The summer’s half gone, and time’s a wastin’! If you think it’s too early to be planning your holiday email marketing campaigns, you couldn’t be more wrong.

Consider when people start shopping for the holidays:

12 percent of people will be shopping before the end of August.
24 percent will be shopping before the end of September.
Over 50% will be shopping by Halloween.

So, shake the sand out of your shoes, start thinking like Santa, and let’s get going!

Why Start Now? And Why Email?

If you are selling to consumers, the holiday season is probably critical to your yearly profits. This isn’t an instance where you should fly by the seat of your pants.

After all, last year US holiday sales reached a record high of $964.4 billion. This year’s sales could surpass that, so it’s only right you get your piece of the pie. And email marketing is an effective way to do that with a great ROI of $42 for every $1 spent.

Starting early will position you to

Stand out from your competition: Everybody and their brother is going to be marketing heavily to consumers over the holidays. Starting early helps you stand out and capture your audience’s attention before the market becomes oversaturated.
 Plan smarter: Early planning gives you the time you need to strategize, create high-quality content and segment your audience effectively.
Build anticipation: Launching your holiday campaigns early can help build anticipation and excitement among your customers. This will pay off in higher engagement and higher conversion rates.
 Generate more sales and profits: When you start early you have time to build momentum that results in increasing your average order value and grabbing sales you would have missed had you waited.

Tips for Early Holiday Email Marketing Campaigns

1. Develop a Detailed Timeline

Start Planning Early: Begin your holiday campaign planning at least three to four months in advance. Yes, that means now! This will give you sufficient time to brainstorm ideas, create content, refine your strategy and test what works – and what doesn’t.

Create a Calendar: Outline all your key dates and milestones in a campaign calendar. Include important holidays like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve. And don’t forget Small Business Saturday! Plan your email sends around these dates to maximize relevance and impact. 

2. Use Data Insights to Segment Your Audience

Leverage customer data to segment your audience based on past behavior, purchase history and demographics. This allows you to tailor your messages and offers to different customer groups. Our blog very recently covered how data analytics is the foundation of digital marketing.

Segmented personalized automated email messages average 46% higher open rates than the usual marketing messages.

3. Personalize

Personalize your email not just by sending information in which your customer has already shown interest, but also by addressing them by name. Personalized email enjoys 6x higher transactional rates.

4. Write Compelling Subject Lines

Your email needs to stand out during a season when your customers’ inboxes will be flooded. Your subject line is critical to motivate people to open your email.

Short and Sweet: Keep the subject lines for your holiday email marketing campaigns concise and to the point. Aim for 50 characters or less to ensure they display well on all devices.

Create Urgency: Use phrases like “Limited Time Offer” or “Don’t Miss Out” to create a sense of urgency.

Personalize: Including the recipient’s name in the subject line can increase open rates. For example, “Emma, your early holiday discount awaits!”

5. Pay Attention to Visuals

Festive Themes: Use holiday-themed colors, images and graphics to make your emails visually appealing. Incorporate elements like snowflakes, Christmas trees, or festive ribbons to capture the holiday spirit. Remember, people look forward to the holidays!

Mobile Optimization: Ensure your emails are mobile-responsive. 81% of people prefer to open their email on their mobile devices!

Clear CTA: Include a clear and compelling call-to-action (CTA) in your emails. Use phrases like “Shop Now” or “Get Your Discount.”

Sample Ideas for Your Holiday Email Marketing Campaigns

Pre-holiday teasers: Start building anticipation with pre-holiday teaser emails. Share sneak peeks of upcoming products, special offers or holiday-themed content to get your audience excited.

Early bird discounts: Offer exclusive early bird discounts to your VIPs to encourage early purchases. This can help you to make sales before the holiday rush and build customer loyalty.

Gift guides: Offer gift guides or suggestions to help your customers choose the perfect holiday gifts. Segment these guides by categories such as “Gifts for Her,” “Gifts for Him” and “Gifts for Kids.” Link to your gift guides not just in email but also in your other marketing such as social media and on your website.

Exclusive offers: Provide exclusive discounts or promotions for your email subscribers. Free shipping or special holiday bundles can incentivize purchases. Be sure to tell your audience when the promotion ends.

Holiday countdown or Advent calendar: Send a series of countdown emails leading up to the holidays. Each email can feature a different product, promotion, or holiday tip, keeping your audience engaged and anticipating your next message.

You could also style this as an Advent calendar. A lot of people love Advent calendars, so consider doing your own spin. Every day, email your faithful base some kind of a reward such as a discount code, a two for one offer, an ebook that may be downloaded or anything else you may brainstorm your audience would love. Normally, emailing every day would be overkill, so you will want to be sure to frame this as a daily Advent Calendar gift if you decide to go this route.

Helpful holiday tips: Share useful holiday-related content such as decorating tips, recipes or event planning ideas that may be related to your products and services. This not only engages your audience but also positions your brand as a helpful resource.

Hold Contests: Email your customers about a fun contest, and link to the information on your website or social media. This could be just about anything such as encouraging people to post themselves using your product while wearing an ugly Christmas sweater, and designating a hashtag specific to your Ugliest Christmas Sweater contest.

Post-holiday email: Just because the holidays are over, doesn’t mean you as a marketer are finished. Many people love post-holiday sales shopping. Email your segments about great deals on your products and services they will love.

Ready to Plan Your Holiday Email Marketing Campaigns?

We know you’re busy running your company, and you may be looking forward to a hard-won vacation since it’s now the middle of summer. The good news is that INLocal Marketing Experts can help you plan for your holiday email marketing (and all your other marketing) now so you don’t lose out. Contact INLocal Marketing through the INLocal Marketing website or call us at (646)440-1426.