Building Your Email List: A Trova Host’s Best Friend

Grow your contact list and set yourself up for long-term success!

We’re big fans of direct communication. According to our therapist, it’s “healthy” and “cool.” But did you know it’s also profitable? Creators who are able to communicate directly with their audience via email can engage in a way that feels so much more immediate and personal. And as you build your brand – and host more group trips – it’s the kind of thing that can help turn followers into Travelers by offering early access and reduced pricing. So if you’re ready to do more than drop hints on social media then read on, because we’re getting honest about how growing your TrovaTrip email list is the key to getting your promotional needs met.

Key Takeaways

• Email has been around for a while, but it’s not outdated. According to McKinsey & Company, email marketing is more successful at acquiring customers and converting sales than social media…by a big margin.
• Build your trip email list by encouraging Travelers to join for the first crack at early bird spots and $$$ savings.
• Use Trova’s automated email marketing system to bypass social media algorithms and reach your community directly, to confirm and sell out trips.
• Continue growing your brand by using your Trova mailing list to promote other projects and keep your community up to date.

Marketing by the numbers

“But Trova,” we hear you say, “Email’s so old school.” Fair enough but consider this: According to global consulting firm McKinsey & Company, email marketing accounts for nearly 40x more acquired customers than Facebook and Twitter (or X if you must) combined. And email conversion rates resulting in a purchase are at least 3x as high as social media’s. All of which is to say sure, email has been around for a while, but it’s one of the best ways to get your trip in front of your audience.

Share your profile link

To get started, you’ll want to copy the link to your Host Profile page, located on the upper left side of your screen in the portal. Then share it far and wide just like you did when surveying, letting folks know it’s the best way to ensure they don’t miss out on first access to your trip or special offers (yep, we’re talking about you, early bird pricing).

You’ll be able to track how many people have joined by checking the tally on the Audience tab. And once you've done that, it’s time to…

Declare algorithm independence

Social media is great for promoting your trip but during the process email has plenty of chances to really shine, starting from the very beginning. A trip confirms once the minimum number of Travelers have booked. For most of our itineraries, that means 8-10. In order to make that happen, Trova encourages Hosts to offer early bird discounts. This can be a great opportunity to add to your mailing list by giving folks who join the first crack at booking spots at a discounted rate. For example, the first 8 to book save $100!

Then, when it comes to actually sending out the messages, Trova makes things easy with our automated email marketing tool which is available for every Host. Here’s how it works:

• Go to My Trips in the portal
• Select a trip
• Go to the Promote tab
• Scroll down to the Email Campaign section

You’ll see a pencil icon to the right of each email. Click the pencil to edit or disable the email. All emails will be enabled by default. The 1st in the sequence is the launch email, which will be enabled only when you schedule your trip launch date in the portal. Then the following emails will be sent on days 3, 8, 13, and 30, unless your trip confirms before then. Once that happens, a brand new series of emails with the same cadence will be triggered to help sell out the rest of the spots.

If you’d prefer to email on your own with fully customized messages outside of the TrovaTrip platform, go for it! But many Hosts love our automated system as it includes optimized subject lines and messaging, and is formatted to abide by all of digital marketing’s legal requirements. And don’t worry, there’s still some room for personalization if you want it.

Build your brand

Collecting your community's emails isn’t just for promoting group travel, either. As much as we want you to be a successful Host and launch more trips – eventually becoming completely group travel-obsessed and falling in love with all things Trova – we know there’s probably other stuff you want to do with your brand too. Well, good news, the effort you’ve put into collecting emails will continue to pay off because the addresses on your list are yours to keep. Just select the ‘Export Data’ option under the Audience tab and you can use those emails (and audience data) for anything else you have going on. Whether you’re looking to stay in touch with your community or promote new projects that you’re working on, you’ll have direct access to your most dedicated followers.

You’ve (still) got mail

TBH sending emails is usually not as fun as posting on social media, but hopefully we’ve been able to shed some light on the benefits of eating your digital veggies, a.k.a. growing that mailing list. Plus, with Trova’s built-in email marketing tool, promoting your trip is easier than ever.

Have a question or need some support? Reach out to your Trova rep or email us at host@trovatrip.com.