---

 

November is here (cue Christmas music in all stores), which means your holiday sales marketing strategy should be in the works.

According to the National Retail Federation, people love spending their hard-earned money during the holidays– online and in person! That is why we’re sharing our top five email marketing tips that will help your business *sleigh* this holiday season.

#1– Review Last Years’ Emails

What better way to know how to move forward with this year’s strategy? Compare email data against previous years’ sales data and discover the wins and losses. Maybe certain promotions, subject lines, or content worked better for specific audiences than others. Take notes and try to establish all the trends and reasonings behind them.

#2– Segment, Segment, Segment

Now that you have a better idea of what works well for your business and what changes need to happen for this holiday season, it is time to put a plan together. The first thing we recommend is creating segmented email lists. Segmenting your email list is important because it helps get the right information in front of the right people. Email segmentation helps avoid those dreaded “unsubscribes” by keeping emails relevant to all segmented groups.

Every customer has different buying habits, interests, and demographics that must be considered when drafting an email campaign. By segmenting subscribers based on location, gender, and age, previous open rates, you may have better success and more sales. Here is an example of segmenting your lists for a holiday email marketing campaign:

• Interest-related: Group your subscribers based on previous purchases or website interactions. Whatever content/products/services/information/etc. they’re into– give it to ’em!
• Type of shopper: Is the person a year-round shopper, or do they only come around when the deals are extra spicy? Year-round customers have different needs, wants, and expectations than holiday shoppers. Reward your first, consistent audience with a “loyalty” program for being the faithful angels they are. Reel in the second audience with enticing discounts and promotions– because you know they can’t resist a good sale! (But really, who can!?)
• Coupon lovers: Probably the smallest segmented group in this example for most businesses. (Unless you hand out coupons like crazy, your audience is on to your secret!) If someone ONLY purchases anything from you when a coupon is involved, it is safe they are price-sensitive customers. Hit them with coupon codes. BUT ONLY THEM. This way, you don’t miss out on customers willing to buy at full price. (Unless you’re running a true sale. Then hit all the people with all the codes!) If you’re looking for ways to increase your subscriber list, check out 60 Ways to Grow Your Email List by our Solution Partner, Constant Contact!

#3 Plan It Out

Mapping out the whole holiday email marketing strategy is the biggest favor you can do for yourself. Create a list for each email campaign during the holiday season. Each email campaign should include the number of emails that will be going out to promote the campaign, the landing page(s) of each email, the send date(s) of each email, the audience segment(s) for each email, and of course the product(s) and discount(s)/promotion(s).

Here are 2022’s Holiday Season Dates To Keep In Mind

Thanksgiving Thursday– November 24, 2022
Black Friday– November 28, 2022
Small Business Saturday– Saturday, November 26, 2022
Cyber Monday– November 28, 2022
Giving Tuesday– November 29, 2022
Christmas Day– December 25, 2022
New Year’s Eve– December 31, 2022

#4 Master the Art of Subject Lines

It’s no secret that people receive excessive emails during the holiday season. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t send them; it just means you must focus on standing out. The first step making the subject short and straight to the point. Subject lines should be visible for both mobile and desktop users, so the sweet spot is 4-6 words or 21-50 characters.

Second, create a “FOMO” (fear of missing out) feeling. You can do this by hinting at urgency. Statements like “Only 24 Hours!” “1 Day Only!” help push customers to take action now rather than later. Because “later” typically ends up being “never” even when that’s not their intention.

 

#5 Show Your Love After the Holidays

Send post-holiday email campaigns! Your holiday email marketing strategy doesn’t have to end as soon as the holidays are over. The party is just starting! (If you want it to be!) Surprise your customers and send them a post-holiday promotion to keep your holiday customers hanging around.

You got this!

There are plenty of ways to effectively engage with your customers through email marketing this holiday season. Remember that your customers are customers for a reason (because they like what your business offers!), so use that to your advantage and showcase it! Connect with them authentically and provide them with content that is relevant to them. You got this!