Hays Travel Email Marketing Journey
Transcript of Hays Travel Email Marketing Journey
Hays Travel Email Marketing Journey #TheClicks
Who are Hays Travel?• The UK’s largest independent travel agent
• Have access to a wide choice of tour operators and airlines
• John Hays opened the first shop in Seaham in 1980
Hays Travel Email Marketing Journey #TheClicks
Main productsPackage holidays (Europe & Faraway)
City Breaks
Cruises
Long Haul
Hays Travel Email Marketing Journey #TheClicks
“A third of travel agents could go out of business
by 2021”
The Guardian
Hays Travel Email Marketing Journey #TheClicks
Obstacles in the travel industry
Competitor landscape
Consumer confidence
Mailing list growth
Hays Travel Email Marketing Journey #TheClicks
The impact to travel industry
Non-bouncerate
Openrate
Clickrate
Click-to-openrate
98.3% 23.4% 2.3% 8.6%
Pink text indicates a percentage decrease – by 5% or more over prior year.
Uniqueopen rate
Uniqueclick rate
Unique click to unique open rate
16.4% 1.3% 7.4%
Hays Travel Email Marketing Journey #TheClicks
SOPHISTICATION SCALE
CULTURED KINGS
DISPATCHERS
CAMPAIGNERS
BLASTERS
AUTOMATERS
HIT & HOPE
Sophistication Scale @CommCorp
Stage 2: Dispatchers
• Uses a more complex re-usable data structure• Use Mailing List Analytics integration• Uses Content Checks to test Messages • Sends Multi-Variant Dispatches regularly for subject line testing• Utilises Dispatch Automation for more than welcome• Tracks Conversions within Communicator• Uses a Global Reply Forwarding address • Sends from a Branded Sending Domain• Personalisation includes more than first name• Regularly uses segmentation (usually gender orientated or similar)• KPI for click rates introduced
What they do:
Sophistication Scale @CommCorp
Stage 3: Campaigners
• Has Integration set up• Even more complex data structure using Lookup Tables• Uses Behavioural Filtering to target recipients based on engagement• Use Send To A Friend forms to increase mailing list• Uses an RSS feed in Messages to automated content creation• Uses Dynamic Content in Messages to tailor content based on preferences• Defined data collect processes (usually multi-stage)• Uses Multi-variant dispatches to test Message content• Start looking at delivery rates and email clients
What they do:
Hays Travel Email Marketing Journey #TheClicks
Objectives for 2019
• Email design analysis and tweaks
• Subject line testing to improve open rate
• User driven content
Hays Travel Email Marketing Journey #TheClicks
Campaign one:
After realising we were quite low on the sophistication scale we wanted
to make two main objectives which would enable us to improve. I’m
going to speak about our first objective and then Jodie will speak about
our second.
Hays Travel Email Marketing Journey #TheClicks
Campaign one:
• Create a new design of templates
• Focus on mobile optimisation within our templates
Objective
Hays Travel Email Marketing Journey #TheClicks
Campaign one:
• Understanding the capabilities of the platform
• Meetings to discuss parts of the email we wanted to change
Challenge & Strategy
Hays Travel Email Marketing Journey #TheClicks
Campaign one:
• Sending template designs internally
• Testing what worked well across different devices
Testing
Hays Travel Email Marketing Journey #TheClicks
Campaign one:
• 4% increase in read duration• 2% increase in click through to our offers• 29% increase in click through to our social media channels
Results
Hays Travel Email Marketing Journey #TheClicks
Campaign two:
• Focus on more content driven emails to improve engagement
• Keep up with trends
Objective
Hays Travel Email Marketing Journey #TheClicks
Campaign two:
• Integrating our ideas to work alongside our social media channels
• Putting together a content calendar
Strategy
Hays Travel Email Marketing Journey #TheClicks
Campaign two:
• Creating a different design for our content emails• Testing across different devices internally
Testing
Hays Travel Email Marketing Journey #TheClicks
Campaign two:
• Sending a monthly content based email• Focusing on topical subject
Results
Hays Travel Email Marketing Journey #TheClicks
Subject line testing:• 10 weeks of subject line testing• Test theme against price point• 6 out of 10 weeks our North customers opened the theme subject
line• 7 out of 10 weeks our South customers opened the theme subject
line
Sunshine and Beaches 😎The Caribbean is calling 🌴
Amazing American Adventures 🗽Natural beauty of the Indian Ocean 🏝 😍
Experience it all…Multi-centre Faraway holidays!
Hays Travel Email Marketing Journey #TheClicks
Objectives for 2020
• Cruise
• In house tour operator – HTOL
• Introducing Hays Travel brand to our new client base
Email marketing will play an integral part in achieving these objectives and will be a key way to engage and communicate with existing and new client basis in a personalised manner.
Sophistication Scale @CommCorp
Stage 4: Automaters
• Includes SMS in marketing plan• Captures data using SMS• Dynamic content is driven from CRM system• Clear customer segments (re-usable filters)• High use of behavioural filtering – clear engagement group plans• Automation included lifecycle campaigns (usually mapped out)• Testing plans for automated campaigns• Focuses on growing data for defined segments• KPIs introduced for inbox placement, mailing list engagement• Aiming to achieve above benchmark
What they do: