Email marketing is responsible for 16% of all online sales during the Holiday Season – which happens to be just around the corner. “Black Friday”, “Cyber Monday”, and all the way through the end of December marks a time when shoppers are crazily searching the internet, glued to their inboxes trying to find the perfect gift or deal for their loved ones.
There are only 26 short days between “Black Friday” and Christmas morning, meaning shoppers have a lot of shopping to do in a little amount of time. Shoppers spend billions annually – on presents, food and even holiday decorations trying to bring the holiday spirit into their homes, and make the days leading up to their Holiday just as joyous as the day itself.
What can you do to improve your email strategy?
While it may be the best and most obvious time of year to set up an email marketing campaign to engage your customers, it also means it’s a very crowded space. As a small business and ecommerce shop, it’s easy to get lost in the hundreds or thousands of emails that go out to each individual shopper during the upcoming month. Shoppers are looking for deals, creativity and something that really differentiates you from other shops, so it’s important as a small business to make this a holiday reality by customizing your Remarkety campaigns. Here are a few festive tips to make your email campaign the one the shopper clicks this holiday season:
Add Holiday Joy to the email ‘Subject Line’
Don’t be afraid to give shoppers exactly what they want to hear about; family, presents, and holiday cheer. While it may seem cliche to talk directly about Christmas right off the bat, a more subtle approach that references the holiday nostalgia all shoppers seek in a creative way will make customers feel connected to the holiday without referencing it directly. For example:
- “Stuff your stockings with free shipping”
- “12 Days of Savings”
Both of these reference the idea of the upcoming holidays, without naming them directly. They also catch the reader’s eye, because they insinuate some type of offer ahead. The combination of the two is a great incentive for your potential shopper to click your email and you can easily A/B test it with Remarkety.
Use Holiday Photos, and Visuals
The Holiday season is the perfect time to switch up your boring email templates for more creative, and season-inspired ones. You can create templates with engaging colors, photos, and graphics that specifically reference things like “Black Friday”, the winter season, or “Christmas”. However, adding a simple banner to the header will also do the job. So my advice is not to invest too much time and efforts on some fancy or expensive email design, but keep it simple and straight forward. Be creative with your campaigns! Don’t over use these things, just simply add something extra to the the message and give it a little holiday update.
Spread that ‘Holiday Cheer’
As a small business, connecting with and appreciating your customer is an extremely important part of having success. So, what better time than the holiday season to show them that appreciation? Not every email you send out has to be directly meant to “sell” your products. Take advantage of your ongoing email campaigns and add to them some sort of holiday greeting to thank them for shopping with you in the past, while wishing them a happy holiday season at the same time. Spreading holiday cheer is the perfect way to remind your shoppers that shopping with you is a personalized, positive experience. A “Happy Holidays” greeting can be added to any order followup email, inactive customers, product review or any other strategy you use in your Remarkety account.
Personalize Your Messages
Like I mentioned above, shoppers inboxes will be flooded with thousands of emails. Big companies will be sending a lot of messages to the masses but these will lack the emotional connection shoppers desire. While the number of emails sent by big companies may be larger, personalization is something shoppers really appreciate, and, as a small business, it is your time to capitalize and really hone in on your individual shopper by making each message personal. Never forget to use each shoppers first name in the email, and personalize each shopper’s holiday greeting. Keep in mind that you are trying to build a long-term relationship with each shopper, so sometimes the smallest of details are the ones that make them click your link, and have them sticking around.
Stay Connected
The Holiday season may come to an end, but your relationship with your customer shouldn’t. Ask them for their feedback after shopping with you, or send out an email during the Holidays wishing them a ‘Happy 2015’, saying you look forward to them shopping with you again in the new year. Staying connected, and looking forward to the future is a great way to create an ever-lasting relationship with your shopper.
For more info…
–3 marketing strategies to increase purchase frequency
–The difference between email marketing vs. email Remarketing
–4 automated email campaigns you should be running
