Email Marketing Hints & Tips

Benefits of Email Marketing - 'Tis the Season - Eight Holiday Tips

by Michelle Keegan, Email Marketing Divaź

A recent DoubleClick.com survey reports that 66% of online shoppers plan to use email to purchase during the coming holiday season and BizRate.com estimates that a whopping $8 billion will be spent online between November 25th and December 25th.

Thanks to the immediacy of email marketing, there's still time to get your piece of the pie. Use email marketing to make the most of the spike in holiday traffic and spending, and create a positive impression of your company that will last long into next year.

Get started now with these eight holiday tips:

  1. Email Early
    Did you know that most of your peers and competitors are sending their holiday campaigns as you read this sentence? Capture the attention of shoppers by planning and sending your campaigns in advance of the holiday shopping rush. Think about which products you want to promote. If you have a website, is it ready for prime time? Do you have pictures and descriptions of your new holiday inventory? Now is the time to make a list, and check it twice.
  2. Email regularly
    Statistics show that it can take up to six contacts before a prospect makes a purchase decision, so one-off emails are simply less effective than regular communications.

    Take a lesson from leading catalogers like Pottery Barn, Victoria's Secret and L.L. Bean. They will send several different catalogs during the holiday season because they know that each one dramatically increases the likelihood of a sale.

    At a cost of pennies each, even marketers as miserly as Ebenezer Scrooge can afford to send more than one email to their customers and prospects. So, try a series of mailings. Using the same template with different featured products or services each time will establish consistency, emphasize your brand and save you time.

    *In terms of frequency, I suggest that you send promotional emails no more frequently than once per week. But every business is different, and you are the best judge of how often to email to your prospects and customers.
  3. Remember the Basics
    • A from line that includes your brand
    • An interesting subject line with a quantifiable benefit (e.g."20% off")
    • A clear call-to-action (e.g. "Buy now," "Click here to see more")
    • Links to appropriate pages of your website
    • A sense of urgency (e.g. "Act now and also receive," "Today only").
  4. Avoid spam-like tactics (in the from line, subject line and email copy)
    • ALL CAPITAL LETTERS
    • Excessive punctuation
    • Excessive use of "click here," $$, and other symbols
    • Misleading subject lines
    • The words fr^e, guarant^e, sp^m, cr^dit card, s^x, etc.
    *If these words are essential to your message, use a variation - fr*e or fr^e - as I did above, to avoid being incorrectly filtered.
  5. Get Personal
    Research shows that recipients are more likely to read an email message when the email is personalized, so address your recipients using their names whenever possible.
  6. Use HTML
    Take advantage of HTML's veritable cornucopia of fonts, colors and graphics to make an impression and show off your best products. HTML email has been proven to pull up to 30% higher response rates than plain text messages. And, HTML emails - unlike text - allow you to track opens and click throughs, so you will be gathering valuable data that can improve your later campaigns.
  7. Provide an Incentive
    Many shoppers are more likely to open messages with subject lines that offer an incentive. Doubleclick.com reports that a discount is often the most compelling factor leading to an immediate purchase after opening an email, so use value-added services like free shipping to 'spruce up' your offer. Other examples include: free gift-wrapping, coupons, overnight or express delivery, a flexible return policy, etc.
  8. Send an Email Holiday Greeting
    Sending your season's greetings via email, instead of postal mail, is considerably less expensive and a great time-saver. Your prospects and customers will welcome a promotion-free communication, and appreciate your thanks.

Your email marketing efforts can solidify existing relationships, initiate new ones and ensure that you maximize the opportunity to convert holiday gift buyers into repeat business. Here's to a great holiday season this year!

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