For travel brands, new customers are always worth celebrating, but it’s the repeat customers that are key to long-term growth.
From airlines and hotels, to travel agencies and cruise lines, attracting a loyal customer base is often more cost-effective than constantly acquiring new ones. However, cultivating customer loyalty when travellers have endless options requires strategic, personalised engagement. Which is where marketing automation steps in. Marketing automation helps travel brands deliver personalised, timely, and targeted communications at scale. By automating key marketing activities, these brands can build meaningful relationships that drive repeat revenue.
In this blog post, we’ll offer a little inspiration by exploring five powerful ways marketing automation boosts recurring conversions for travel brands.
Data-led personalisation in customer journeys
Travellers today expect personalised experiences at every touchpoint, and this naturally extends to the marketing they receive.
Marketing automation solutions have the ability to track and analyse customer behaviour, such as booking history, favourite destinations, and past interactions. This data allows travel brands to create customised journeys for each customer, increasing their levels of engagement which will improve the likelihood of recurring conversions.
For example, if a customer frequently books beach holidays, marketing automation can send them tailored promotions on coastal destinations at the perfect time, such as during colder months when they may be dreaming of some winter sun.
Airlines can also automate personalised offers on flights based on past booked destinations, preferred seating class, or regular add-ons (such as extra legroom or checked suitcases).
By delivering hyper-relevant content based on past behaviour, travel brands can streamline the booking process, incentivise them to return, and progress the conversion.
Incentivise loyalty through rewards
For many brands, loyalty programs are at the core of customer retention, especially in the travel industry.
And when combined with marketing automation, these programs can become more efficient and effective at driving recurring conversions; helping travel brands deliver rewards, discounts, or exclusive perks to loyal customers in a personalised way.
For example, an airline can automatically notify frequent flyers when they’ve earned enough points for an upgrade or when they are eligible for a bonus reward.
A hotel chain can automatically offer personalised discounts or perks, such as complimentary breakfast or room upgrades, to customers who have stayed a certain number of times. Or, travel agencies can send automated reminders about loyalty points that are about to expire, encouraging customers to use them to make another booking.
By offering consistent and timely rewards, travel brands can keep loyal customers engaged and motivated to book again. And by automating loyalty programs, these brands can remove the manual effort involved in managing these incentives to ensure that no customer falls through the cracks.
Upsell and cross-sell at opportune moments
Maximising the value of each booking is crucial for any travel brand. And marketing automation makes it easier to automatically upsell or cross-sell services that align with a customer’s preferences; increasing not only recurring conversions but also average transaction value.
For example, if a customer books a flight, an automated system can instantly send personalised recommendations for car rentals, travel insurance, or hotel packages that complement the trip.
Similarly, a hotel guest who books a standard room could receive an automated email promoting a discounted upgrade to a suite or a spa package. Or, cruises can automatically trigger suggestions for excursions or onboard experiences based on the traveller’s profile, preferences, and past bookings.
Automating these upsell and cross-sell offers ensures that customers receive relevant, timely offers, improving the chances that they will take advantage of them and book again.
Timely post-trip follow-ups for peak engagement
The end of a customer’s trip doesn’t have to be the end of your engagement.
Marketing automation allows travel brands to set up automated post-trip follow-up emails that thank the customers whilst also encouraging future bookings. These emails can be personalised based on the customer’s experience, destination, and travel history.
For example, after a customer returns from a trip, marketing automation can send a thank you email along with a discount code for their next booking. Travel brands can also request feedback through surveys, which helps to gather valuable insights whilst re-engaging the customer. And for returning travellers, brands can consider offering a “welcome back” promotion that encourages them to start planning their next holiday.
This timely follow-up creates a seamless transition from one trip to the next, building a cycle of repeat business.
Win back customers with re-engagement campaigns
Not all customers return to make a purchase right away. Some may take more time to research, explore other deals, or simply forget about your brand after a trip.
However, these customers are still valuable and perfect for re-engagement. And with marketing automation, travel brands can set up automated campaigns designed specifically to win back these dormant travellers.
For example, if a customer hasn’t booked a trip in six months, an automated email could be triggered offering them an exclusive deal or a personalised discount on their next trip. Travel brands can also entice them by showcasing new destinations or experiences they might not have considered before.
These re-engagement campaigns can also work with abandoned booking reminders by reminding travellers of that flight they nearly booked or the hotel they viewed but didn’t confirm.
Re-engagement campaigns work especially well for travel brands because customers often delay making travel plans until prompted by an offer or the right timing. Automating these prompts helps keep brands front of mind, and increases the chances of repeat business from previously inactive customers.
Next steps
For travel brands, the key to thriving in their competitive landscape is to foster long-term relationships with customers.
Marketing automation enables brands to engage with travellers in a personalised, timely, and relevant manner, driving recurring conversions with minimal manual effort. As travellers become increasingly digital-centric and expect tailored experiences, investing in marketing automation is no longer optional, it’s essential for any travel brand looking to drive sustainable growth through recurring conversions.
At Deployteq, we specialise in helping travel brands keep customers happy and keep bookings flowing. If you’d like to hear more about how our innovative marketing automation suite alongside our team of experts can support your travel brand, then get in touch.
