Email marketing is still one of the best ways for travel agencies to connect with customers and boost bookings, but it’s easy to make some common mistakes along the way. If you’re not careful, you might end up sending generic content or neglecting to segment your email lists, which can lead to low open rates, poor engagement, and missed opportunities.
In this guide, we’ll explore the most frequent email marketing mistakes travel agencies make and share practical tips on how to avoid them. Whether you need help with personalisation, timing, or creating attention-grabbing subject lines, we’ve got the advice you need.
Let’s get started!
7 Email Marketing Mistakes Travel Agencies Should Steer Clear Of
1. Not Segmenting Your Email List by Customer Preferences and Behaviours
One of the biggest email marketing mistakes travel agencies often make is assuming their email list is one-size-fits-all. If you don’t segment your list based on factors like customer preferences, behaviours, and demographics, you’ll likely send out content that doesn’t connect with your audience.
The power of email list segmentation
Breaking down your email list into segments lets you create personalised campaigns that resonate with what your subscribers actually care about. For instance, you might segment your list by:
- Travel preferences (like beach getaways, urban escapes, or adventure trips)
- Previous booking habits (such as luxury resorts, budget stays, or cruise packages)
- Engagement level (whether they’re regular openers, inactive subscribers, or frequent clickers)
According to HubSpot, segmented emails achieve 30% higher open rates and 50% more click-throughs compared to unsegmented emails. This shows that by customising your emails for each group, you can boost your open rates, get more clicks, and ultimately drive more conversions.
2. Skipping Personalisation in Your Email Campaigns
When it comes to email marketing, personalisation is just as important as segmentation. If travel agencies don’t tailor their email content to individual subscribers, the messages can come off as generic and uninviting, which often results in lower engagement and higher unsubscribe rates. We aren’t saying every email that goes out requires personalisation – it depends on your aim. However, it’s definitely something travel agencies should frequently incorporate into their email marketing strategy.
Ways to Boost Engagement with Personalisation
Personalisation is more than just using a subscriber’s name. Here are some advanced techniques you can use to make your emails more engaging:
Dynamic Content: Incorporate dynamic content blocks that show personalised recommendations, offers, or travel destinations based on a subscriber’s previous interactions or preferences.
Behavioural Triggers: Set up automated emails that are sent when subscribers take specific actions, like abandoning a booking or checking out a destination page on your site.
Personalised Subject Lines: Create subject lines that include the subscriber’s name or reference something they recently did, which can help increase your open rates and engagement.
Campaign Monitor states that Emails with personalised subject lines are 26% more likely to be opened than those with generic subject lines. This jump in open rates shows that personalised emails click with people, making them more likely to engage. Personalisation is a powerful way to boost engagement and get better marketing results.
Author’s Experience…
Let’s consider the example of Jet2 Holidays. After I booked a package holiday to Rhodes for the summer of 2023, I began receiving emails tailored to my interests. A year later, these emails featured personalised recommendations and offers related to Rhodes. These messages were clearly targeted based on my previous booking history, effectively capturing my attention. Each email serves as a reminder of the wonderful holiday I had and rekindles my fondness for the destination. Also, the emails frequently highlight the hotel group I stayed with, further enhancing the personal connection. The subject lines also often include my name, making them even more engaging. This is a great and affordable way to catch my attention, get me to open the email, and take another look at Jet2’s holiday packages.
3. Sending Emails at the Wrong Time or Too Often
The timing and frequency of your emails can make or break your marketing efforts. If you send emails at the wrong times or overwhelm your subscribers with too many messages, you might see a drop in engagement, an increase in unsubscribe rates, or even harm your brand’s reputation.
Finding the Right Balance for Email Timing and Frequency
Here’s how you can nail the perfect timing and frequency for your travel agency’s emails:
Check Industry Standards: A survey by HubSpot suggests that ‘30.9% of the B2C marketers reported the most engagement between 9 AM and 12 PM‘ when sending B2C emails. This will vary by industry. Perhaps sending travel email campaigns is better after work hours or early on the weekends.
Experiment with A/B Testing: Try sending emails at different times and frequencies and compare the results. Look at metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversions to determine what works best.
Listen to Your Subscribers: Allow your subscribers to choose how often they want to hear from you—daily, weekly, or monthly—and stick to their preferences to keep them happy.
Use Behavioural Triggers: Set up automated emails based on subscriber actions, like abandoning a booking or checking out a specific destination on your website.
4. Don’t Forget About Mobile Optimisation for Your Email Templates
This is obvious, but if you’re a start-up or small business, you may not have thought about it. With so many people now checking their emails on mobile devices, not optimising your email templates for mobile can seriously impact your travel agency’s email marketing efforts.
Tips for Creating Mobile-Friendly Emails
To make sure your emails look great on mobile, keep these tips in mind:
- Use a responsive email template that adapts automatically to different screen sizes and devices.
- Keep the design simple and uncluttered with a single-column layout and clear calls to action.
- Include large, easy-to-tap buttons for links and actions.
- Optimise images for mobile so they load quickly and don’t distract from the content.
Most email campaign tools like Klaviyo or Mailchimp let you preview how your email will appear on various devices, such as smartphones, tablets, or desktops.
5. Overlooking the Power of Enticing Subject Lines and Preview Text
Your email subject line and preview text are the first things potential travellers see in their inboxes. These elements can make or break whether they click to explore your offers or move on to the next email. Ignoring the importance of crafting engaging subject lines and preview text could lead to fewer bookings and less effective marketing campaigns.
How to Create Irresistible Subject Lines and Preview Text for Travel Emails
Want to capture the interest of travellers? Here’s how you can craft subject lines and preview text that make them eager to open your emails:
- Keep It Short and Tempting: Aim for subject lines under 50 characters -optimally 41 characters, and preview text under 90 characters. Highlight destinations or deals to grab attention instantly.
- Use Action-Packed Language: Use action verbs and create urgency with phrases like “Book Now,” “Explore Today,” or “Limited Spots Available” to motivate them to check out your offers.
- Personalise with Travel Interests: Incorporate the subscriber’s name or reference their recent searches or bookings. Mentioning a destination they’ve shown interest in can make your email more appealing.
- Avoid Spammy Words: Avoid words like “FREE,” “Cheap Flights,” or “Last-Minute Deals” that might trigger spam filters and prevent your email from reaching the inbox.
6. Avoiding Generic Email Content
One mistake many travel agencies make is sending out generic, one-size-fits-all emails that don’t really connect with their subscribers’ unique interests. This can lead to lower engagement, fewer clicks, and ultimately, fewer bookings and revenue. We all love a bit of personalisation – we want to feel special.
Crafting Engaging, Personalised Emails
To create emails that truly resonate with your audience and encourage them to take action, try these strategies:
- Segment Your Audience: As we mentioned above, segmentation is essential. Break down your email list into smaller groups based on factors like destination preferences, past bookings, and how engaged they are. This way, you can tailor your content to match what each group is interested in.
- Offer Valuable Content: Instead of pushing promotions, share helpful information like travel tips, destination guides, and insider advice. This helps build trust and positions your agency as a reliable resource.
- Tell a Story: Weave storytelling into your emails to create an emotional connection with your readers. Whether it’s customer success stories, behind-the-scenes insights, or inspiring travel tales, stories can make your content more engaging and memorable.
- Show Social Proof: Use customer reviews, testimonials, and content your customers create to build credibility and trust. Seeing others’ positive experiences can encourage your subscribers to book with you.
7. Skipping Out on Tracking Important Email Metrics
One mistake that travel agencies sometimes make is not keeping an eye on the key metrics that show how their emails are performing. Although this task might seem tedious and is sometimes overlooked, it is important not to ignore it. You need to check in on these numbers to get valuable insights that could help you tweak your strategy and get better results.
Email Metrics You’ll Want to Watch
To get a clear picture of how your email marketing is doing, here are some key metrics you should keep track of:
- Open Rate: This tells you how many people are opening your emails. A high open rate usually means your subject lines and preview text catch people’s attention.
- Click-Through Rate (CTR): This shows the percentage of people who click on a link in your email. A high CTR means your content is interesting and your calls to action are working.
- Conversion Rate: This is the percentage of subscribers who take an action you want—like booking a trip or signing up for a newsletter—after clicking a link in your email. A high conversion rate is a good sign that your emails are driving business.
- Unsubscribe Rate: This tells you how many people are opting out of your email list. If this number is high, it might mean your content isn’t hitting the mark, or you’re sending too many emails.
By monitoring these metrics, you can see what’s working, try out new ideas, and keep improving your email marketing to get even better results.
Conclusion
To wrap things up, it’s clear that email marketing can be a powerful tool for travel agencies, but only if it’s done right. Avoiding the common mistakes we’ve discussed can significantly affect your campaigns’ performance. Remember, it’s all about understanding your audience, delivering content that resonates, and continuously refining your approach based on what works.
If you need to learn how to improve your travel emails, you can start by implementing these tips today. Your customers will appreciate the personalised, well-timed, and relevant messages, and you’ll likely see an increase in engagement and bookings.
Take a look at how Hummingbird Agency can give your travel marketing a boost.
Recommended read: Cross-Promotion Tactics for Travel Marketers
