Email Automation specifically refers to email messages that are automatically triggered by certain behaviours.
An automated email campaign requires only one setup, and then it is automatically sent to a particular individual based on a series of triggers and rules that you define.
For example, imagine you’d like to send a welcome email to anyone who signs up to receive your newsletter. You can create an automated email that welcomes the new subscriber, and introduces them to your business and services and perhaps even includes a voucher ( e.g. bottle of champagne in room on first booking) to entice them to get in touch.
It would be time-consuming to manually create and send an email campaign to each person when he or she signs up; so, instead, you set up an automated welcome email that gets sent whenever a new person joins your list. That’s the beauty of email automation: You set up the email once, and, as people meet the trigger you define, the email will send without any additional effort on your part. It essentially “automates” your email marketing, making you that much more efficient.
Email is the most important piece of the marketing automation puzzle, and providers like Campaign Monitor offer email marketing and automation that is easy to set up, scale, and execute.
What Automation can you set up as a Travel Agent?
Attract Phase + Nurture Phases
In this phase - it's about introducing your USP's to potential clients. When a client subscribes it's important to have a sequence of emails that gently introduces your business to them ( perhaps 2 - 3 emails) that lays out the foundation of why it is good to book through you.
Similarly, if you attend a trade show e.g. a wedding show, it is highly unlikely that a honeymoon enquiry will be ready to book on that day ( weddings tens to be very long lead-in periods from trade shows). So setting up a Wedding Email Automation sequence that sends out a series of emails to 'nurture' the potential client means that you automatically send out the information you wish to convey as to why you are the best person to organise their wedding/honeymoon.
You can make your automation as simple or as complicated as you like. Different emails can be sent along the journey based on the subscriber activity on a previous email. Perhaps you want to find out what the subscriber is interested in? You could add a question for the user to select holiday tyes they like and then set up emails with content relevant to that content type.
Setting up the sequences is very easy as the walk through below shows. You simply have to set up a sequence of answers and add emails accordingly.
Convert and Re-Book / Refer Phases
Once the client has booked many agents think this is where the marketing stops. It isn't!
Setting up automated emails to send Pre and Post Departure Emails based on the date that the client is going on holiday are crucial ways to upsell e.g. airport car parking, but also to be able to automatically ask for a Review and Referral. Often these things get overlooked and you miss out on lots of Reviews.
Adding in marketing automation also means that you can send an email a certain period of time after the client returns from holiday asking them if they have started thinking about planning for a future holiday? These automated emails are the way that the very big OTA's have grown so large and are starting to look and feel more personal to consumers. That same technology is available to you at very little cost.
Setting up Automated emails to send based on Enquiry / Booking Dates
Within our TravelCRM, each enquiry/booking has the option to send as many automated emails as you set up. Each email you will create as a template and then the client's name will be added to personalise it to that client.
In the CRM, within each enquiry, you can set the date the email must be sent on an enquiry by enquiry basis as below ( highlighted in yellow)
Conclusion
Setting up Automated Emails will not only save you time but:
- Nurture Potential clients to make an enquiry
- Enable you to 'sell' your services over a series of 'Drip' emails
- Set Up automated emails to ask for Reviews ( and embed those reviews on your website)
- Nurture referrals and additional holidays by setting up automated prompt emails to send to bookers