Get Your Email Campaigns Ready For Christmas!
Every year
around December 23rd or so, I promise myself that next year I'm going to do
things differently. I'm going to buy my Christmas presents early.
Well this year I'm finally doing it, and your gift is the first.
The first half of your gift is the online calendar with step-by-step instructions
to help you get your emails ready in time.
The second half of your gift is this article. It will give you some marketing
strategies for your Christmas email communications.
Set Goals for Christmas
Emails
Your goals will depend on the kind of business you have. If you have a retail
business, your goal will be to help your customers make holiday purchasing
decisions that include you.
If you have a service-based business not dependent on holiday sales, your goal
is more about good customer relations. You'll want to remind your customers
that you're around to help them now and in January, when things get back to
normal.
In either case, you'll need to determine the following:
- When And How Often Should I
Email?
- What Do I Want To Communicate?
- How Do I Get My Clients To Open My Emails?
- How Do I Get My Clients To Take
Action?
When And How Often Should I Email?
For Retail Sales, you'll want to email throughout the season to
make sure you catch early birds and last minute shoppers. While it's OK to send more often during the holidays, you
still want to avoid over communicating.
So what's a good number? The email
calendar I'm including is based on sending 3-5 promotional emails during the
season. You could do more, but it should not exceed once a week.
For Customer Relations, your job is easier. You just need to acknowledge
your clients and reward their loyalty throughout the year. So 1-2 emails is
fine.
Constant Contact Email Tip: Schedule your emails in advance. This way you
won't miss a deadline and you can concentrate on other things as the holidays
approach.
What Do I Want To
Communicate?
Whatever you're actually sending, you'll want to show that you care about your
customer by giving them something they'll find valuable. Here are some ideas:
Send them a holiday card. You could send Thanksgiving or Christmas cards
to thank them for their business. Include a gift certificate or free giveaway
they can redeem during the holidays or after.
Help them out. The holidays can be stressful. Help your customers by
giving them valuable information to make the season easier and more
enjoyable. For example, an interior decorator could offer tips on how to
decorate for Christmas.
Sweeten the pot. Give them special savings such as discounts or free shipping. Include gift ideas in your emails.
Invite them to visit. You've got special events taking place in your
store? Let your customers know in advance by sending them an invitation.
Constant Contact Design Tip: Add variety to your promotional emails by
choosing a holiday template with different image selections. That way you can
change the look of your emails by changing the images.
How Do I get My Clients To Open My Emails?
Let's face it. You've got stiff competition for your client's inbox, especially
at Christmastime. You'll be jockeying for attention with emails from Macy's,
Target and the like.
But don't let that intimidate you. Their emails have the same real estate you
have - a "From" line and a "Subject" line. These are the
two lines that will influence your customer to open the email - "Who is it
from?" and "What's in it for me?".
"From" Line: If you've been emailing your customers on a
regular basis, use the same "From" line. If it's your first time
communicating, choose something that your clients will easily recognize. That
may be your name or the name of your business. Use that same "From"
line every time you send out an email.
"Subject" Line: This is the equivalent to the headline of an
ad and should convey the main benefit to your customer. If you are an including
an offer in your email, say so in the subject line. If it's information, let
them know why they should open it. Just keep it short, around 5 - 8 words
(that's about all the space you'll have). Here are some ideas:
- Free Shipping On Purchases
Through 12/15
- 3 Easy Christmas Crafts For
Kids
- Gift For You: $10 Off Your Next
Purchase
How Do I Get My Clients To Take Action?
Although we can get pretty hung up about open rates, getting our customers to
open our emails is not really the goal. What we really want is for our
customers to do something, whether it's clicking on a link,
making a phone call or attending an event.
The best way to get your clients to do this is by making your call to action clear and easy to find. Place it in a prominent spot. Make it bold, put it in another color
or in its own box. This way your customers will have an easier time finding it
and acting on it.
Well I hope these ideas help you get your holiday promotions off to a good
start. Here's your calendar. Enjoy!
>>Download Christmas Countdown Calendar
About the Calendar: The tasks are based on sending 3 - 5 emails during the season. It's pretty loaded in October, but gets
lighter as Christmas approaches. Also, I've broken down the tasks into
bite-size pieces - from as little as 5 minutes to no more than an hour.
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