Relevance in Email Marketing

Author:

Derek Harding

Source:

There's so much going on in the e-mail world right now, it's tough to choose a topic. However, I found myself thinking about my recent experiences on the receiving side of email marketing.
 
Earlier this month, I stayed at a chain hotel in Los Angeles. I was there on a business trip for just one night and stayed at their LAX airport location. I'm a member of the chain's loyalty rewards program, so it already had my email address and permission to send me e-mail.
 
A few days after my trip, I received a follow-up email asking about my stay. This is fairly standard behavior and a smart thing for hotels to do. I was a little surprised that it was sent from a third party I didn't recognize and on behalf of the hotel itself rather than on behalf of the loyalty program, but not a big deal. The email came from an unexpected sender, was a wall of text, and I was in a hurry, so I just deleted it. I simply saw nothing compelling in the message to encourage me to do otherwise.
 
A week later, I received another e-mail from the LAX property. This time it was a properly formatted HTML email and fairly attractive in its presentation, but it really, really missed the mark. The email I received was entirely targeted at pleasure travelers. Offering weekend getaways and describing the hotel's location as a resource for sightseeing.
 
As I mentioned, my trip to Los Angeles was for business. I've never been to Los Angeles for any reason except business....