Get Your Emails Ready For The Holiday Season

While it may seem like the holiday season is months away, it will be here before you know it. This means it's time to start thinking about your holiday email marketing campaigns, which is especially important for online retailers.

The holiday season seems to start earlier each year, and you need to plan your promotions for Black Friday sales. In addition, it's important to direct email recipients to a branded holiday landing page.

Holiday marketing has changed in the past few years

As more consumers have started buying gifts online during the holiday season, the shopping period has extended, according to iMedia Connection. In the past, many shoppers would wait until the week leading up to Christmas to complete their purchases, but Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales are gaining popularity. In addition, there's a larger number of last-minute deals.

Because the holiday shopping process has changed dramatically in a relatively short amount of time, marketers need to take a coordinated multichannel approach to engage with consumers during this time of year. Mobile is growing in importance because shoppers are frequently on the go during this busy time.

If you plan to have a Black Friday or Cyber Monday sale, this needs to be planned in advance. You should schedule your campaigns now to ensure everything gets sent without a hitch. Additionally, this gives you time to plan any holiday changes to your website to reflect marketing materials.

Even though Black Friday and Cyber Monday get most of the attention at the beginning of the holiday season, American Express's Small Business Saturday, which takes place the weekend after Thanksgiving, is a great opportunity for smaller companies to hold promotions.

How to make your holiday emails count

Similar to any successful marketing effort, you need to do your research beforehand to ensure you're giving customers what they want. If you're primarily an online retailer, your email marketing may not seem worthwhile to send a Black Friday promotion.

However, your customers could be searching for deals, Marketing Land stated. This is especially true if you have an online store and a traditional brick-and-mortar location.

One of the reasons a schedule is so important is because most retailers will be sending a high volume of emails In November and December. It's important to ensure your email service provider can accommodate the high number of outgoing messages for maximum effectiveness. This is essential if you run limited-time offer specials. Customers won't know about the deals unless emails reach them.

Mobile outreach is a crucial concern during this time of year. Shoppers are frequently on the move between different stores, and many use their smartphones in physical store locations to compare prices online.

If your emails don't display well from a mobile device, customers are likely to delete them and move on. Responsive design is a great way to provide a consistent experience to all recipients.

Because shoppers most likely receive a massive volume of promotional emails from various retailers every day, it's important to make your headlines stand out to encourage recipients to open the message.

Competition is much stronger at the time of year, and most consumers have limited holiday shopping budgets. Including the offer directly in the subject line can increase open rates.

Directing customers to branded landing pages that reflect the offer in the email can increase conversion rates. Multichannel marketing efforts are crucial, but you need to provide a consistent experience overall.

A/B testing ahead of time is crucial to ensure your marketing communications have the intended effect on consumers. The holidays are one of the most lucrative times of the year for many companies and email shouldn't be overlooked.

What's been the best holiday campaign you've seen? Tell us in the comments section.

Happy Marketing!