The leaves may be just beginning to change colors, but green and red should be the colors du jour when it comes to end-of-year planning. The holiday season is a crucial time to not only secure those
holiday gift guides, and throw an epic
holiday party, but to also connect directly with prospects through strategic email marketing campaigns.
The first step when planning a seasonal marketing campaign is to be clear about your business goals, and how email marketing can support those efforts. Whatever your primary objectives, thoughtfully produced content will be well-received during this busy time of year, so before hitting “send,” consider incorporating these 5 tips for success.
1. Go for a design upgrade
If it’s been more than six months since you’ve updated your email template it’s time for a change. Spruce things up by reworking the layout, adding banners to the sidebar and swapping out imagery or social media icons. Email marketing is extremely visual, especially in the fashion industry, so make sure that all imagery is updated on a regular basis and maintains a clear brand message.
2. Create a content calendar
Save your sanity during the holiday season by planning out email marketing campaigns in advance. Take the first step by creating a monthly content calendar to outline key initiatives for the holidays and strategically organize them by week. Content calendars should also provide high-level visibility of other communication outlets so that key messaging can be cohesive across all channels.
3. Get creative with subject lines
According to a recent consumer study by SalesForce.com,
64% of people say that they open emails based on the subject line alone, so make it count. You want the subject line to be attention-grabbing while also generating curiosity, so get creative in order to see those open rates soar. Benefit-oriented words like “sale” or “free delivery” have been shown to create higher than average open rates, because let’s face it, who doesn’t love free shipping when shopping a sale online?
4. Be concise
Emails should be scannable and easy to digest. Use imagery and strong copy to peak reader interest and then save space by strategically linking to your website or blog. This allows you to enhance emails by adding in relevant content without taking up excessive amounts of space. Dense emails are a “don’t”, it’s time to cut the clutter.
5. Test different looks
Just as it’s important to shake things up when it comes to your wardrobe each season, the same too can be said about your email marketing campaigns. Don’t be afraid to experiment and do something different every once in awhile. Maybe you share a video in the body of your email instead of the usual text, or perhaps you forgo the text all together and garner interest with a nothing but a bold, beautiful image instead.
Have fun with your campaigns, track the results and make adjustments accordingly.
