Why is a Newsletter Important for Your Guests and Owners?

Your newsletter can provide great value, by informing your guests with up-to-date content that they can use. How are you providing value, and why does it matter?

Why are members going to visit their timeshares in 2020?  With a newsletter you can calm their worries by letting them know your plans for keeping them safe during their stay.  Keep them coming because they trust you and are loyal to you.

Here are some suggestions for your newsletter.

The Anatomy of a Good Headline – Getting them to open the email

Most timeshares send a monthly newsletter via email. You need an enticing attention-grabbing headline to get your email opened and read. As long as you keep offering content that your members find useful, they will most likely keep opening them.

Some headlines you should be careful not to overuse because then it just becomes an Aesop’s fable with Peter yelling Wolf! Wolf!. Unless you really mean it do not use words like: Important, Must Read, Urgent, and other emergency words.

Attention getting headlines that get noticed: Good News…, This Just In…, Exciting Development…, Sneak Preview…, Keeping You Safe on Your Next Visit…, We have Been Keeping a Secret and Now We are Ready to Share It…, etc.

How much do you really have to say? How much do your readers really want to read?

Basically, how long of a letter is too much? A good rule of thumb is to keep each article around 4 paragraphs or so. You do not want to write a novel. Only enough to paint a picture of what event is happening and how fun it will be, or maybe instructions on something that can help make their experience smoother.

Depending on the size of your newsletter you can have just a few items to talk about or you could have up to ten items or so. You want to include at least one or two of the items that have to do with your resort. The rest can just be interesting or funny fluff.

Everyone gets writers block, so we have brainstormed and have come up with a list of suggestions that can fill in spaces on your newsletter and make it a little more interesting for the reader:

• Monthly Calendar – local or in-house events
• Recipes – alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks in the summer, soup in the winter, etc.
• Popular local hangouts or hot spots – restaurants, dancing or bars
• Local points of interest – amusement parks, parks, museums, theaters, concert venues
• Recommended book of the month: suggestions for something to read to wind down with while they are vacationing
• Body care suggestions – how is the sun, is it too hot? maybe remind them to bring sunscreen or suggest a good sunburn ointment. Items they might want to bring with them just in case. Or perhaps where they can buy them locally if needed.
• Public transportation information – for getting around town
• Do you have an in-house shop? Do you offer sales or promotions?
• Do you have amenities like a pool or workout room? Take this opportunity to discuss the rules and working hours
• Comic or Joke – relatable to travel or the local area
• Famous Quote
• Contests 

As you can see there is a long list of items to choose from and the nice thing is that you can keep the same sections and fill them with new ideas for each month without repetition.

End your email with some encouraging thoughts and remember to let them know the door is always open and that you look forward to hearing from them. Next are two important items to always remember to include if applicable.

1. Call to Action (CTA) and Useful Links

Call to action is simply where you ask your readers to complete an action in the email by including a link that can say something like “Read More” and that will direct them to your website for articles, services, offers, or downloads, etc. Your newsletter can be an effective vehicle to motivate your readers to take action. And remember to be as detailed as possible in helping make the CTA clear and easy to understand. Such as: “click here to receive” or “pick up your phone and dial” or “click on this link to fill out the form for…then print it out and fax to 800…”. Your CTA should be clear and easy to follow.

2. The Header & Footer

Pretend you are typing this on your business letterhead paper. You always want to have your logo in the Header, and the Footer should contain all your contact information like your resorts address and phone number including social media and web links.

Best Regards and Keep Well!

From the TSS Staff