With generic emails flooding your inbox every holiday, you’d be forgiven for assuming that email marketing isn’t as effective during the holiday season. The truth is that timely, engaging, and relevant email campaigns can help you capitalize on holiday spending.
Whether you’re celebrating during the end of the year or other holidays that might not get as much attention, these tips translate to better email marketing all year round.
What is holiday email marketing?
Holiday email marketing involves timely campaigns to encourage subscribers to spend money with your brand during a specific holiday.
You don’t have to limit your holiday marketing to the December season either. According to the National Retail Federation, back-to-college spending ranks barely below winter holidays, in terms of average per-person spending.
The average consumer spends $1,007 during the winter holidays and $942 during the fall return to college.
Mother’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Halloween, Independence Day, the Superbowl—you truly have limitless possibilities to create unique email marketing campaigns that encourage your subscribers to spend money with your brand all year long.
How to make the most of your holiday email marketing
You’ve probably noticed that many of the holiday emails you receive don’t really stand out from others in your inbox. Generic coupons and holiday promotions won’t cut it. How can you make your brand’s email campaigns stand out in a crowded inbox?
Personalize as much as possible.
Use the information you’ve collected on your subscribers to choose curated blog posts, holiday tips, and customized promotions. Sixty-seven percent of customers expect personalized content. Plus, subscribers will be more likely to convent through your emails when the content relates to their needs.
Take advantage of automation and triggered campaigns.
Automation technology makes it easy to create stunning personalized triggered campaigns that end up in your subscribers’ inboxes at just the right time.
Offer more than coupons.
Don’t just throw out promotional emails and wait for subscribers to bite. Instead, offer them useful content.
Holidays are often stressful. Sending out blogs about holiday hacks, tips, and entertaining content can help break the ice and develop trust. Your subscribers will be more likely to spend money with your brand if you’ve demonstrated value through valuable content.
How to measure your holiday email marketing results
Log into your Campaign Monitor dashboard and click on the campaign you want to track. From here, you’ll be able to see
- Your successful deliveries and bounces
- How many subscribers opened your email
- How many subscribers clicked links in your email and which links they clicked
- Which subscribers converted into customers through the email campaign
If subscribers aren’t opening your email, this is a big red flag that your subject line is lackluster. There’s a good chance your subscribers have a similar subject line flooding their inbox—especially during the holidays.
Subscribe to your competitors’ email lists and check out their subject lines. Don’t simply copy them. Instead, analyze their subject lines and use this information to develop your own that stand apart from the rest.
Does it really matter?
Yes, holiday email marketing absolutely matters.
Depending on your industry, there’s a good chance that your subscribers are going to spend money for a holiday—whether it be Halloween, Mother’s Day, Christmas, or any of the other countless holidays throughout the year.
As a marketer, you need to figure out how you can get your audience to spend that money with your brand. Since email is the preferred method of communication among customers, email campaigns are the perfect solution for providing your subscribers with personalized holiday content and promotions.
What now?
Now that you understand the importance of email marketing for holidays, you can focus on creating unique holiday content that stands out from your competitors.
Start by brushing up on your subject lines to grab attention. Next, create unique, relevant, and valuable content that your subscribers will enjoy. Remember to provide interesting holiday-related blog posts and information in addition to promotions and specials to help gain your subscribers’ trust and demonstrate your value.
Are you ready to learn more about creating holiday campaigns that convert? Check out these 5 tips to improve your email performance during the holidays.