Top 5 Holiday Season Email Marketing Tips For 2011
The lazy days of summer are behind us and much of the country is looking forward in trepidation to another La Nina winter with all the weird weather that Pacific Ocean oscillation brings. The weather may be unforeseeable but the necessity for your ecommerce biz to capitalize on the 2011 holiday season in a down economy is clearly evident. Make the most of it with these top 5 holiday email marketing tips:
Target seasonal behaviors - Analyzing your list for your subscribers’ specific seasonal behavior can be one of the keys to your business having a very happy holiday. If you notice that there are a number of your subscribers which show considerable activity in November and December but then dove below the radar for the rest of the year, you have located your prime holiday-only shoppers.
There are some prospects who only buy on Black Friday, and others who are only interested in scooping up the deals in the post-Christmas sales. Targeting these strictly seasonal buyers with email newsletter content reminding them of the benefits of your business and allowing them a “sneak peek” into the goodies you have waiting for them this holiday season can build anticipation that results in conversions.
Understand past pricing preferences - Correlating your customers’ past purchasing behavior patterns as pertain to pricing can reveal a wealth of data which can make you wealthy. If a customer has exclusively purchased items offered at deep temporary discounts, you can safely conclude that you’re dealing with a bargain hunter who is likely to be thrilled to be offered a “special discount just for you.”
Purchasing preference based on past behaviors can also help you key in on what type of customer you’re dealing with. The customer who bought a pair of Manolo Blahniks last December is not likely to be interested in your $10 Chinese sandals this year, nor is the computer user who shelled out $400 for an Asus Rampage III Extreme RoG X58 motherboard last Black Friday likely to be interested in your cheapest $179 netbook… and vice versa.
Update shopping & product line wishlists - Asking your subscribers to update their shopping and product line preferences can really help you to zero in on what they want to place under the tree this holiday season. A year can bring innumerable changes to a family: They might have been celebrating last year’s holidays in their comfortable suburban home but are now clustered in a post-foreclosure motel room.
Even if they have not suffered a financial meltdown, they may have received a promotion, adopted a new hobby, had a baby, or sent a child to college. Many of your customers will gladly tell you what they’re in the market for, if you only ask them.
Allow frequency adjustments – Even though some of the most legitimate etailers violate their opt-in frequency assurances in the holiday season, it doesn’t make the practice ethical or even desirable. If a subscriber has signed up for a monthly newsletter it means just that: Monthly! They don’t necessarily want to see emails every other day in December just because you have lots of merchandise to move. You can motivate your customers to receive more frequent holiday emails by offering incentives which drive them to your Preference Center to make the change, but remember that it has to be their choice, not yours.
Offer mobile versions – If you haven’t embraced the mobile revolution yet, don’t let this holiday season still see you stuck in 1997 Mozilla mode. Many of your customers are checking their emails several times an hour, so you stand a great chance of redirecting their purchasing attention from a brick and mortar store to your online offerings this year.
Ensure that your mobile subscribers have access to the same functionality as your desktop and laptop customers and that your emails and landing pages present no barriers to their ordering process.
Leverage these five tips and enjoy Merry Marketing & A Happy New Profit!
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