The secrets to successful holiday email marketing

The holiday season is almost upon us. Everyone is starting to think about what gifts they’re going to buy, shops have their Christmas stock in, businesses are pushing services and offers and the black Friday sales are just around the corner. This all means one thing, it’s time to get those holiday season marketing campaigns to work. For a lot of retailers 20-30% of their annual sales come from the holiday season. However, sadly this year may be a bit different. COVID has caused disruption everywhere, for both the marketer and the consumer. Nevertheless, we aren’t going to let this stop you from getting your sales as high, if not higher. We have put together some tips and ideas to help you takeover the holiday season through successful email marketing.  

What is email marketing? 

If you aren’t already using email to market your business, this needs to change now. Email marketing is a form of marketing that can make your customers aware of new products, discounts and services. It can also be a way of educating your audience on the value of your brand or keep them engaged between purchases. 

Email marketing is one of the most successful channels available to marketers today. It’s particularly a very popular choice of platform for holiday marketing campaigns, with a large number of advantages. When used correctly, emails can leverage sales, generate new customers or leads and help in their retention. With so much pressure on sales during the holiday season, it’s more important than ever to think about how your email campaign is going to stand out in a sea of emails. If you want to attract your target audience and increase sales you’ve got to push the bar high. It doesn’t mean shouting the loudest and more often, it means saying something different, being unique and saying more than buy, buy, buy.

How to boost your holiday email marketing 

First impressions

First impressions of an email are key. When your email lands in an inbox, the subject line is the first thing the reader will see. Make sure it’s clear and concise, use urgency and make it a big deal that they don’t want to miss out on. Any juicy information should be visible to the reader so they are more likely to click on the email for more. 

The aim of email marketing is to get your customer to visit your website and make a purchase. If your email doesn’t look good or contain exciting information, it will most likely end up in the bin. By using animations and bold images to show off what it is you’re selling, you will attract the viewers attention and be something they want to see more of. Furthering this, try a countdown email for certain offers and products/services as this will persuade a customer to take immediate action by creating a sense of urgency and excitement.

Segmenting your audience 

It’s important to attract the right people during the holiday season. Different people will be interested in different things. By segmenting your audience you will increase your email relevancy and therefore increase revenue and decrease waste. But what is segmentation? Segmentation is the division of your email subscribers into smaller groups based on different aspects. For example, location, interests and purchase history. On a whole, the majority of your customers will want messages and discounts throughout the holiday season to showcase what you have to offer. However, some won’t want them at all. To avoid annoying customers where they eventually unsubscribe, make sure you are targeting the right people with the right emails. 

The holiday season is all about the new holiday offers and gifts which is usually what entices people in. It’s a great time to win back customers with exciting products. Yes your holiday offers will be your main focus, but don’t forget to show customers what else you offer beyond this, for example your best sellers from throughout the year. Be sure to take into account some contacts may only be seasonal shoppers. They aren’t not engaging with your emails, they may just be interested in certain times of the year. Find ways to target them differently, mentioning what they bought previously and offering similar alternatives, best sellers etc. It’s also quite normal for customers to sign up for a bargain, make a purchase and then never return. So take this into consideration when analysing your data.

Automation emails 

I’m sure many people feel, particularly at this time of the year, that time seems to disappear. It’s a busy time for everyone and it can be hard to find the time to fit everything in. Try using an automation program for your email campaigns. They are great for planning ahead and take the stress off remembering to click send at a specific time. You can create the right message for the right person but if it’s sent at the wrong time it may not have the same impact or be relevant at all. 

Firstly, post purchase emails are an extremely powerful tool to use throughout the year, but especially during the holiday period. “The probability of converting an existing customer is 60%-70%, while the probability of converting a new prospect is only 5%-20% – Gartner Group. It’s cheaper to retain customers than it is to acquire them. At this crucial time of the year, its important to deliver the best customer experience and encourage repeat business throughout the season. So don’t neglect the customer once they have made a purchase. 

Secondly, and one you have probably heard before but not to be ignored, is cart abandonment. Give shoppers the chance to complete their purchase via email with abandoned cart emails to encourage the shopper to make a purchase. Some people can get distracted easily while making a purchase online, so it’s a good reminder and you can also encourage them with a small discount and other products or services on offer. 

Seasonalise your emails 

It’s important to make customers feel excited about your products and what they bring to the holiday season. You want to bring your customers inboxes to life. Make them fun and standout from the crowd, but also make sure your emails remain functional and user friendly too. If your audience is excited to receive emails from you, this will encourage them to make a purchase. Make sure your emails are helpful, clear and to the point. The last thing anyone wants is a clogged up inbox with irrelevant and wordy emails. 

Be sure to keep track of holidays and big national days, for example international woman’s day and halloween, to create a sense of excitement. This will appeal to your subscribers showing them you are following trends and also gives them a reason to make a purchase. 

By using the suggestions above, alongside your unique selling points there is no doubt you will create successful email marketing campaigns throughout the year. Be the one everyone is talking about. If you have any questions regarding email marketing or need any help with creating an email marketing strategy, please don’t hesitate to drop us an email on info@ellis.digital, or give us a call at 01483912900.