It’s no surprise that the travel industry is getting hit particularly hard during these times. Not only are travel restrictions in place for many parts of the world, but there’s also a looming fear for travelers to book too soon as there’s no clear end to the current pandemic.
While this is a challenging time for many, it provides an opportunity for email marketers to re-evaluate and adjust messaging to fit the times. Using the MailCharts app, we’ll walk you through what we’re seeing for the travel and tourism industry and how you can continue to monitor and pivot messaging as needed.
https://youtu.be/STfh-fq6e6Q
Can’t watch the video right now? No worries! Take a quick look below at the strategies we’re seeing in the travel industry.
Stopping all communications
This strategy is a bit risky as it could hurt your deliverability. It does make sense, particularly for the travel industry, to pause promotional campaigns and send only transactional emails. This is something we’re seeing with Royal Caribbean Cruises, which stopped communication on March 11th. HomeAway took a similar approach by decreasing its email cadence and has sent only one email since March 11th (see below).
Creating flexible travel policies
Norwegian Cruise Line continues to send marketing-related emails but focuses messaging on flexible travel policies that have been adjusted due to the pandemic. These emails give travelers peace of mind, especially for already booked travel. It also provides a sense of comfort for future travel plans as we navigate uncertain times.
Vacation Lovers: We've Got A Vacay Ready For When You Are.
Pivoting messaging
Instead of promoting travel, Alaska Airlines is getting creative with alternate ways for customers to earn air miles, including takeout from restaurants in their area and online shopping.
Earn Mileage Plan™ miles from home.
Similarly, Lindblad Expeditions is curating virtual expeditions for their browse abandoners instead of travel you can book today. HomeAway is starting to incorporate a similar strategy in the most recent send on April 1st (their first time emailing since March 11th as noted in the first strategy).
Join our Virtual Expedition | Get out while staying in
Focusing on future travel plans
This strategy might seem obvious, but we found it was necessary to call out because it’s a popular go-to for many travel companies right now. Brands like American Airlines are combining strategies (such as updating travel policies mentioned in the second strategy) with future travel promotions instead of messaging around last-minute flight deals.
If you’re dreaming of future travel
How this applies to your industry
How does this apply to you if you’re not in the travel and hospitality industry? COVID-19 isn’t wreaking havoc just on the travel industry. Likely, you’ve had to pivot your strategy, too. Using MailCharts, you can quickly analyze how other email marketers within your specific industry are handling communication. In fact, our app lets you track up to three companies for free — no strings attached.
Sign up to get started, and happy emailing!
Editorial image by stux from Pixabay
