Is email marketing part of your holiday marketing strategy? It should be as email marketing is a cost-effective way to reach your customers, share your holiday promotions and boost end-of-year sales. In 2020, it’s estimated that 3 billion people, or half the world’s population, will be using email.
Not sure how to make your email marketing strategy a success? Below you’ll find seven ways that email marketing can work for your business over the holidays.
1. Holiday Announcement
Is there something you want to share with your audience? Whether it’s a new collection, limited stock on a hot product or a free gift with a purchase, you can send an email letting customers know. Make the email feel exclusive to your subscribers – they’ll be more likely to open and use it.
2. Early Bird Offer
Plan an “early bird” sale and let your subscribers know about it first. If you have a physical store, drive foot traffic by offering refreshments like hot cocoa and cookies. Or, you can hand out promotional merchandise to the first x-number of customers. People are more likely to act when they don’t want to miss out on something.
3. Free Shipping
If your business doesn’t offer free shipping, choose a few dates in December where you offer this service. In the email, include a code that customers can use when they check out. If you do offer free shipping, send out a reminder email letting subscribers know. This info could make the difference in a customer buying from you over a competitor.
4. Free Gift
People love to get free things. Sending an email with “free gift” in the subject line is sure to get a lot of opens and click throughs. Decide how customers can earn this gift, such as by entering a giveaway or making a minimum purchase. Or, if you’re feeling generous, give all customers a free gift with a purchase until the product runs out.
5. Holiday Invitation
Another fun email that people like to receive is an invitation to a special event. This could be an open house, a live streaming event, a holiday sale or in-store activities. If you choose in-store activities, consider your audience. Would they benefit from a visit from Santa? Coloring sheets for the kids? Refreshments and holiday music?
6. Customer Appreciation
Show your customers that you appreciate them all year long. Give loyal customers a discount – and make it a good one. For example, $25 off a $50 purchase looks better than 15% off. It will also get people making bigger purchases to get the discount. Also think about other ways you can solve customer challenges. Can you offer free gift wrapping? Expedited shipping?
7. Holiday Gift Guide
Holiday gift guides are useful because they make recommendations for people who are hard to shop for. They also feature popular products, which is helpful for people who may not know what’s trending. Put together a holiday gift guide using your products and send it out to your subscribers.
This holiday season, make sure email marketing is included in your strategy. It’s a quick, easy and affordable way to communicate with your customers and boost your bottom line.
