The countdown to November 29th — the biggest shopping extravaganza of the year — has officially begun! Black Friday is more than a single day, though. It’s a retail phenomenon that can make or break your business’s bottom line.
But how can you ensure that Black Friday is a win for you year after year?
That’s easy. You consistently prioritize compelling email content!
There are four areas of email marketing to consider when crafting engaging Black Friday email content — subject lines, copy, design, and segmentation. So, let’s start with the first thing your audience will see: subject lines!
Focus Area 1: Subject Lines that Spark Intrigue
Subject lines are your audience’s first impression of your brand.
Think of it like that first-greeting handshake in an interview. A strong handshake with good engagement inspires confidence and intrigue. In other words, it offers a good first impression. A weak handshake without focus inspires uncertainty and hesitancy. And that’s not a great first impression at all!
Consider the following tactics to spice up your Black Friday subject lines:
■ Personalization: Address your subscribers by their names, reference demographic information like weather, and use their purchase history to tailor your content.
■ Urgency and Scarcity: Create a sense of urgency by mentioning limited-time offers or referencing countdowns and timers. Feelings of scarcity can also trigger FOMO – the fear of missing out – encouraging readers to take action now, not later.
■ Tease with Benefits: Highlight the benefits of your Black Friday deals directly in the subject line. Your subject line should always describe what’s in your email, but even more than that, people want to know what’s in it for them!
■ Curiosity: Add intriguing questions, teasing statements, or unfinished thoughts to your subject lines. Give recipients enough to know what’s inside while enticing them to click.
Crafting an engaging and intriguing subject line is the key to nailing that first impression, and making sure your email gets opened.
Focus Area 2: Compelling Copy that Converts
Once your subject line has done its job and the recipient has opened the email, it’s time for your copy to take center stage.
Email copy should be engaging and as personalized as possible, whether your goal conversion is a sale, a download, or a “follow” on social media.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when crafting words that lead to action:
■ Clear and Concise: Get to the point quickly in your copy. Your subscribers are busy – and likely getting inundated with Black Friday content – so tell them why you’re different, how you can help, and why they should care in as few words as possible.
■ Address Pain Points: Use the copy in your email to recognize your audience’s pain points with empathy and consideration. Then, outline how you, your products, or your services can solve them — position yourself as the solution!
■ Tell a Story: Craft a narrative that resonates with your brand and engages your audience’s emotions. Storytelling is a great way to stick in your customer’s mind and make your message (and your brand) more memorable.
■ Use Social Proof: Before prospective customers have learned to trust you and your brand, lean on the power of existing customer experiences and testimonials. Incorporate reviews and/or success stories in your copy to leverage peer-to-peer trust.
Your email copy doesn’t have to be long to be successful… but it should be personal, engaging, and solution-focused. You know you’re the best choice for your customers; now you have to make them feel the same way!
Focus Area 3: Design that Delights
When it comes to email marketing, design and copy go hand-in-hand. Exciting, visually stimulating, and on-brand design should be crafted in tandem with copy, ensuring a cohesive email that keeps your audience enticed.
Keep the following considerations top of mind when designing your next Black Friday email:
■ Mobile-Friendly: With over 80% of readers checking emails on their phones, a mobile-friendly and responsive design is non-negotiable. Make sure your design not only functions on all devices but has the same visual impact, regardless of screen size.
■ Eye-Catching Imagery: Whether you’re using product photos or custom animations, make sure your imagery is always high-quality. Blurry images and malfunctioning graphics hurt your email’s visual impact and can reflect poorly on your brand, too.
■ Clear Call-to-Action (CTA): Your copywriter should always provide a clear, engaging CTA…but the design should be just as engaging, too! Make sure your buttons are prominent, with contrasting, bright collars to make them stand out.
■ Whitespace and Balance: A cluttered email is a turn-off. Maintain a balance between text and images, and use whitespace to guide the reader’s eyes.
Visual appeal plays a crucial role in capturing and retaining your audience’s attention. And, when you’re competing for attention on Black Friday, design is more important than ever!
Focus Area 4: Segmentation for Maximum Impact
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to marketing… but everyone can benefit from segmenting their audience.
Here are a few ways you can try segmenting your audience this Black Friday (and beyond!):
■ Past Purchases: Look at what your audience members have purchased in the past so you can recommend products related – or complementary to – their previous purchase.
■ Location and Preferences: Grouping subscribers by location offers a unique way to personalize your content, like offering weather-specific products, for example.
■ Abandoned Cart Reminders: Sending specific content to subscribers who abandon their carts is a good opportunity to remind them of your brand or even offer a small discount to encourage a conversion.
■ Exclusive Previews: Segmenting customers who regularly engage with your brand — A.K.A your VIP customers — enables you to give out exclusive benefits and sneak peeks, rewarding them for their engagement while making them feel special
Segmentation makes it easier to deliver the right content to the right person at the right time, ensuring all content is tailored and relevant.
Wrap Up
As Black Friday draws near, remember that email content is your golden ticket to cutting through the noise and winning over hearts – and wallets. Craft subject lines that intrigue, copy that persuades, and designs that captivate. And, above all, let your segmentation strategy ensure that your message reaches the right people at the right time.
Ready to make this year’s Black Friday a shopping holiday to remember?