Sending  your customers a long link, such as a google map location, doesn't look very user-friendly. 
For example:
www.google.co.nz/maps/place/1+Ballarat+St,+Queenstown+9300/@-45.0327461,168.6583389,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0xa9d51d8136d4fbad:0xf9434d5b68db6127!8m2!3d-45.0327461!4d168.6605276?hl=en .

Another example of a long url is a link to your Tripadvisor review page . Sending this link to your customers to encourage reviews is a great idea, but the long link looks terrible.

But don't despair! It's very simple little tool to  shorten your url.

It’s called the Google URL shortener. Just go to: https://goo.gl/

Cut and paste the long URL in the box and click SHORTEN URL. The shortened URL is now: www.goo.gl/SJaKVv   ​. That looks a lot better, doesn't it!

​Till next week, Marijke.

Three years ago, my sister and brother in law attended a wedding in Lecce, Southern Italy. The whole wedding party stayed in the same hotel.

Once back home, the hotel sent out email newsletters to their client database (incl. my sister) every few months.

Last month, my sister and her husband took the kids on holiday to Southern Italy. And guess where they stayed? In the same hotel. And they booked direct!

Do you think they would have stayed there if this hotel hadn’t stayed in touch with them? Definitely not. They would have looked on booking sites for the best deal and probably wouldn’t have remembered the hotel as they have stayed in so many other places in the last few years.

Are you losing too much business to Online Travel Agencies or your competition? Then it's time to learn how to grow your direct bookings and sales through email marketing.
Email is still the best way to get your message to customers and prospects. Email marketing yields an average ROI of 4300%, which is much higher than any other marketing method.
Did you know that an email message is 5 times more likely to be seen than a Facebook message?
I have used email marketing successfully for my clients and my own business over the last 16 years and have now developed these new courses (Starting with Mailchimp and Advanced Mailchimp). These courses are approved by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and 50% funding is available for qualifying businesses.
The first series will be held in Queenstown and Te Anau in October 2017.  
Click here for more information!

If you’re using email marketing regularly, you will know that it’s a highly effective tool to keep in touch with your customers.
In this 2-part series about email marketing, you’ll find out some great tips that will help you increase your open and click through rates. Here we go:

Tip 1: Red click through links draw more clicks than blue links.

Tip 2: A call to action button draws more clicks than a text link. Use a button for your most important call to action.

Tip 3: Make it easy for people to subscribe – just first name and email address is usually enough. If you want more information so you can segment your list in a better way to provide a more personalised message, do keep the info you request of your subscribers to a minimum.
Add subscription buttons to your website and on social media.

Tip 4: Personalised subject lines result in higher click through rates. Hi John, ...

Tip 5: Images and videos increase open and click through rates considerably. Do use a great pic to draw people in! Make a habit of taking photos yourself – easily done on your smartphone – and use these original pics! See my pic of Jessi above :)!

Registrations closing soon!
Are you ready to take your business to the next level and upskill?
Then don't miss the 1-day NEW:
"Tourism Marketing Bootcamp - Grow your business" 26 July 2017 in Queenstown, NZ.
(NOTE: 50% NZTE funding for qualifying businesses!)

The other day I received an email from a tourism wholesaler. His email signature was personal, fun and memorable, so I thought I'd share this idea with you.
With the number of emails we send and receive, you want to stand out so people remember you, right? Your email signature can be a great little marketing tool!

I've changed the actual details, but you get the idea:

Adding your company logo and a photo of yourself are also ways to make your email signature more personal.
So, have a think about the "ABOUT ME" section that could be fun and of interest to your contacts!

Till next week, Marijke

COMING UP: Grow your tourism business - 1 day course
7 June 2017: Alexandra, NZ
15 June 2017: Queenstown, NZ
Click here for more info!