Plain Text vs. HTML Emails: An Easy Guide for Non-Marketers
An email is more than just an email. Some are simple text, like they were written by a friend. Others, especially in ecommerce, are flooded with images, videos, gifs, and other visual elements. There are reasons why some companies keep their email formats simple, and others go for more complicated designs. We’re going to talk about the types of emails you could send to your email list, and what to know before you choose. Plain Text vs. HTML Emails: What’s the Difference? A plain text email is just that: an email that consists of simple text. It has no images, graphics, videos, gifs, or colors, and it’s easy for ALL…
How to Respond to Online Reviews in 10-ish Minutes Per Day
Last week, I went to a fancy restaurant with my husband for a nice dinner. I put on a dress, a little makeup, and (gasp) actually did something with my hair. So this was clearly a special occasion. When we got to the restaurant, we were told that there would be an hour wait, even though we had a reservation. An inauspicious beginning, but these things happen. So we found a place to wait. After an hour and 15 minutes, we were finally sat. And we sat. And sat. And sat. For another 20 minutes before we were approached to place our drink order. Which came out wrong. Then we…
74 Content Ideas for a Popular Hotel Blog
I’m gonna level with you. Hotels have it easy. Not in an overall “the hotel industry is a cinch” kind of way. Just in a “there are a million great topics for hotel blog posts” kind of way. Events or attractions that makes your city sound cool and desirable? Fair game. Any kind of neighborhood or food guide that a potential guest might find useful? Awesome. Updates on what you’re changing around the hotel? Bring it. As a hotel, you have a whole city’s worth of content, waiting to be explored. To get started, it can help to organize your blog into categories that you think would be valuable to…
Blog with Purpose (Because Otherwise, You’re Just Journaling)
Pouring yourself a cup of tea (or bourbon) and quietly writing your thoughts in a journal is a great way to clear your mind. I write a few longhand pages most mornings for this very purpose, sans bourbon of course. But if that’s how you approach your business blog, you’re probably not having the kind of success you’d like. Blogging is part of a larger marketing strategy, which means we have to be strategic about how we approach it. You can have fun with it! But it needs to have a clear purpose if it’s going to help you achieve your goals. Whether your blog is for an event venue, a…
A/B Testing for Better Email Marketing
If you have an email list (and you’re actually using it), you’re probably aware that email marketing has a great ROI. Every time you send an email to your list, you’re either nurturing those leads or trying to make a sale. But if you’re paying attention to the numbers (which we’ll discuss more below), you probably find that some emails do their job better than others. An email you thought was going to be a big money-maker turned out to be a dud. Or one that you dashed off in the five minutes between a site visit and a health inspection brought in beaucoup bucks—and you have no idea why.…
What Is Voice of Customer Data and How Can It Improve Your Copy?
Anything with the word “data” in it sounds intimidating if you’re not a spreadsheet junkie, but it’s not that scary! In fact, we could remove the word “data” entirely from the term, and it would still mean the same basic thing. The voice of the customer (VOC) is basically how a customer would describe you, your products, and services. But it’s their voice, right? So instead of you and your marketing team sussing out what you think customers think, using VOC channels lets them tell you. Directly. In their own words. Why is that valuable in copy? Copywriting is how you convince a potential customer that your service or offering either solves their problem…
The Hotel Blog: Do You Need One?
When you’re planning a trip to somewhere new, what’s the first thing you do? You probably head to the ol’ internet to do a little research. What is there to do in the area? Any big events coming up? Great outdoor spaces? Must-visit restaurants? The answers to these queries will often appear as blog posts from those in-the-know. Well-written blogs connect searchers to small businesses all over the internet — including hotels. With some time and attention focused on written content, your blog posts could get you more site traffic and — if it’s done right — more bookings. Why does my hotel need a blog? It may not! Not every single hotel is a great…
