Part 4: AI-Driven Email Marketing to Boost Tour Bookings
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How to use AI-driven email marketing to increase tour bookings
In part four of our AI marketing workshop series, we turned the spotlight onto one of the most powerful tools in a tour operator’s digital marketing toolkit: email. This session, led by Brandon, provided a hands-on breakdown of how to create value-driven, automated, and personalized email campaigns that increase bookings, re-engage leads, and build stronger relationships with past guests.
Whether you’re just getting started or ready to refine an existing strategy, this session delivered a practical roadmap for transforming your email marketing with AI.
The right person, message, and timing
As with all effective marketing, the key is to deliver the right message to the right person at the right time. Earlier workshops focused on identifying your ideal customers and crafting compelling messaging for websites and blogs. This session focused on timing—specifically how to use email at key touchpoints throughout the customer journey.
"We don’t ever want someone to leave our website without capturing something. Otherwise, it’s just wasted time and money." – Brandon
Lead magnets that actually convert
The workshop kicked off with a strategy for capturing more leads through email. Rather than letting site visitors bounce, Brandon shared how they use downloadable guides or email series to capture interest before a booking ever happens.
One example was their “10-part Moab Adventure Insider Series,” which gets requested by over 10,000 people a year. These leads, which would have otherwise disappeared, are now nurtured through automated content designed to build trust and excitement.
Key tips:
- Lead magnets don’t have to be long or complex.
- Even a short email series can outperform a static PDF.
- Focus on what travelers are already looking for—things to do, where to eat, what to avoid.
Building an email series with AI
Using AI tools like ChatGPT, operators can generate an entire email sequence in minutes. Brandon recommended:
- Generating a batch of email ideas using a destination-specific prompt
- Refining them with frameworks from experts like Ryan Deiss (think: trip wires, curiosity, micro-commitments)
- Layering in tone, customer concerns, and personalization step-by-step
This method saves hours and creates highly customized email content that speaks to your ideal guest’s pain points and dreams.
Newsletters for tour companies that provide real value
Tour operators often feel stuck when it comes to newsletters. What do you send every month? How do you keep people engaged?
Brandon shared three go-to frameworks:
- Value – Engage – Promote: Lead with helpful info, keep it engaging, then add a soft promotion.
- Story – Solution – Action: Share a short narrative, solve a problem, and include a call to action.
- Listicle Teasers: Tease part of a top-10 list, then link to the full blog post.
Each format keeps your emails useful and customer-focused while subtly driving traffic back to your website or offers.
Personal outreach through segmentation
This lesser-used strategy may be the most powerful. Rather than blasting your entire list, Brandon emphasized the impact of personalized messages to well-defined segments.
For example:
- Past travelers who haven’t booked again
- Group organizers who might plan another trip
- People who requested info but never booked
- Guests who traveled around this time last year
These emails should feel like a direct message from someone on your team. The tone should be casual, brief, and genuinely helpful. Even one or two sentences can spark re-engagement when sent to the right person at the right time.
Automation without losing the human touch
The session closed with a look at Resmark’s automation tools for tour operators, where Brandon demonstrated how to schedule lead magnet delivery, email series, and follow-ups based on specific triggers. But automation doesn’t mean impersonal.
Mix in messages that come from a real team member’s name. Make responses feel like a one-on-one conversation, not a mass email. And above all—don’t set it and forget it. Review performance regularly and optimize as you go.
"Split testing matters. But only change one thing at a time, like the subject line or an emoji. That’s how you learn what really works." – Nikki
FAQs: AI marketing takeaways from this tour operator workshop
Topic: Lead Generation
Q: What makes a good lead magnet for tour companies?
A: A strong lead magnet solves a specific traveler problem or curiosity. It could be a guide to hidden gems, a multi-part email series with itinerary tips, or a quick list of the best restaurants in town. Keep it mobile-friendly, easy to consume, and directly tied to your destination's unique value.
Topic: Copywriting for Tour Operators
Q: How can I write better emails that don’t sound like marketing?
A: Keep it conversational and authentic. Write like you're speaking to a friend. Avoid heavy formatting, overuse of emojis, and corporate jargon. A short, helpful email from a real person with a real name builds trust and gets better responses.
Topic: Customer Retention
Q: What kind of email should I send to past travelers?
A: Reach out with something new that connects to what they’ve already experienced. For example, suggest a longer trip to someone who did a half-day tour. Keep it friendly and personal. Reference their past adventure and highlight what makes this next experience a natural progression.
Topic: Email Length
Q: How long should my emails be?
A: Think short and focused. Most people will read your email on their phone. Aim for 150 to 300 words, include one clear message, and make the call-to-action easy to find. If there’s more to say, link to a blog post or guide.
Topic: Content Strategy
Q: What email frameworks should I use for newsletters?
A: Use repeatable formats like “Value, Engage, Promote,” “Story, Solution, Action,” or teaser emails for blog posts. These frameworks help you stay organized, create consistently engaging content, and maintain a natural rhythm without sounding overly promotional.
Topic: Email Automation
Q: What should I automate in my email marketing?
A: Automate your lead magnet delivery, welcome sequences, booking confirmations, and post-trip follow-ups. Use automation to guide leads through the journey, but balance it with occasional personal messages that feel human and thoughtful.
Topic: AI Tools
Q: Can AI help me write emails that match my brand voice?
A: Yes. AI is great for generating drafts quickly. You can guide it with tone examples, formatting preferences, and past content. Then simply revise for your voice. It’s like having a junior copywriter who works fast and takes direction well.
Topic: Email Engagement
Q: Should I send marketing emails from a team or a person?
A: Sending from a real person usually increases engagement. It feels more like a personal message than a mass email. Just make sure the sender’s name matches the tone of the message and that someone can reply to the email address used.
Topic: Audience Segmentation
Q: How can I segment my email list for better results?
A: Start by separating past guests, current leads, group organizers, and unconverted visitors. You can also segment by trip type, season, or location searched. This allows you to speak directly to their needs, which improves open and click-through rates.
Topic: A/B Testing
Q: What’s the best way to test my emails for improvement?
A: Use A/B testing tools in your email platform to test one thing at a time—like subject lines, CTA phrasing, or send times. For example, test a subject with and without an emoji. Keeping everything else consistent helps you pinpoint what made the difference.
Topic: Group Sales
Q: How do I market to group organizers or repeat bookers?
A: Send a message that feels like a thank-you note, not a pitch. Highlight their past booking, offer perks for organizing another trip, and make it easy for them to share a private booking link with their group. Personal outreach makes all the difference.