Tailoring how we showcase Scotland to different audiences and their interests is key to our email marketing.
How we promote events is a good example of the ways we personalise our communications and use information gathered from subscribers.
This allows us to inspire, inform, and keep them coming back to Scotland to explore new places at different times of the year.
Acquire and onboard visitors
When subscribers are new to Scotland, we set out to give them an immediate sense of the country by an introductory series of emails. In these, we show what makes Scotland special, and what’s on offer across the seasons.
For international visitors, we highlight events as a fantastic way to experience our unique and traditional Scottish culture.
For those already familiar with Scotland, events are a strong hook to encourage a repeat visit to a different part of Scotland, a reason to come in a different season, or to stay longer. For locals, we aim to provide encouragement to venture somewhere new or simply head out on a day trip nearby.
For all our emails, we tap into the sense of community, a warm welcome, and the deeper connections that joining local events can bring.
Engage and retain visitors
During our introductory email welcome series and at regular points in the year, we gather more information on customers and their interests. This allows us to tailor of our emails in the future.
Personalising by country and postcodes
Sending potential visitors the right message at the right time can help their planning.
We target long haul visitors six to nine months in advance with key reasons to visit. These usually include big hitting, iconic, world class events such as the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, Highland Games, or special one-off anniversary celebrations.
We target European visitors with events in the upcoming season, aligned to our marketing calendar. For this, we try to convey the vibe of events. This gives them the reassurance there is plenty to do and makes them choose that specific time to visit.
We also spotlight places that may be less familiar, using events as a hook to encourage that first encounter and ensure regional spread.
For UK audiences, because we know their postcodes, we can include handy transport options or deals and for Scots, we can even add information on local upcoming events as part of a days out theme.
Personalising by interests
We ask potential visitors what makes their ideal holiday. This helps us tap into their passions and ensure they can see themselves enjoying a trip. Themes include:
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city life
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culture and heritage
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food and drink
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touring
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outdoor activities
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golf
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cycling
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ski
For example, if someone said they love golf, we can tell them more about why Scotland is the “Home of Golf” plus our “summer of golf” events.
Personalising by travel group
We also ask visitors who they typically go on holiday with and change our message and images accordingly.
For example, for families, we present ideas for days out and events for children, combined with information on deals and transport to get there.
Dynamic targeting
With smart preparation, our email system allows us to send different tailored versions of the same email, quickly, just as the emails are sent.
Therefore, all the information we glean from our customers can be layered for even greater targeting.
Get the most from email marketing
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Gather relevant information
What do you gather to make information relevant to your customers? Understanding your customers is fundamental to planning and delivering any email marketing activity.
It will dictate your messaging, when best to communicate, and most importantly how best to communicate with your customers.
Top tip: Start simply by asking them where they live, what their interests are and who they travel with - as a family, couple, group or solo.
Use events as a hook
Include events on your website (or link out to events websites). Don't forget to send your customers updates that match their interests or help you attract business at the trickier times of the year.
Browse major events on visitscotland.com.
Top tip: For a more localised link, simply input your location, hit search, then copy and save the URL.
Learn more about using email marketing to improve your performance.
List your event (tip for event organisers)
You can list your event for free on our consumer website, visitscotland.com. Submitting your listing as far in advance as possible gives your event greater exposure over a longer period of time on our website and through search engines.
Add inspiring imagery
Once you have submitted details of your event listing make sure you share an up-to-date photo to our media toolkit for wider use. Good, strong images will influence someone’s decisions, expectations and emotions.
You can access free images of Scotland and other resources via our media toolkit.
Top tip: Images that give a sense of the unique atmosphere, will make you stand out for visitors and might get picked up by media, our content editors, or our email marketing team.