5 Tips to Boost Your Email Marketing Results This Holiday Season
Retailers are focusing on giving shoppers what they want in an effort to turn browsers into buyers and ensure their brand stays top of mind this holiday season. More than 32 percent of consumers will shop online this holiday season, according to a study from the National Retail Federation. This reality makes email a perfect channel for delivering holiday messages. Here are five tactics to ensure your brand is at the top of consumers’ lists this holiday season:
1. Use offline sources to grow opt-in subscribers. Offline point-of-sale and in-store tactics can get holiday shoppers to opt into an email program just like online sources can. Today’s technology offers many options, including adding QR codes to print materials that link to a simple online registration page; offering email receipts to store customers and including an opt-in field in the message; using tablets or kiosks in-store to allow shoppers to add their name and email address to a company database; and using check-in sweepstakes to increase store visits and gain subscribers. Include a mobile version of your email registration page. A streamlined and mobile-friendly page will increase opt-ins from smartphone users.
2. Leverage Facebook to grow your email database. While many social networks provide some visibility to promote an email program, Facebook currently offers the richest experience. Retailers are able to collect opt-in subscribers, engage more deeply with customers and promote email content. Create an “Email” tab on your company page and explain your program's value proposition — i.e., what subscribers will get. Show examples of past emails and even post email content on your Facebook page.
3. Include shipping options and deadlines. Making sure that gifts arrive on time and at the right cost is key to the holiday online shopping experience. Include a simple table in all holiday emails containing shipping options, deadlines and geographic availabilities to help shoppers know exactly which shipping option best fits their budget and arrival date needs. Updating the chart throughout the holiday season will motivate recipients to make their purchases before the more expensive shipping options are the only ones left.
4. Send multipart cart recovery campaigns. Some online shoppers may create wish lists by placing items in a cart or they may just want to see how much a total purchase would be. Cart recovery emails are a great way to capture this potentially lost revenue. To maximize their effectiveness, don’t wait too long. Research conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that most leads start to go cold within an hour.
Try sending the first recovery email within 24 hours of cart abandonment. A multipart campaign often yields better results. For example, send the first email an hour after abandonment, a second email one day after abandonment and a third email with enticing incentives four days to seven days later. Use a human and service-oriented tone to ask if the shopper had problems at checkout or offer to complete their transaction in other channels if necessary.
5. Follow up purchases with automated messages to upsell, cross-sell or enhance the customer experience. Most retailers already send a branded transactional receipt immediately after purchase. This holiday season, use post-purchase messages to keep the holiday spirit going strong. Send messages with upsell and cross-sell recommendations based on previous buying behavior. Doing so can increase your revenue and provide extra gift ideas for holiday shoppers.
Most marketers make an effort to take advantage of the holiday buying season but not all set themselves apart with a compelling and differentiated email marketing program. These five tips will help to maximize revenue and add a few twists to your traditional holiday marketing efforts.
Loren McDonald is vice president of industry relations at Silverpop, an Atlanta-based provider of engagement marketing tools. Loren can be reached at lmcdonald@silverpop.com.
