Tour Operator Tip: Can You Send Too Many Lead Follow-Up Emails?

Resmark Systems Tour Operator Software allows tour companies to automatically trigger follow-up emails to leads, but it does it in a way that can personalize those emails to fit the interests of each individual lead and it stops sending them once a reservation is made.

So, as a tour operator, can you send too many lead follow-up emails? You could certainly send too many of the wrong type of email or send emails too frequently. But, if emails are crafted to fit the exact needs of a potential guest and sent at just the right times, the results can be incredibly effective when compared against normal batch and blast style communication.

Here are a few guidelines based on successful experiences of other tour operators using Resmark’s Tour Operator Marketing and Reservation System.

• Create an initial follow-up email that is fairly short and ends with a question. This helps initiate a dialog which is ultimately what you want. This person has likely been on your website, found your wonderfully prominent link to your Resmark inquiry form where they can request your materials, but you haven’t been able to talk to them yet. If you can start talking, you’ll likely book an activity.
• Your second email might be a little longer and should incorporate some personalization with content rules, and still end with a question to generate dialog. You may not want this email so long that it looks like a human didn’t write it.
• A third email might transition the person away from your personalized emails and into some emails that send relevant content to that person using Resmark Systems’ content rules.
• The timing of the second and third emails can depend on what you sell and the urgency around it, but a general guideline for these first few emails might be about a week apart.
• In your next emails, think about sharing guest videos or comments that are applicable to the interests of the lead. For example, if the person says they want to go sea kayaking in their profile, send a personal story from one of your guests about sea kayaking. If they want to go to Italy, send a video that one of your guests made about Italy (or one of your own videos).

How many of these should you send? Maybe one every month for 12 months. Maybe you check back in with a short personal email at 45 days. You’ll need to set up emails, test your response and tweak until you find just the right combination. The beauty of this running inside the Resmark tour booking system though, is that it automatically accounts for the profiles and reservation status of all your data. You craft your emails once and let the system start improving conversion rates.

What have you found to be successful in your lead follow-up programs?