The holiday season is upon us! For eCommerce businesses, this is (one of) the most wonderful times of year… as long as you’ve got a solid email marketing strategy in place to help you reach success. As your customer’s inboxes get flooded with festive promotions, standing out and capturing attention becomes more important than ever. Here are seven tips to help you craft high-converting email campaigns this holiday season.
1. Start Campaigns Early, End Them Late
With holiday shopping starting earlier and earlier every year, consumers are in shopping mode long before December. To get a head start, kick off your email campaigns well and early and continue them until later in the year to reach the stragglers and last-minute shoppers. Reminders and countdown emails help keep your brand (and your holiday deals) top of mind.
2. Perfect your Personalization
Considering how many emails are sent over the holidays, focusing on personalization can help your brand stand out. By leveraging customer data and creating targeted campaigns based on preferences, past purchases, browsing behavior, and geography, you can create hyper-personalized recommendations and exclusive offers.
3. Always Optimize for Mobile
A 2022 survey revealed that 76% of Americans shop on their smartphones, so making your emails mobile-friendly is a must. Test your emails across various devices to guarantee a seamless user experience double checking things like CTA buttons and image sizes. The chance of conversion is much higher when it’s easy for customers to navigate on their phones!
4. Spend Time on Eye-Catching Visuals
When you’re planning your holiday campaigns, it’s important to make sure you include eye-catching visuals. In a sea of red-and-green emails, you’ll want to make sure that you stand out with unique visuals that are relevant to your brand while still bringing some holiday magic. Now’s a great time to explore things like GIFs, graphics, or animations to really stand out.
5. Write Catchy Subject Lines and Preview Texts
The subject line and preview text are the first impression your audience has of what’s inside the email… so you need to make them great! Craft compelling, concise subject lines and preview texts that spark curiosity while still accurately representing what’s in the email. Excess emojis or clickbait titles can make your email feel spam-y, so avoid those where you can.
6. Make a Habit of A/B Testing
Figuring out what best resonates with your audience can be difficult, which is why A/B testing should be a regular part of your campaign management routine. By switching up elements like subject lines, visual elements, and send times, you can pinpoint your best-performing content and refine your existing (and future!) email campaigns to optimize their performance.
7. Leverage Segmentation
Segmenting your email list is always a good idea, but it’s especially helpful around the holidays. Tailoring holiday emails to different segments not only ensures that your emails as as relevant and valuable as possible, but it also makes personalization easier and more meaningful. The stronger your personalization, the higher the likelihood of conversion.
Wrap Up
The most successful holiday campaigns are carefully planned and designed, with an unwavering commitment to personalization and customer value. By following these seven tips and never losing sight of putting the customer first, you can look forward to a holiday season filled with conversions and campaign success!