Well, it’s the week of Thanksgiving, which means that most stores have had their Christmas decorations up some time since the middle of August. It seems to come earlier every year, and of course no business wants to risk missing out on the extra bump in numbers that always seems to occur around the Yuletide season.
It’s a fact, more and more companies are marketing for Christmas earlier in the season, and consumers seem to go right along with it. Studies show that more than two thirds of consumers are already holiday shopping, well before the national event known as Black Friday that has traditionally signaled the start of the shopping season.
So how to make the best use of this rush of Christmas retail cheer through your email marketing efforts? There are a number of ways, but the clock is ticking, so the time to begin is now.
Be Creative: Let’s face it, a lot of people disregard email promotions, but Christmas is THE hot buying season and folks are more prone to give you a shot at earning their business. So take advantage of it and punch up your email promotion with some eye catching graphics or fonts. Don’t worry about going overboard….nobody ever got ahead by playing it safe.
Countdown To The Day: Maybe one e-mail blast isn’t enough. If you don’t think you’ll wear out your welcome with your customers, opt for a series of email blasts every day or every other day leading up to Christmas. Take the opportunity to highlight special sales, incentives, or campaigns. If in doubt, “The
Twelve Days Of Christmas” is an ideal platform from which to launch your marketing efforts.
Catch Their Attention: Obviously the subject line is your single best shot for getting folks’ attention, so as always make it something that makes them want to open it and read further. Words like “sale”, “discount”, and especially “free” tend to work wonders.
Suggest A Gift: We all go through that whole “what to buy for the person who has everything” dilemma, so make some suggestions. You can also provide reviews for the products you are pushing in order to create value. Basically, do whatever it takes to spark an idea in the minds of your clients, ideally one that makes them think “that’s just perfect!”
Come Bearing Gifts: Suggestions are one thing, but offering a discount seals the deal. Either a special sale price, discounting shipping, or something free for every order over a given amount. You can also offer gift cards, which are easily emailed and can often be the perfect gift for those grouches that you can never seem to win with.
Know Your Audience: There are two types of Christmas shoppers, the efficient and the not so efficient. The efficient begin their holiday shopping on Dec 26 of the previous year. The not so efficient start putting their list together after work on Christmas Eve. Send messages addressing both types of shoppers. Early bird discounts are always in style, and for those of us who scramble last minute, knowing you still have a decent selection even at the eleventh hour is most appreciated.
Never Assume: Namely, never assume that the public stops buying at a given time around Christmas. There is a reason stores stay open on Christmas Eve, and some people even make purchases online on Christmas Day! Perhaps a series of triggered messages letting your customers know that you are, in a sense, even open on Christmas would go a long way toward putting a few more dollars in the bank.
Mine The Results: Look at what worked and what didn’t. What did people respond the strongest to? Were there certain links that generated more response across the board than others? Maybe a campaign for a given item worked well, or a gift suggestion guide increased sales across a number of fronts. Or maybe you noticed an uptick in business from a given demographic, say females 35 – 45. Whichever one(s) worked for you, make note of it for future use. Chances are you can get quite a bit of mileage out of it before the public buying habits change yet again.
Maximize Your Success: After Christmas, be sure to thank your customers with some additional goodies, such as special incentives or a New Year’s sale. If you picked up new subscribers, do something to make them feel welcome, such as a coupon good for a substantial discount on a popular item or service.
Don’t Bank On Christmas Alone: You have 364 other days in the year that you want to stay in business. You will no doubt pick up quite a few new customers from your holiday marketing efforts. Make sure that they know they are valued and welcome all year round. Go the extra mile to analyze and determine their needs for future email marketing campaigns.
Merry Christmas!
