3 Things That Will Make Your Holiday Email Campaigns Shine

It may be summertime, but some people are already planning for the holidays, especially retail marketers. It’s never too early to start strategizing your email marketing plan to drive sales and revenue this holiday season, and for good reason-in 2014, the primary driver of U.S. online sales on Black Friday for marketers was email, which accounted for 27.3 percent of sales.

But as more retailers optimize their online presence and their email marketing to drive sales, that means there’s more competition for consumers’ attention and wallet share. Plus, the holiday shopping season starts long before Black Friday for many consumers-at least 25 percent of U.S. holiday shoppers will purchase a Christmas gift before Halloween.

Here are a few things to keep in mind to capitalize on the busy shopping season and successfully plan your holiday email strategy.

Tap Into Emotion and Holiday Cheer

Great holiday email campaigns delight customers by provoking emotion and encouraging people to share captivating promotions. Long-standing brand Coca-Cola took this approach with its 2015 holiday marketing campaign by showing fans and followers how they can use personalized Coke bottles as drinkable place cards during holiday meals. The promotion supported the “Share a Coke” campaign, encouraging its audience to spread the holiday cheer.

Design for Mobile First

Mobile was the leading source of online traffic and sales last holiday season. According to a report from IBM Watson, mobile devices were responsible for more Black Friday online traffic than desktop computers and accounted for 27 percent of online sales. This suggests users are more likely to browse online retailers from their mobile phones and then turn to desktop to complete their online purchases. Ensure your email design and content are mobile friendly to keep mobile shoppers engaged while increasing conversions to your e-commerce site.

Prep Your Contacts with Pre-Holiday Messaging

While you’re working on your holiday email strategy, leverage the summer and fall months to prep your contact list. This will ensure your email addresses are up-to-date and give you the opportunity to prime your contacts before your campaigns launch. This includes:

• Asking your subscribers to update their email preferences
• Asking subscribers to complete a survey about your email program
• Asking customers to submit product reviews of previously purchased products
• Promote your loyalty program before the busy shopping season
• Survey customers about shipping options and discounts
• Launch a reactivation campaign to identify previously unengaged customers that may be responsive during the holidays

An irresistible holiday marketing strategy starts with having valuable data about your customers. From demographics to purchase data, email intelligence gives you the insights to send targeted, compelling emails to delight subscribers this holiday season. Learn more about how you can use email intelligence to enhance your email strategy today.

Get the data you need to captivate your audience through holiday campaigns, and all year long. Try InstantData free today and learn more about your contacts than ever before.