Postal Strike -
How to make the
most out of e-marketing

Last year's postal strike seems like a far distant memory (probably a nasty one for us all) but it might be a good idea to reflect on what an impact it made on your business.

A lot of hotels, B&Bs and similar businesses in the leisure industry still rely very heavily on traditional mail and a strike has a negative impact on this sector: deposit cheques in the post, bookings, not being able to send brochures and conference or wedding offers out... Even if you were able to send them out before the strike, there is always the fear they might get forgotten in the mail backlog or not arrive in time for the prospective customer to chose your venue.

Obviously, you can prepare your business to minimise the need to send marketing via the post and businesses with a well thought-out web presence suffer far less in such instances.
Here are some tips for a good e-marketing strategy:

• Design the site to encompass every aspect of the business, including weddings, conferences, catering, private dining and functions, the bedrooms, the gardens, etc. That way there is no need to send out brochures to everyone in the post to help their buying decision.
• Ensure guests can book their stay online and make a deposit via a secure payment server
• Have your brochure available to download as a pdf version
• Invest in the design and programming of template emails for your wedding and conference quotations
• Use newsletters or even blogs to stay in touch with your customers

Above all, never rely on one type of marketing - the success lies in a healthy mix of it all...