It may be hard to believe, but the holiday season is right around the corner. So, if you haven’t already started getting your holiday marketing plans going, you need to ramp up now.
Don’t believe us? In their Marketing Study, Hubspot found that 47% of marketers created a holiday campaign before Halloween in 2014.
When you use this time to connect with your potential customers, it can be a huge boon for your business, and your bottom line, so you absolutely don’t want to miss out.
The good news is you don’t have to be an online retailer to benefit from holiday marketing, any brand can put some smart marketing tactics into play and see the results.
We thought we’d help you out by giving you some marketing ideas to connect with your customers and grow your brand during this upcoming holiday season.
Preview Your Sales
One of the best ways to whet the appetite of your potential customers is to let them know what is coming up. It helps increase curiosity (we love that), by keeping interest in what is coming up in the future. Which, in turn, keeps your email sitting in the inbox.
Hit the Right Dates
We all know about Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the big dates that kick off the holiday shopping season. But, be 100%, no actually 1000% sure that you are scheduling your emails to go out at the right times, and that they tie into the specific dates you want to hit.
Embrace Mobile
If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a million times. In 2015 you need to optimize your emails for mobile devices. Emarketer found that over 100 million consumers will make purchases via their mobile devices during the holiday season with a 37% growth between 2013 and 2014.
Free Shipping
While you may not love the idea of free shipping, it’s something your customers will absolutely love and take notice of. It’s doing small steps like this that can not only set you apart from some of your competitors, but you can build real value with your potential customers.
Get Creative
Know that every person on your email list is going to be under a constant barrage of emails during the next few months. So use creativity to stand out from the crowd. Don’t send the same emails everyone is doing, embrace fun and you’ll get more customers.
Take Care of Details
What sets apart a successful holiday campaign from one that falls flat? The details. It can be an incredibly stressful and hectic time of year for both you and your customers. Fix that by keeping them in the loop, let them know when back-orders are in, and when items have shipped.
Reengage Unopened Emails
One of the best ways to grab a few more sales from customers without much effort is to re-send emails to customers who didn’t open them the first time. More often than not, it’s simply because people were too busy to open the first time around. This is especially true during the holiday season, when inboxes are flooded.
Include Coupons
A study on coupons in email run by Experian Marketing Services found that there is a noticeable difference in click rates when coupons are offered in emails. The perfect time to offer coupons? Right now, in preparation for the holiday season when customers are ready to buy.
Reward Loyal Customers
One thing companies focus a lot on is getting new customers, but what about their current customers? It’s far cheaper to get customers to buy again than getting new customers to buy for the first time. In fact, according to Marketing Metrics, “a repeat customer has a 60-70% chance of converting.”
Now, are you ready to get your holiday marketing on track?
Use some of these holiday marketing ideas and start planning today for how you are going to surprise, treat, and delight your customers over the upcoming holiday season.
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