In this step-by-step article, we will go through the process of creating a campaign and setting up an email marketing campaign.
Access training videos on creating a campaign and upsell management HERE.
Log into the Revinate platform and select All Campaigns option from Campaigns tab.
From here you will see any Campaigns you have previously created or drafted. These campaigns will be sorted into One-Time Campaign and Automated Campaigns.
To get started click on the blue CREATE CAMPAIGN button.
Revinate Marketing allows you to create different campaign types, some of which may be new to you. We'll give you a brief explanation of the different campaign types and what they mean. Choosing the right one can mean better reporting later on.
Descriptions of Campaign types:
1. Automated
Transactional (emailed 'triggered' by an event)
- Confirmation- campaign automatically sent after a reservation has been made.
- Modification- campaign automatically sent after a reservation has been changed.
- Cancellation- campaign automatically sent after a reservation has been canceled.
Pre-arrival / On-Property (emails 'triggered' based on a scheduled event)
- Pre-arrival- campaign automatically sent X number of days before the guest checks-in to build a relationship and drive incremental revenue.
- Welcome- campaign automatically sent after the guest checks into the hotel.
Post-Stay (emails triggered based on a past stay or checkout date)
- OTA Winback- campaign automatically sent to guests with a reservation through an OTA. Must be sent within 30 days post-check-out.
- We Miss You- campaign automatically sent to guests X number of days or within one year of the last stay to inspire a repeat visit.
*Note, not all OTAs forward your emails to the guest. Update guests' email upon arrival to target directly in the future.
2. One-time
Promotional / Informational (emails sent one time on the date and time selected)
- Rooms Offer- a One-time campaign to drive room revenue through packages, sales or other offers.
- Events & Announcements- One-time campaign to notify recipients of special event or announcement taking place on the property or in the area. Non-room revenue generating.
- Newsletter- One-time campaign to update recipients on hotel news, events, and special offers. Sent at a regular cadence.
Other
- IP Warm-Up- Only to be used during the on-boarding phase by your implementation manager.
- Test- Only to be used during on-boarding phase by you and your implementation manager.
- Other- Other campaign types not listed above.
After selecting the type of campaign you will be taken to a new screen where you will be able to begin the building process.
For A/B Testing information see our Help Desk article HERE.
For Upsells set up and management see our Help Desk video HERE.
Once you have named your campaign and selected the language you can click NEXT and move on to the designing your campaign. At the top of the screen in the Campaign Builder page, you will be able to see your progress in creating your campaign.
You can choose from a previously created campaign template that the users of your account may have already created. Or choose a fully designed template. For advanced users there is an HTML option as well where you can import your own code.
Once you have selected your template you are ready to start creating.
Anatomy of an Email
When creating your Campaigns you will want to ensure that you are covering these basic points.
- Have a compelling image and display your logo
- Have a good heading
- Content informing guest of the reason for your email
- Include a Call-To-Action button
- Provide contact details
- You are required to include privacy compliance.
- Add social media links
Email Alias' / Customer Send Names
Account users with administrative level permissions can add different 'from names', 'from email addresses', and 'reply-to addresses' for their campaigns. Admins may also change which email aliases are default selections for Marketing campaigns and Transactional campaigns.
All users on the account may choose from the admin selected ‘from names', 'email addresses' and 'reply-to addresses' when creating their campaigns.
Learn more about Email Alias' and Custom Sender Names in our help desk article HERE
Merge Tags
Starting with the body and text of your email you can use merge tags in subject lines or the body text of your emails. Before you start, make sure the information the merge tag will replace is in already in your PMS and in Revinate Marketing.
You can check this by looking at a guest’s profile in the ‘Guests Segments’ > ‘Guest Database’ section to see if we import this information.
Merge Tags
Merge tags are placeholders that will be replaced by each guest's specific information. For example: When writing an email, you can add the merge tag [GUEST LAST NAME] and this placeholder will be replaced by the last name of each guest who receives your email. Personalization can improve the chances of a guest receiving and opening up your email.
For more information on Merge Tags please refer to our Help Desk Article HERE.
To add merge tags to an email, take the following steps:
Email Subject Line
1. When creating a campaign, on the step 'Design', locate the tag icon on the right-side of the 'Email Subject' field.
2. Hover over the merge tag icon to see a list of merge tags available to you.
3. Select the Merge tag you wish to use and it will appear in the ‘Email Subject’ field.
Text body
4. Choose a text module and click on the place where you would like to insert a merge tag.
5. A menu will appear, where you can find the merge tags icon.
6. Scroll down and click on the merge you would like to add.
7. You will see the name of the merge tag between square brackets. The merge tags will be replaced with the specific information pertaining to each guest.
Once you send out an email with merge tags, the email should appear with the merge tag fields filled out. It should include the information you chose such as the [CHECK-IN DATE] of the guest.
Marketing Email Design
You can create the body of the email using the module editor. Add modules to your templates by selecting from ‘Add a Module’. There are several options to choose from and each is customizable using the ‘Module Editor’ which will activate anytime you click on the module you wish to edit.
In the Module Editor options will change according to the selected module.
For Call-to-Action Button Modules: Be sure to include the URL that you would like the guest directed to. The CTA buttons may also be linked to your UPSELLS page.
For Social Icon Modules: Be sure to include your own social media links as the pre-populated links lead to the social site’s main page.
For Dynamic Content please see our supporting article HERE.
The Email design allows you to customize the email itself and different areas of the email itself. Such as the background color, email border, heading colors, and fonts.
It is recommended that you include a “View in Browser’ link so that your guests have that option available to them. You may also customize this link’s label.
The Row Background allows you to create a distinguished middle section to the email apart from the general email’s color.
Make sure you include unsubscribe links for privacy compliance and a physical address is included in your contact information. Both are requirements by law.
The unsubscribe link and URL are both options available in your MERGE TAGS.
After you have designed your campaign you may preview it as it will appear on different specific email software.
We recommend you also send yourself a test email and safe as a template so that you can revert back to your design at a later time.
After reviewing and testing your email campaign you will select the guest segment you wish to use for the campaign.
To learn how to create segments refer to our HelpDesk Article HERE
Edit and review your guest segment and set any additional parameters.
Depending on the Campaign type chosen your options for additional options to set for your guest segment will change.
Schedule
Schedule the campaign for the date and time you would like it to run. Based on campaign type scheduling options will change.
It is recommended that you try different scheduling options and see what works best for your property.
Although ‘Immediately’ is an available option best practice dictates that you give enough time to make any last minute changes and edits to the campaign before it is sent out to your guest list.
Within two hours of a campaign running it may not be possible to stop the campaign from running so please keep this in mind.
You will have one more opportunity to review all of your work and make any further adjustments and changes in the REVIEW portion of the campaign builder.
In these last steps, you will be able to turn off revenue tracking if this is an informational campaign or one that you do not consider should have revenue tracked or attributed to the Marketing platform.
Setting send limits, see our support article HERE.
Campaign Revenue Attribution, see our support article HERE.
Most importantly you must select the Schedule Now button on the bottom right of the page to turn on and finalize scheduling of your campaign. Otherwise, the campaign will not go out. 
For information on Campaign Settings, allowing users to easily specify delivery and email settings see article HERE.