What you Need to Avoid for Holiday Email Marketing
Don’t Ignore other Holidays
Picture yourself as the end user. You would already be flooded with marketing emails that are centered around the Christmas season or the New Year. Research and find out about relevant but lesser-known holidays towards the year end. All you need to do is add some creativity to make the most of the holiday season. You can also plan a donation drive prior to Christmas or offer a percentage of your sales to a reputed NGO. This holds a lot of value in your marketing message and also displays a socially-conscious side of your company.
Don’t Forget the Follow-Ups
So you have an awesome content strategy with design for your marketing newsletter. But, have you gone a step ahead to plan what you need to do next? Don’t wait for the holiday season. Once you know how many users have shown interest in your emails, have a follow-up plan ready to close the deal.
Don’t Cross the Line
You must not let the sparkling wine and fine dining around the holiday season affect your marketing campaign! Simply put – don’t be enthusiastic and send an overdose of marketing emails to users. It’s easy to whip up some recycled ideas and bombard users with holiday emails. What makes it tough is to stare at the growing unsubscribe list that shows one thing – users did not really like your flavour for the holiday season.
Don’t Think only about Sales
It’s easy to be a tad disappointed when sales don’t happen. But, there’s no need to fret over it all the time. Use the holiday season for a creative concept. Instead of focusing on the sales numbers, add a fun message that goes with the latest trends. For e.g., we think selfies have caught on with the tech-savvy generation. Include a selfie contest and give away some goodies. It’s natural for users to tag friends, and friends of friends when contest time happens. That means your brand awareness is just shooting up by the minute!
Don’t Send Irrelevant Messages
So you have a strong database of email Ids. You know how many users only ‘window shop’ in their tabs. You are also aware who has made a purchase. You know many other details apart from these. Then, use it to your advantage. Send the email addressed to the person and designed to suit a person’s personal preferences.
Don’t Get Stereotypical
Creative subject lines around the holiday season are kind of common place. Really! You may find a subject line such as, “Look what Santa has in Store” very connected with the season, but, it’s an overdose. No ‘Ho, ho, ho’s’ please! This also should be maintained for the design of the newsletter which may have an overdose of the Christmas/New Year season. The only place where such emails go unfortunately is the trash bin. Try to find a fresh perspective to deliver a powerful marketing message.
Don’t make it a Standalone
Email marketing is great to promote your product. But, instead of using it as the only medium, combine your strategies with various forms of direct marketing. This can include formats such as using the good ol’ postal system, or sending a direct email that is designed to suit the user’s preference.
Now that you know the don’ts of holiday email marketing campaigns, we know you’ll see a massive difference this season! But amidst all the work, certainly don’t forget to enjoy the holidays, and dare we say, “Ho, ho ho! Merry Christmas” (We really mean it!)
About the Author:
Smita More is a marketing professional and drives marketing activities for Juvlon – Email Marketing Software. Connect with Smita on LinkedIn.