The Christmas holidays are in full swing. So, here are some practical examples of making email marketing really effective.
Don’t wait for holidays.
According to a study by RJ Metrics, retailers get 50-100% more revenue from the period between Black Friday and Christmas in comparison with the rest of the year. At the same time, Statista data says, 55 percent of people start Christmas shopping in November and 23 percent in early December. The numbers show that there's no need to wait for Christmas Eve. It’s better to get prepared beforehand. And a lot of subscribers would appreciate it.
So, don’t wait till the end of December to send a festive message to your subscribers. For instance, email marketing service SendPulse in its blog told about Topshop Christmas campaign sent in advance. They offered up to 50 percent discounts to subscribers. Since many of them are going shopping in good time, why not attract their attention right now?
Unusual holidays and email-marketing.
Email marketing is not only for use on popular holidays. Mailing offers can also be sent on such occasions as solar and lunar eclipses, the first day of autumn and even the days of the solstices. For example, King's Flower and Garden did not miss the chance to encourage subscribers with offers on the day of the winter solstice.
Make your move shortly before the holidays.
According to statistics, two weeks before the New Year, only 53 percent of customers buy their gifts. Many customers are looking for them at the eleventh hour, so keep them in mind.
First, you can help them. Many people are time poor and buying many gifts at once, or may even be having difficulty deciding on what to buy y. Sending a newsletter to a customer with a guide to buy different gifts may come in handy. Second, the more curious the gift, the better for customers. Even food gifts may be suitable. Di Bruno Brothers, an online gourmet shop, gave the subscribers a few ideas on yummy gifts:
Eleventh-hour buyers may be encouraged by promos. For example, Chann Luu, a jewelry retailer, sent subscribers emails offering a free necklace to the first 50 customers before Black Friday:
Gift for a recommendation.
Holidays are a good time for a referral program. Everyone likes discounts, especially if they are easy to get — so, why not offer subscribers a gift coupon in exchange for a recommendation? That was the way Honey did it — subscribers were offered a bargain for a premium subscription for every purchase they made via a unique reference link.
It’s not over after the holidays.
According to statistics, more than half of customers continue shopping after the holidays. Subscribers would really appreciate it if the company extended the period of holiday discounts.
Conclusion: 4 more tips.
Just a few more tips to make a holiday email-marketing campaign even more effective:1)
1. Segment the audience. According to statistics, segmented emails generate 760% more revenue than non-segmented ones. First and foremost, send different offers to more active and less-active subscribers. Those who open every message may be offered a discount coupon, and for those rarely interacting with your emails - launch a special targeted campaign to "revive" them.
2. Clean out the mailing list. Mailing lists should contain only active subscribers. Remove all failure email addresses from the base before each buying activity surge.
3. Personalization increases the effectiveness. The research shows that personalized emails are opened 26 percent more frequently than the impersonal ones. So, write subscribers’ names.
4. Test everything. Holiday mailings can be an effective tool to increase sales, so it is vital to make sure it works properly. Check reference links, letters displaying on different devices and in different emails of the clients, and typos in the text.