages your audience.
3. Use impressive design and engaging content
A clean and attractive design will get your audience to read your content, and take the expected action. Use fascinating visuals, but don’t limit the design to the images. Introduce easy-to-read fonts. Emphasize important points, and use a simple layout that helps your audience consume your content easily.
Use powerful yet easy-to-understand language that invites visitors to read and persuades them to act. Give irresistible offers, and keep them concise but detailed enough to convince your audience to subscribe to your page.
An excellent design and content are critical factors in increasing your newsletter subscription. So, keep the layout clutter-free and your message compelling.
Grow your hospitality business with newsletters
Newsletters are incredible assets to every hospitality business looking to build exceptional relationships with their guests. However, getting visitors on your list can be a bit challenging. Thankfully, implementing the strategies discussed in this article will help. Adopting these tips will drive more subscribers to your list easily. You will also build lasting relationships to grow your clientele with the tips discussed in this article.
Author Bio:
Lydia Iseh is a writer with years of experience in writing SEO content that provides value to the reader. As someone who believes in the power of SEO to transform businesses, she enjoys being part of the process that helps websites rank high on search engines.
Over to you
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About Are Morch
Are Morch is a digital transformation coach helping hotels open their digital front door, reimagine their processes and culture, and transform experiences in a fast-paced world!
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