Advertisement
 
 

3 Ways to Make Your E-mail Campaigns Holiday Ready

September 5, 2008

The Direct Marketing Association's Email Experience Council recently released an e-mail guide to the upcoming, all-important holiday season. The EEC tracked more than 3,300 e-mails from more than 100 major online retailers during last years' fourth quarter, and released daily reports on strategies, tactics and trends via its Retail Email Blog.

The report, entitled "The Retail Email Guide to the Holiday Season," is based on that monitoring, and is designed to help retailers and other business-to-consumer companies better formulate their campaigns this year.

The following are some holiday e-mail tips from the report, which is available in the EEC's Whitepaper Room.

1. Start Christmas campaigns early. Ignoring the "Christmas in July" campaigns, last year's holiday e-mail season truly got started in mid-August, according to the report. The report also points out that e-mail campaigns didn't really get rolling along until the latter half of October with Halloween approaching. "On average, retailers began their holiday campaigns 58 days before Christmas -- on Oct. 28," the report states.

2. Send more e-mail. With consumers in a buying mood and actively looking for ideas, major online retailers ratchet up their e-mail volume significantly during the holiday season. In 2007, for instance, the most popular e-mail days came in the weeks before Christmas, including Cyber Monday and three of the four "Echo Mondays" -- the Mondays that follow Cyber Monday.

As for the types of e-mails to send, the report suggests sending those that remind consumers to take advantage of online or in-store deals, or that offer exclusive e-mail-only deals. The report also warned that dramatic frequency increases can cause list churn, increased spam complaints and higher ignore rates. As a result, marketers should be cognizant of these potential drawbacks to frequency increases and try to avoid squandering significant lifetime value in exchange for a short-term boost in sales, the report advises.

3. Stand out more. As they did last year, retailers will attempt to stand out with big deals and helpful advice and suggestions in their e-mail campaigns this season, the report predicts. They'll also add compelling subject lines and eye-catching graphics to their e-mail messages.

The report also suggests introducing a holiday-themed header or navigation bar this year, as well as using animated GIFs. Using animation in e-mail campaigns allows retailers to stand out among all the static e-mails and grab consumers' attention.


 

Companies Mentioned:

SPONSORED CONTENT

MORE ON EMAIL MARKETING >>

FROM THE BOOKSTORE

<i>Powered by the Email Campaign Archive, www.emailcampaignarchive.com </i> According to “The Power of Direct,” a late 2009 study from the Direct Marketing Association, email marketing returned an unbeatable ROI of $43.62 for every dollar spent on it in 2009. Thanks to this tremendous success, email marketing is on the rise … and increased volume means that marketers are faced with more and more competition resulting in overcrowded inboxes and frustrated, overwhelmed prospects. The challenge: How to break through the clutter and get your message opened and read within 3 seconds, for that’s how long your prospects allow before they hit the delete button. <b>“All About Email Creative” is here to help.</b> Through detailed analysis of hundreds of thousands of emails residing in the Email Campaign Archive (www.emailcampaignarchive.com), best-practice advice from industry experts, case studies and more, this groundbreaking report will give you the tools you need for success. Here are just a few of the take-aways that you will learn: • Month with the Highest Volume of Email • Day of the Week with the Highest Volume of Email • Time of Day with the Highest email Distribution • Top 20 Most Popular Words and Symbols in Subject Lines • Word with Highest Increase of Subject Line in Repeat Email • Top 10 Categories with Most Email Volume • Word Count Trends … What Could It Mean? • The One Single Tactical Move to Improve Email Response • Maximum Number of Characters in the Subject Line • How to Test Subject Lines • How to Avoid Junk Filters – the Trigger Words That Get You Trashed • Why you Should Pay More Attention to the “From” Line • Once Opened, What Should the Reader See Next? • 10 Steps to Getting Your Message Just Right • 5 Ways to Optimize the Email Preview Pane • How to Deal with Blocked Images • Web-Friendly Fonts and Font Sizes – What Are They? • The Top Reason People Unsubscribe from Marketing Messages • To Use Free or Not to Use Free … That Is the Question • 16 Most Effective Strategies for Email Branding • The Difference Between B-to-B and B-to-C Email Marketing • HTML or Text. Which Should You Use? • The list goes on … and on Filled with countless examples, more than 20 charts, several case studies, and privileged knowledge from top email marketers, “All About Email Creative” is must-reading for any marketer involved in email and cross-media campaigns. <b><u>100% Money-Back Guarantee</b></u> Your order is risk-free. If you are not completely delighted with “All About Email Creative,” notify us within 30 days for a complete credit or refund, no questions asked. <u>About DirectMarketingIQ</u> The Research Division of the Target Marketing Group, DirectMarketingIQ (www.directmarketingiq.com) is the go-to resource for direct marketers. Publishing books, special reports, case study stockpiles and how-to guides, it opens up a new world for those who seek more information, more ideas and more success stories in order to boost their own marketing efforts. DirectMarketingIQ has unparalleled access to direct marketing data - including the world's most complete library of direct mail as well as a growing library of promotional emails across hundreds of categories - and proudly produces content from the most experienced editors and practitioners in the industry. All About Email Creative

Powered by the Email Campaign Archive, www.emailcampaignarchive.com According to “The Power of Direct,” a late 2009 study from the Direct Marketing Association, email marketing returned an unbeatable ROI of $43.62 for every dollar spent on it in 2009. Thanks to this tremendous success, email marketing is on the rise …...

ORDER NOW

<i>“You’ve heard of the Seven Deadly Sins … now let Denny Hatch introduce you to the Seven Key Copy Drivers That Make People Act! Successful advertising appeals to the wants and needs of our “hungry hearts” – and he reveals (in juicy language) the reasons why a product or service will uniquely meet those needs. Denny’s book provides not just the how-tos, but also the proven-winner examples. It’s a creative marketer’s treasure trove!”</I> - Susan K. Jones, professor of marketing at Ferris State University and direct marketing consultant and copywriter, Susan K. Jones & Associates Twenty-five years ago, Denny Hatch pioneered the study of direct response copy. He started collecting direct mail packages and tracked those that came in over and over again. Today, the Who’s Mailing What! Archive (www.whosmailingwhat.com) contains pure marketing gold—nearly 1,000 Grand Control mailings in more than 200 categories that were received continuously over three or more consecutive years. What do these hugely profitable mailings have in common? They rely on the seven key copy drivers: <center><b>Fear – Greed – Guilt – Anger Exclusivity – Salvation – Flattery</b></center> These are the emotional hot buttons that make people respond—order goods and services, donate money to charities and send for more information. <i>“Only Denny Hatch could put together a book like this. “The Secrets of Emotional Hot-Button COPYWRITING” delivers a double-whammy. It’s loaded with creative rules that not only make sense but, as Denny presents them, are easy to implement. And it’s chock-full of examples, some of which most of us have heard about but have never been able to see. Thanks, Denny. We owe you.”</i> <right>—Herschell Gordon Lewis, copywriter of several long-standing control mailings (such as Omaha Steaks and Red Cooper) and author of “On the Art of Writing Copy” and“Internet Marketing Tips, Tricks, and Tactics”</right> Filled with over 50 examples and 120 illustrations, “The Secrets of Emotional, Hot-Button COPYWRITING” is must-reading for any marketer involved in: • Direct mail • Email • Catalogs • Subscription Marketing • Fund raising • B-to-B • Financial Services • Continuity Series • Book Publishing • Insurance • And more! <b><u>100% Money-Back Guarantee</b></u> Your order is risk-free. If you are not completely delighted with “The Secrets of Emotional, Hot-Button COPYWRITING,” simply return it within 30 days for a complete credit or refund, no questions asked. <b><u>About Denny Hatch</b></u> Since 1976, Denny Hatch has been a consultant, copywriter and designer in the field of direct marketing. In 1984, with his wife Peggy, he launched the newsletter, Who’s Mailing What!, which was based on a library of over 200,000 direct mail samples. In 1992, his company was acquired by North American Publishing Co., in Philadelphia, where he is a regular columnist for <i>Target Marketing</i> magazine and editor of the e-newsletter, Denny Hatch’s Business Common Sense, published by the Target Marketing Group. He is the author of: <u>Business Books</u> Million Dollar Mailings • Method Marketing • 2,239 Tested Secrets for Direct Marketing Success • priceline.com – A Layman’s Guide to Manipulating the Media <u>Novels</u> Cedarhurst Alley • The Fingered City • The Stork <u>Memoir</u> Jack Corbett, Mariner The Secrets of Emotional, Hot-Button COPYWRITING

“You’ve heard of the Seven Deadly Sins … now let Denny Hatch introduce you to the Seven Key Copy Drivers That Make People Act! Successful advertising appeals to the wants and needs of our “hungry hearts” – and he reveals (in juicy language) the reasons why a product or...

ORDER NOW

 

COMMENTS

Most Recent Comments: