How the travel industry can use email marketing to bounce back after the global crisis

Let’s have a look at some of the crucial aspects of drafting a travel email marketing campaign, especially in the time of a global crisis because the whole world will step and start roaming once again for both work and leisure when we bounce back.

Well, it’s a no-brainer that COVID-19 has impacted our lives in more ways than we could have ever imagined. From being social animals to being socially distanced, a lot has changed. Amidst all the lockdowns, shutdowns and chaos if there’s one industry that has taken the most hit, it has to be the travel industry.

Planes are grounded, and hotels are closed. At least, in most parts of the world. Stakeholders in the industry face both emergence and existential challenges. However, communication with the customers or ‘future’ customers is essential to keep the show running once normalcy is restored.

If we talk about email marketing, travel industry marketers can take help of expert email developers to design effective campaigns that would grab more attention. Besides, they can also make use of Mailchimp templates or readymade HTML emails available online to make things easy for them.

Let’s have a look at some of the crucial aspects of drafting a travel email marketing campaign, especially in the time of a global crisis because the whole world will step and start roaming once again for both work and leisure when we bounce back.

1. Maintain the communication
Crisis calls for communication. This rule should be the underlying principle while creating emails for your existing or potential clients. The lockdowns have increased the screen times for people across all demographics, and consumers are looking for any piece of relevant information. People are reading more emails than ever before. Hence, to maintain the brand presence and brand identity while you are physically away from the customers, emails are the best way to get your message delivered.

However, since everyone, including your rivals, would be following this practice, the content of the emails should be meticulously crafted to ensure customer loyalty while being sensitive to the consumers’ experience. Since every brand would be shooting a mail, it’s important that the one you send stands out. 

2. Share updates on new measures
Well, you should be ready to welcome guests once they start travelling again. And for this, you, as a brand, need to instil the trust to make them feel their health and safety is at the utmost priority. If you are in the hotel industry and have features like the keyless entry for room and online check-in for minimum physical human contact, then do not miss a chance to mention them in your campaign. 

Your email should also feature information about the policy changes (if any) that brand has incorporated, given the crisis. This might include date flexibility, cancellation policy, and information on the status of the local restaurants and shops. It is essential since even if it is for work, people are sceptical about travelling. The messaging in the emails should address customers’ concerns. This would not only boost customer confidence but would also maintain customer loyalty.

3. Help them with travel plans in the future 
The subsequent email should focus on plans for a potential trip for your customers. They might not be in a position to have one right now, but in a few months, travel would be a thing again. And, keeping them in the loop right now would give you an extra edge. You can include exclusive offers to tempt them when they make their next booking. Even if global travel restrictions are not lifted soon, this sort of email would give them hope and would result in positive customer sentiment.

4. Be sensitive with the content
Opening a hotel discount email would be the last thing a customer would want to do in such difficult times. So, be peculiar about the content as your email should not indicate towards capitalizing on a crisis situation. It is a big turn off for customers, and it can tarnish a brand’s image and hence customer sentiments about that particular brand.  

The campaign should be carefully chalked out to provide relevant information while remaining conscious and mindful of the recipients’ mindset. Doing so would give your brand a sort of human appeal and generate customer loyalty in the long run.

5. Analyze customer engagement
A global crisis is bound to have economic effects. The spending habits of customers change. Layoffs or changed working hours have disturbed the financial status of people, and this aspect should be considered while creating the content for the email marketing campaign. Understanding the target customer’s mindset would land you at the sweet spot for crafting the communication roadmap.

6. Establishing normalcy
Well, travelling always creates positive sentiment, especially after such times of distress. You can leverage this to make them book their travel plans with you. All the steps mentioned above would give them a good idea of the preparedness that your brand has to offer, and this would generate more customer interest. 

As soon as things become normal, guests would flock in. So, the email should contain information outlines of what these bookings would cater to. You need to be clear in your message that your brand is ready to host the guests while taking care of their concerns and give them a delightful experience.

Wrapping up
Well, it’s not easy to propose an itinerary to people when they haven’t even stepped out of their homes for months. But having a sound travel email marketing strategy and nailing it perfectly can help you achieve even that. With some extra efforts on communication, precautionary measures and diligent messaging, business continuity can be assured and your emails would go a long way to ensure that.