It’s pretty much a common fact that it is more cost-effective to get an old customer to re-book than to get a new customer to book. And as we wrote about earlier, driving direct bookings is one of the best ways to boost profit margins. That is one of the reasons that it is so important to keep in touch with your customers.
The smaller company advantage
How you do this is off course, like everything else you do, up to how you will be perceived. Larger companies probably have a direct marketing manager and a advertising agency. They can afford to to fancy campaigns. But, they struggle to make it feel personal. Even though you get a ”Hi Emma”, maybe some auto generated content that mention where you stayed your last time and a ”Best regards, Tiffany”. You don't have a personal relationship to the sender.
This is where you, as a smaller actor on the traveling scene, has a huge advantage. You do have a personal relationship with your visitors. They have in many cases met you in person, spoken to you on the phone or had some kind of direct correspondence. And you need to act on that.
Get personal - best practice
One of the, outstanding, best examples I have on being personal with your customers is a Stockholm based dentist. Each year he goes on a vacation abroad. And each year he sends all his customers a postcard with a personal greeting from his vacation. Who could turn such a relationship down and go to someone else?
This is perfect example of a cost-effective way to retain and build stronger relationships with your customers.
Some ideas
The possibilities are endless. Here are some ideas:
- Did someone spend their honeymoon at your accommodation? Thank them for their last visit and give them a anniversary offer.
- Do you have returning customers for the easter, summer, thanksgiving or any other holidays? Remind them to book and give them a heads up when your accommodation is starting to get fully booked.
- Send pictures of improvements you make or the view from your customers room.
If you find this hard, just think of it as any relation in your life. Think of how you like to keep in touch with your friends, and adapt it to your business. You can log those little extra bits of information about your customer in the Roombler booking app.