Why You Should Start Gearing Up For Holiday Emails Today—And 5 Ways To Do It

Amanda Clark

We’re still a few days away from celebrating Halloween, but if you’ve been out shopping lately then you’ve probably noticed plenty of Christmas décor already on display. Big-box stores and retail pharmacies know full well that, for many Americans, the holiday season has more or less begun—and to really make the most of it, marketers need to start getting ready now.

And that includes you. Maybe you don’t have a brick-and-mortar store where you can erect a giant holiday display, but at the very least you can do some e-mail marketing—getting ready to connect with subscribers and previous customers and remind them of your brand in the precious weeks leading up to Christmas.

Remember: During this season of the year, many consumers are very much in a “buying mode.” They’re looking for great products, offers, and deals. And your e-mail marketing efforts can help connect the dots, coaxing customers to your business as they look to spend a few holiday bucks.

You may not be ready to launch a full-scale holiday marketing blitz quite yet, and that’s fine. It may still be a bit early for that, but it’s not too early to start planning and brainstorming. Some tips for doing so:

1. Think about how your product/offer might change. Remember that during the holiday season, a lot of people are looking for great gift ideas. If you own a jewelry store or a toy store then you’re probably in good shape, but many brands will need to shift their thinking from direct products to gift cards or other gift-oriented ideas.

2. Play into sales and specials. The holiday shopping season presents plenty of great opportunities to base your email campaign around sales and promotions. For example: Why not take full advantage of Cyber Monday?

3. Do some spying. Make sure you keep tabs on what your competitors are doing. If you notice them announcing free shipping or other special holiday discounts, you may have to make similar offers just to keep pace.

4. Put headlines first. As ever, we think it’s critical to base your holiday email campaigns around attention-grabbing headlines. You can even start sketching some now. Our advice: Make them straightforward and value-oriented; if you’re offering e-mail subscribers 20 percent off, let them know it.

5. Align your content. Even as you send out holiday discounts and specials, you should also be writing some holiday-themed blogs and e-books, perhaps attaching a few of them to your emails.

The time to plot your holiday marketing outreach is now.

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