More money is expected to be spent on holidays this year and to make the most of this, travel agents are being urged to create original content to compete with online booking agents.

A poll undertaken by the organisers of the British Travel Awards (BTA) found that all the respondents said they will use the internet to either research or book part or all of their holiday. They use websites for several reasons including destination research and price comparison.

The chief executive of the BTA, Lorraine Barnes Burton, says, “In order to compete with internet retailers, agents need to expand their own websites to include independent content that will satisfy their customers with constructive reviews.”

She went on to explain that this can be in the form of blogs, online news articles, social networking or reviews. The content needs to provide information not available elsewhere as that is what customers want to read.

The poll also found that holidays are no longer considered a luxury for many people who now consider them an essential part of maintaining a work-life balance.

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Those in the know claim that email marketing is an essential tool in the event management industry.

A study carried out by evocos, an event management software provider, found that events planners and managers use email marketing in 80 per cent of cases, showing that it is a popular way to spread word in the industry.

The firm’s managing director, Kate Oxton, explained, “being able to send out event invitations via email is not only more cost effective than traditional mail, but it comes with a lower carbon footprint and the ability to track and measure the results.”

Only 17 per cent of event managers said that email marketing played no part in their marketing strategies. Most of these managers attributed this to their perceived lack of technical skill or a lack of understanding of the benefits of such marketing.

Oxton says using email marketing is simple: “Email marketing is so easy and intuitive to use nowadays. There’s no requirement to understand HTML. All good quality solutions come with easy to use editing platforms.” She adds that anyone who can use simple programs, like Microsoft Word, can use email marketing to help promote their events.

Experts believe that firms embarking on email marketing for the first time can drastically improve their ROI by targeting clients in terms of their behaviour.

These “behavioural targeting strategies” involve taking time to research clients' preferences. A wide range of marketing strategies, including direct mail and email marketing can be made more effective through this targeted approach. This is according to Jenna Tool from business consultancy Overnight Print.

She explained that there are various ways to collect the information from existing and potential clients: "Companies can utilise feedback campaigns through surveys, either mailed or offered online, to see what kind of information customers want to receive and which promotions or products they are most interested in hearing about."

Evidence suggests that customers are turned off then they receive unsolicited and irrelevant marketing emails and are less likely to use a brand again if they receive this kind of marketing.

Shaft also says that detailed 'opt-in choices' are a must for any new firm thinking about sending marketing emails. They should also use these forms, together with opt-out forms, to gather information on the clients’ behaviours.