The secret of perfect Christmas email campaign

Christmas is coming, are you ready? It’s the time of the year when even the most suspicious customers get ready to buy online. On this day every second person wants to treat himself, his family with the nice gifts. So why not help our clients to organize the biggest family holiday? Let’s take advantage of the emotions people already feel on these days!

In this article, you’ll find fresh tips and creative ideas for your Christmas email marketing campaign.

Is there are any presents for your business on Christmas?

Christmas is accused of attaining more and more commercial shape. The charges are quite reasonable, just look at the statistics.

Statista: Online retail spending in the United Kingdom (UK) during the Christmas period in 2011 to 2016 (in billion British pounds)*

Holiday season became the hottest sales period of the year for e-commerce businesses. The president of Australian Retailers Association Russell Zimmerman said, that retailers got 60% of their income on this holiday.

Let’s have a look at results of last year Christmas sales for UK retailers

• JD Sports (sports goods) – in the 5 weeks to January 3rd  sales rose to 12%
• Primark (clothing company) – in the 16 weeks to January 3rd, Sales were up by 15%
• SuperGroup (branded clothing company) – total income growth of 17.8 %
• Marks & Spencer (international clothing brand) –  food sales were up on 17%
• Lidl (discount supermarket)- reported about 20% sales growth
• Maplin (electronic online shop) announced about 24% growth of online sales during holidays.

But, there are companies which were left without Christmas presents. Why? They ignored marketing advice for the holiday campaigns. Sticking with the rules does not guarantee 100% result, but increase your chances to be on the winners’ list.

So, what is the receipt of successful Christmas sales? Don’t try to sell Christmas, help people to create it. How? The answer is below in the text.

The perfect time to start your Christmas email campaign

It’s very important to be ready for the launch of the ad campaign in time. So, you should plan it much earlier, depending on the possibilities of your company. Remember that planning could take much time – from weeks to months. All depends on the extent and duration of the marketing campaign.

When should you start mailing? When people begin thinking about the upcoming holidays. Moreover, it’s exactly you the one who has to make them think about the celebration. You have to inspire people to feel the atmosphere of upcoming   Christmas.  

Fact: the people start Christmas shopping a month before the holiday.

Deloitte’s 2017 Holiday Survey (Deloitte – the largest professional services firm in the world)

That’s why the majority choose the end of November or the beginning of December as a starting point for the mailing.

*You should always remember the behavioral specific of your target audience

World e-commerce practice shows, that Christmas mailing has several steps:

• Pre-Holiday – recommendation newsletters with useful info about/for the Holiday.
• The pre-sale … up to 15 Dec
• The main sale 15-25 Dec
• After Christmas Emails

For example, “24 Days of Deals campaign”  of furniture online shop westelm.com:

Read more about Christmas email: How often should you send it?

Shiny subject line: The Christmas star of client’s mailbox

Be sure, you are not the only one who wants to congratulate all on the upcoming holiday. So think twice about what the receiver spots first – subject line of your email.

Here are some hacks for your email to be noticed:

1. Play with the client – use puns, show your sense of humor.
   Holiday looks your grandma might not hate
   Read between the wines
   “Family, friends, food & flying – all of our favorite F words!”
   Cheeses are the reason for the season
   Season’s Eatings!
2. Intrigue the reader
   The secret’s out!
   You won’t miss that!
3. Everybody love presents
   Merry? — We got you a gift…Old Navy
   Hey, we made you something for the holidays!
4. Be clear, use numbers
   Reach more holiday shoppers with your $100 coupon.
   Because we miss you. Enjoy 15% off!
5. Let people feel themselves special
   Shhh…you’re the first to know
   It’s all for YOU.

Combine these ideas and get your perfect email subject line.

Design ideas for your Christmas email campaign

Remember, the moment person opens your newsletter she/he shouldn’t be thinking of you. Make readers think about the upcoming holiday, create the atmosphere of magic.
People like scrolling, so the task is to grab their attention.

We have found some fresh ideas that might inspire you.

2017 is a year of return to the past – Handwritten Emails

New is a well-forgotten old. Why not try to use some elements of vintage style?

Want your letter to be read – remember about your calligraphy))  

Engage Christmas spirit with the right colors – Email Design Colors and Emotions – Stimulate Engagement and Purchases

Follow the trend – minimalism
Minimalism is one of the most popular trends of the 21st century.

Show people that you like Christmas too

Christmas is a good time when people become more loyal and kind. Catch the moment and win the favor of even the most skeptical customers.

The simplest solution is to congratulate your subscribers. Try to show them that your company is a team of the good people who daily work for them.

Weird doesn’t mean boring

Impress your audience with an unusual idea, like it was done by Neiman Marcus in his Christmas Book, the world’s most luxurious gift-giving guide.

Use the power of gamification

Help your subscribers to choose presents for their relatives and friends in a form of a game.

Snowflakes, Santa Claus and gifts – a  win-win combination

eMarketers’ Christmas forecast

So, what to expect from the Holiday shopping season 2017 for the business? Let’s see a short review of what e-commerce experts think:

• The majority of purchases in U.S. will come from mobile.
• People will buy more for themselves than for others. According to the last year report of National Retail Federation, about 70 percent of shoppers admit that they bought a gift or two for themselves during the 2016 holiday season. So, this year the rate of self-gifting should arise.
• Digital sales would increase about 15.8 percent this holiday season, compared to a 17-percent increase in 2016.

I think you’ve understood, the secret of perfect Christmas email campaign not in the quantity but in quality.

If we’re talking about the quality, it is worth mentioning the best tool for your Christmas campaign – Atomic Email Studio. It is an all-in-one email marketing solution that consists of 9 top email marketing programs. Save your money and time with a complex tool – collect clients database, manage your mailing lists, create and send newsletter and monitor results using only one program!

Be creative and mind the specifics of your target audience.

If you have any better ideas or questions, write them in the comments.

P.S. Merry Christmas!