In today’s market, it is important for an independent hotel, resort, inn or bed & breakfast to stay in the mind of previous or potential guests. One way that works and has shown to have high success rates is sending emails. But I don’t mean just regular emails but newsletters.

Many hospitality properties are using newsletters as a way to market their rate specials, packages, services and local events.

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Where do you start?

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1. You have to make a plan.

Before you write a word decide on your goals for the newsletter.

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Do you want it to?

• Generate leads

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• Get more Email contacts

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• Send traffic to your website

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2. What is going to be your content?

Once you have decided on your goal for the newsletter, you have to decide on the content.

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When starting a new newsletter, I use to drive myself crazy; spending hours looking for material. Now, I let the material find me.

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Here’s what you could do.

• Use personal experiences and stories

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• Read your local newspaper

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• That speak with experts in your area

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• Use Google Alerts and Talkwalker. These are two sites you can find online where you can submit keywords of things that might be of interest to your customers. You’ll receive relevant information in the form of website links, blog posts and news directly to your inbox.

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• Read your social media sites

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3. Design your newsletter

Know what your newsletter is going to look like before you start writing, that way you’ll know how much space you will need for each section. It doesn’t have to be glitzy or overwhelming to the eye, actually, some the best newsletters I’ve seen have minimal text and colour formatting.

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4. Find a template you like

Fill in the template with pictures and text. This will be the heart of the newsletter, so spend time making it perfect. In everyone’s busy schedule, short copy is more appreciated than long copy and with your short copy provide your readers with the reason to click to your website or to a special offer.

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5. Personalise your newsletters

I like receiving newsletters, where I feel I have a personal connection with the sender. When you are writing your newsletter pretend you’re writing it to a close friend. If your autoresponder program allows, personalise your newsletters.

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6. Take time to choose your sender name and subject line

Receiving a newsletter from a real person gives it the personal touch. Subject lines can be a little harder and should be given some time. When looking at your subject lines, ask yourself “would I open this?”

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7. The last checks

Make sure you have both “alt” or alternative text for your pictures and plain text option set up in your autoresponder. Some of your customers might not be able to display HTML properly. Make sure your emails and newsletters look fine in plain text, that links are easy to click and that your messages cleared even without photos.

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8. Make sure you’re legal

You don’t want to be labelled as a spammer, so along with your great content, make sure you have your address and an easy way to unsubscribe from the mailing list.

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9. Test in different browsers and devices

Not all search engines read codes the same way. Your email or newsletter while looking great in one browser, might look terrible in another. Check to see how they look and make tweaks as necessary.

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10. Send it off

The moment you have been waiting for! Click “Send” and then wait for the results.

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In Conclusion

Newsletters are an inexpensive method to maintain contact with current and potential guests and by following a few simple guidelines, you can easily improve your bottom line.

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With this in mind, we want to challenge you. 

We want to challenge you to the 6 Day Challenge.

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We at Keystone HDC have taken our years of experience as hospitality property authorities and have produced the

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“6 Day Challenge“

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A video series with many actionable tips & techniques that you can take and use to help improve your properties patronage and profit.

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And the most exciting thing with this video series– it’s 100% Free!

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This 6 Day Challenge will take you step by step through the process of operating a successful hospitality property, including:

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• Determining What Type of Owner/Manager You Are

• How to Set Up an Organisational Structure

• Secrets to Great Customer Service

• How to Market Effectively

• How to Benefit From Social Media

• How to Make Your Guests Want to Return

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Whether you are operating a one-room bed & breakfast or a 500 room luxury hotel, there is always something new you could learn.

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As a famous quote says

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“Never stop learning, because life never stops teaching”

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It is important as a hospitality property owner or manager that you never stop learning.

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So, what have you got to lose? Are you up for the challenge?

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Visit

keystonehospitalitydevelopment.com/6-day-challenge-log-in-here

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Sign up and get immediate access to the first video.

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Good Luck!

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