Travel agents today have a variety of marketing and communication tools at their disposal. The most commonly used is e-mail….. How things have changed in 15 years ( oh wait, that makes me sound old…)

But after 15 years there is still room for five short tips on writing an effective e-mail

• Use an effective subject line. Capture their attention. Once the reader clicks, they already have an idea of what the email contains and they will be primed to remember the content. Don't be cheesy. If you need it to stand out, think what you need to do to get their attention
  
  

• Use email to gather information . The deeper the knowledge of the market, the better email communication can be. Emails are perfect for collecting feedback about completed trips and for conducting surveys. It also helps to reply to as many feedback emails as possible, to add a human touch to the communication. It also goes a long way in creating a rapport  
  
  
• Use email to create or improve customer relationships. A strong rapport with a customer helps build faith and will result in them coming back for more business, build trust which in turn will increase revenue. The email must show that the agent has the traveler’s best interests in mind, as opposed to just trying to make a sale.
  
  
• Keep the email focused. Keeping the email limited to one subject or topic makes it more effective as it drives a single point successfully rather than several points without much effect. The reader will be able to reply in a quick, simple manner, thus encouraging them to do so.
  
  
• End the email with a call to action. Sign off the email with a message that promotes correspondence, perhaps offering a discount to repeat customers, provide all your contact information.

In short: sharp subject lines, well targeted messages, improved customer rapports, focus on one subject, and a strong call to action.  

P.s.  Sometimes we get feedback from people saying “ I'm worried that if it's in writing it will come back and haunt me….”;

If this is truly your perspective in writing an e-mail, don't write it. If you can't stick by it, you shouldn't say it either :-)