How to Make for Your Holiday E-mail Promotions a Success

September 15, 2010 by Tim
Filed under: Email Lists

Review last year’s holiday campaigns.

In preparing for the holiday email season to come, thoroughly examine what went well and what didn’t and repeat the best
campaign and determine. Analyze and be sure not to repeat the same mistakes.

Which of my email campaigns generated the highest conversions? On what days were they sent? What were the emails about and what were the subject lines?
Which campaigns generated the lowest conversions? On what days were they sent? What were the emails about and what were the subject lines?
Which segmentation tactics were most successful?
Which campaigns were forwarded and shared the most? What about those campaigns made them so viral?
Which campaigns generated the highest unsubscribe rates? The highest spam complaints? Why was that?
Have steps been taken to fix the problems?

Start Christmas campaigns early.

On average, retailers began their 2009 holiday campaigns 67 days before Christmas (Oct. 19), according to the report. This is on par with the 2008 holiday season, but it’s nine days earlier than the 2007 holiday season.

Last year’s soft economy and the precedent set in the 2008 holiday seasonwas likely behind the earlier start. With a slowly recovering economy, retailers may begin their holiday campaigns a bit later this year, the report says.

Survey Your Customer Database

Ask subscribers directly to update their preferences, or make the link to your preference center more prominent by moving it above the fold.
Ask subscribers to complete a survey about your email program.
If you’ve recently relaunched or improved your website, tell your subscribers about it.
If you’re using product reviews in your emails, make sure products have a sufficient quantity of reviews by encouraging subscribers to review products during the summer and early fall.
Try a delayed reward program designed to bring customers back during the holiday season.
If you have a private-label credit card, loyalty program or member-based shipping program, promote it in advance of the holiday season.
Increase holiday email frequencies. With consumers actively looking for ideas, 90 percent of major online retailers ratchet up their send volumes during the holiday season, according to the report.

While these days are popular because they achieve better results, they’re also the days when emails have the most competition in the inbox.
If that logic appeals to you, then send on the days just before or after these high-volume days, the report advises.

Also, the report recommends targeting brand loyalists with a “daily deal” email series or a “X Days of Christmas” campaign that requires an additional opt-in. Stand out among inbox clutter. With the increase in volume pouring into subscribers’ inboxes, it’s critical to stand out with not only relevant content, big deals.

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About The Author

Tim G. Little has a BS in Business Administration, and has worked in the magazine publication and circulation management for the past 20 years. As an Internet Publisher and Entrepreneur, he has developed a website to help small business entrepreneurs find the best mailing list and marketing programs ps: I would like to recommend a tool to you to help find Boost Sales… Gain Market Share.. . With Focused List Selection, Tips and Tools for Finding the Perfect List. Once you e-mail segments, track how they differently they react to messaging options.

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