The Importance of Self-Service Technology in Hospitality

It’s important to know the differences between a self-service option or hiring an agency when developing your hotel’s email marketing strategy. A self-service or do-it-yourself email solution allows you to manage your own email marketing from strategic planning to deployment. An agency collaborates with you on email marketing programs with a team of specialists.

Many larger hotels have the budget to hire an agency. Big chains like Marriott have large in-house teams of specialists. But, for many smaller groups or independent hotels, agencies are a poor choice. Here are some reasons why self-service options are a better option for many hotels.

1. Cost

Most online self-service email marketing solutions are subscription-based, meaning you pay for access to the software for a contracted period of time. Typically, these are much less expensive than hiring an agency, since there is far less manpower involved. There are no HTML coders, email designers, project managers, or others to pay.

2. Speed

The responsibility of the email campaign development and deployment rests on your team’s shoulders, so an email project can be turned around as quickly as they are capable. Instead of waiting for days or weeks for an agency to create a concept, plan, and design a campaign, marketing automation softwares enable your team to create an email campaign in as little as five minutes. This is particularly important for scenarios in which your hotel has a last minute cancellation or needs to book business in a certain segment in a short period of time.

3. Control

Your team not only makes the decisions, but it executes each component of the process. You’re in complete control of how the message looks, how quickly it’s turned around and exactly when it’s deployed.

When deciding how to plan and execute your hotel’s email marketing strategy, these are some important factors to take into account.

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