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The ultimate Christmas email marketing blueprint: Engage, convert, and retain from pre-Christmas to post-New Year
- Last Updated : December 18, 2024
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- 5 Min Read
Christmas is almost here, which means everyone is looking forward to the holidays, shopping, gift giving and receiving, and relaxing; but this season is also a busy period for some, like us email marketers. We're busy scheduling holiday email marketing campaigns and ensuring the campaigns run smoothly, perform well, and yield the desired sale numbers.
If you're an email marketer and are yet to create your Christmas campaigns, this blog will help you get started and answer all your common questions related to Christmas email marketing.
Why do I need a Christmas email marketing strategy?
You can use any of the many Christmas templates available online to send your Christmas campaigns, but you should have a Christmas email marketing strategy in place first. When you build your strategy, you're setting specific goals, streamlining your campaigns, and getting closer to achieving your targets. Having a Christmas email marketing strategy will help you achieve the following:
Structure your campaign more effectively
Capture holiday momentum
Increase sales
Engage better with customers
Improve brand loyalty
When should I start sending Christmas email promotions?
Did you know that over 60% of shoppers start Christmas shopping bright and early in October? Pre-Christmas excitement is legit (data says so) and if you play your cards right, you can change this excitement into sales.
If you missed out on starting your Christmas shopping promotions in October—well, there's still no better time than now. You're never too late, because one in three consumers is only ready to do some Christmas shopping when they're offered great deals.
How can I segment my email list for Christmas promotions?
You can segment your email list by geography, behavior, demography, stage of buying journey, and so on.
If you have a large mailing list, you can further customize segments into sub-segments based on more granular customer data.
Related read: Advanced email list segmentation strategies for highly effective campaigns
If you haven't yet segmented your email list, or are looking for some simple segmentation strategy, we recommend you split your contacts into three lists: loyal customers, new subscribers, and cart abandoners.
Simple Christmas email list segmentation | ||
List 1 - Loyal customers | List 2 - New subscribers | List 3 - Cart abandoners |
Loyal customers are those who purchase from you regularly. They know your brand and the products you sell. They may even have their shopping lists ready and waiting for your Christmas deals. Incentivize them by rewarding loyalty and providing early access to your sales to keep them coming back for more. | New subscribers are those who have recently hopped into your email list and might have bought an item or two, or may still be waiting to hear more from you before they decide to buy. Bundle your bestsellers into an irresistible package and use this to convert new subscribers into paying customers. | Anyone who adds items to their cart and leaves without purchasing is a candidate for the shopping cart abandonment email list. They may have left for a variety of reasons, including shipping fees, longer delivery timelines, and an overly complicated checkout process. Set up abandoned cart workflow emails to convert them into sales. |
Related read: How to recover abandoned carts in ecommerce
Three phases of Christmas email campaigns and Christmas email ideas
For the best results, we recommend executing your Christmas email campaign over three phases.
Phase 1: Pre-Christmas
Use the weeks leading up to Christmas to build anticipation and drive early sales. Emphasize benefits like gift bundles, free shipping, and loyalty points. Encourage your audience to add items to fill their shopping cart and gear up for the festive season.
To increase sales during this period, you can send emails like the following:
Gift recommendations for different ages and relationships
Early bird purchase rewards
Recommendations on the season's bestsellers
Huge discounts on larger cart amounts
Christmas-themed bundle deals
Phase 2: During Christmas
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day may not seem like the ideal times to purchase Christmas presents, but you may be forgetting one little fact: Christmas is also when many people receive cash and gift cards. So you might still have a chance to provide good deals to capture this audience.
Even if you aren't looking to make great sale numbers, it's always a good practice to send day-of emails to foster customer loyalty. Here are some emails you can send on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day:
Christmas greetings
Last-minute restock updates for the most in-demand products
Additional gift offerings to sweeten the deal
Phase 3: Post-Christmas and New Year
Don't stop your Christmas marketing emails after Christmas Day. Many customers continue purchasing even after Christmas and into the new year.
Build on the campaign you set up for Christmas promotions, and send emails that include the following:
Post-holiday gifts to thank customers for their continued support
Coupons to use on next purchase to build loyalty
Clearance sales with steep discounts
Ads for new arrivals for the new year
Year-in-review
How do I design a Christmas sale email that converts?
Here's a step-by-step guide to create Christmas sale emails that convert:
Write subject lines that pop: Create a sense of urgency and add a personal touch in your Christmas email subject lines.
Example: "Hurry up! Only six hours left on our Christmas sale, Emily!"Add appealing elements: Incorporate festive fonts and colors and eye-catching elements. Remember also to prioritize white space to promote readability.
Use a consistent design language: If you're planning on sending a series of emails, creating all of them around a common theme will increase brand recall for your customers.
Add unique touches: From the placement of your logo to your social links to the content itself, make sure to add elements to make the email unique to your business and avoid sounding like a generic email template.
Spread some Christmas cheer: Christmas is the time for spreading positivity, so if you have some good news or a heartwarming tale to share, find a place for it in your Christmas emails.
Provide compelling offers: Give special discounts, limited-time offers, free shipping, and other deals that will make your customers want to make their purchases immediately.
Use strong and prominent CTAs: Make sure your call-to-action button in your emails has action-oriented language like "Claim your gift" or "Buy now" and is in a highly visible location with a high color contrast. Avoid using multiple CTA buttons, as they may create confusion.
What is the best time to send Christmas email campaigns?
Single email: Schedule it for the weekend before, Christmas Eve, or Christmas Day.
Email series: Depending on the number of emails your campaign has, you can schedule them at regular intervals starting in October.
Closing thoughts on Christmas email marketing
By effectively segmenting your email lists, planning your campaigns ahead, and delivering personalized content, you can nurture leads, increase sales, improve customer loyalty, and have a successful Christmas sale season.
Leverage Zoho Campaigns' powerful email list segmentation, personalization, and workflow automation features for your email campaigns and drive success across all stages of your Christmas email campaign.
