hays travel email marketing journey

Hays Travel Email Marketing Journey

Hays Travel Email Marketing Journey #TheClicks

Hays Travel


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


Main productsPackage holidays (Europe & Faraway)

City Breaks

Cruises

Long Haul


“A third of travel agents could go out of business

by 2021”

The Guardian


Obstacles in the travel industry

Competitor landscape

Consumer confidence

Mailing list growth


Competitive landscape


Consumer confidence


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%


The impact to travel industry


List growth


The last 5 years…


Objectives & strategy


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:


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:


Objectives for 2019

• Email design analysis and tweaks

• Subject line testing to improve open rate

• User driven content


Email Design


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.


Campaign one:

• Create a new design of templates

• Focus on mobile optimisation within our templates

Objective


Campaign one:

• Understanding the capabilities of the platform

• Meetings to discuss parts of the email we wanted to change

Challenge & Strategy


Campaign one:

• Sending template designs internally

• Testing what worked well across different devices

Testing


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


Before After


Subject line & content testing


Campaign two:

• Focus on more content driven emails to improve engagement

• Keep up with trends

Objective


Campaign two:

• Integrating our ideas to work alongside our social media channels

• Putting together a content calendar

Strategy


Campaign two:

• Creating a different design for our content emails• Testing across different devices internally

Testing


Campaign two:

• Sending a monthly content based email• Focusing on topical subject

Results


Campaign two:


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!


Subject line testing:


Results


Open Rate


Click Rate


Content Bounce Rate


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.


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:

Thank youAny questions?

Phil Hesketh #TheClicks

Stuart’s Slides here…

Inbox Placement #TheClicks

hays travel email marketing journey

Documents