It’s never too early to start planning your holiday email marketing strategy. Because, let’s face it, marketing during the holidays is hard. People only have so much money to spend, their inboxes are overflowing, and thanks to things like parties, cookie baking, and family vacations, their time is incredibly limited.
It’s estimated that holiday purchases make up a whopping 20% of all retail purchases in the US, and online holiday shopping gets more popular every year. During the 2018 holiday season, shoppers spent $122 billion with online retailers, which is 17.4% more than in 2017 and over 30% more than in 2016.
So how do you take full advantage of the holiday season and make your way to the top of people’s inboxes?
1. Target less-crowded days
On Black Friday and Cyber Monday, your emails are going to get lost in a crush of other businesses who are trying to capitalize on the calendar. Why not target your subscribers on days that aren’t as busy, like the Winter Solstice on December 21st?
Or, you could think outside the box and capitalize off of sillier days that have some sort of tie to your business—like National Cook for Your Pets Day on November 1st, National Square Dance Day on November 29th, or National Eat a Red Apple Day on December 1st.
2. Have a holiday preview sale
This tip goes hand-in-hand with tip #1. The earlier you start your holiday email marketing campaigns, the less competition you’ll have to deal with. A holiday preview sale is a great way to start tapping into the season without making your subscribers feel like you’re attacking them too early. Make it clear that there are big benefits to your sale—like special discounts that won’t be available during the big holiday rush. That way, it’s clear that you have your potential customers’ best interests in mind.
3. Create a holiday gift guide
This is another tip that you can put into practice before the big holiday rush. Create a guide that helps inspire your customers’ purchases.
For example, divide your guide into sections–like “Gifts for Dad”, “Gifts for Boys”, and “Gifts for Co-Workers.” It can be overwhelming to see a long list of people that you have to shop for, and if your guide can ease some of that anxiety, your subscribers will remember you fondly for it!
