Since the new data protection law was passed, e-mail communication between you and your customers is no longer so easy. Especially if you want to advertise your experiences and activities to them, since you may only communicate with customers who had given you their consent to do so. However, there is an enormous potential for even more turnover coming from your existing customers. If they have already had a great experience with you, they will gladly recommend you to others, become returning customers and gift the amazing experience to their loved ones.
From now on the E-Mail Campaign Manager is available to you. Create GDPR compliant emails and send them to your customers in just 5 clicks.
Steps how to use e-mail campaign manager:
Used correctly, the Email Campaign Manager brings you more sales and makes your customers even happier!
1. What makes the bookingkit email campaign manager so special?
The Campaign Manager is another marketing tool for you as a bookingkit customer. Under Sell > Email Campaigns you can now create a list of your customers and send your campaign in a few steps. How come is it so easy with bookingkit? We make use of the "Existing customer exception". This exception is based on the law against unfair competition (UWG) § 7 Unreasonable Harassment paragraph 3. In short: You can inform your existing customers about discounts and promotions if
a) every recipient of your advertising emails has given his or her consent,
b) your advertising emails always and exclusively refer to an experience purchased by the recipient and
c) the recipient can unsubscribe from your emails at any time.
Since 24.10.2018 we have placed an additional text in the checkout:
This text informs your customers that you may use their contact data for messages about similar products, but they can withdraw their consent at any time. Each of your customers will see this text when they complete their booking and will immediately be added to a list of people you can use for future email campaigns.
2. What are the advantages of the Email Campaign Manager?
Why do we go to great lengths to create a campaign manager for you? We want to give you the best tools for a successful business.
The advantages of the bookingkit Email Campaign Manager:
● Always 100% GDPR compliant advertising emails to your customers - no exceptions
● Free of charge for bookingkit customers - no further e-mail services necessary
● Create campaigns in 5 steps - texts and design already pre-installed
3. How to get to the Email Campaign Manager
You can find the Email Campaign Manager under Sell > Email Campaigns in your bookingkit account.
The module does not need to be unlocked by you. You can start right now.
4. How to create your email campaigns
E-mail campaigns are created in no time at all, because all elements such as: recipient list, advertised offer, texts and design are all already saved in the system. You only have to think about what kind of promotion you want to use: vouchers, coupons or flexible tickets (e.g. 10 tickets or 2for1 tickets)
This is how you create your e-mail campaign:
Click on the blue button "New Email Campaign"
Type in the name of the campaign that is only visible and under internally and your target group
Pick a topic such as Christmas or Easter and indicate which type of offer you would like to advertise with your campaign.
a) "Voucher":
Increase voucher sales via your website and link directly to the existing integration of the voucher experience on your website.
b) "Promotional Coupon":
You can either select an existing campaign voucher or create a new code. (Please note that coupons cannot be used to acquire vouchers or flexible tickets with an additional discount).
c) "Flexible Offers":
Market your flexible tickets like e.g. 2-for-1 or 10-ticket offers.
You can choose to use one of our standard templates or to create your own content.
d) option "Compose my own content"
Pick the language, enter a subject and upload pictures. You can also add info such as company name, customer name, title of the experience and the booking date to the subject as well as in the text field. These are then automatically filled with the content of respective end customers.
Done? Then click on the green "Save" button in the bottom right corner.
Tip: If you would like to change the text of the 2nd image of your email campaign in the email, please simply upload your own image. It is not technically possible to change the text at this point.
e) option "Use default template":
Click on "Preview" to get he idea of how of our standard template looks like. You can then close the window that opens automatically at the bottom left.
If you make this selection, you don't have to worry about the design. The campaign text is predefined and stored in the system. The reason for this is that, according to the GDPR, your e-mail promotions must always relate to a previously purchased experience and so the existing customer exception can always apply. To design the e-mails for standard campaigns, we use the image that you have stored for the respective experience and your logo. Thematically designed email templates are available for certain occasions such as Christmas, Mother's Day or Valentine's Day.
Set a date for when your e-mail campaign should be senr, send an e-mail as a test to your bookingkit e-mail address if necessary and finally complete the process with "Save and schedule" in the bottom right corner.
5. This is how you get an overview of your campaigns
Under Sell > Email Campaigns you get an overview and the status of your campaigns. On the right you can edit, duplicate or delete them at any time.
6. Email templates
No need to worry about the design and the text either. The content is predefined and saved in the system. That's because your email promotions always refer to a pre-purchased experience, so the existing customer exception always applies.
For standard campaigns, we use the image that you have stored with the experience and your logo to design the emails. For special occasions such as Christmas, Mother's Day or Valentine's Day, we use themed email templates.
Here you can see a few examples:
7. Campaign ideas
You alone determine the occasion for an e-mail advertising campaign to your customers. We just want to list a few ideas that can inspire you. Often it's also just a matter of trial and error until you find what works with your customer base.
Christmas
Market your experiences as a Christmas present and give your customers the chance to buy vouchers for their loved ones. Vouchers have been one of the most popular Christmas gifts for several years now!
Mother's Day/ Valentine's Day
Also on these days many vouchers are given away. An e-mail campaign is just what we need. Mothers and partners are the ones we want to gift the most special experiences of all.
Off-season
Boost your off-season sales. Email campaigns provide another channel you can use for more bookings.
Can I set a specific time for my e-mail campaign to be sent?
No, the emails are always sent globally for all vendors in the same time window and staggered between 9 am and 4 pm. This increases deliverability and guarantees that your e-mail campaign is not classified as spam by the e-mail providers.