How to Plan a Successful Holiday Email Campaign
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In order to get a one-up on your competitors before the end of 2010, start planning your holiday email marketing campaigns now. In this presentation, we provide best practices, strategies, and email marketing tips in order to help you alleviate holiday stress, create buzz, and drive the best results and highest ROI.
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How to Plan a Successful Holiday Email Campaign
- 1. Blue Sky Factory Driving Email Marketing Performance Eggnog, Elves, and Email: How to Plan a Successful Holiday Email Campaign Lindsay Clark & Joanna Lawson-Matthew Thursday, September 16, 2010 1:00 – 1:45 PM (EDT) Baltimore, Maryland
- 2. Getting Acquainted Feel free to submit questions via the GoToWebinar dashboard or #bsfwebinar on Twitter. Lindsay Clark Joanna Lawson-Matthew Senior Client Services Manager Senior Client Services Manager 2 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 3. About Blue Sky Factory Blue Sky Factory is both a full & self service ESP. Design, execute, and track your email marketing communications with Blue Sky Factory’s platform, Publicaster. Visit us at www.blueskyfactory.com. 3 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 4. Why start planning for the holidays now? 4 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 5. Why Start Now? Consumers are already starting their holiday shopping and research. Source: http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1007872 5 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 6. Competition is Heating Up! Email marketing volumes are expected to increase 15% to 20% for the upcoming 2010 holiday season, compared to the same time period in 2009.1 1 Experian Marketing Services’ annual 2010 Holiday Marketer: Benchmark and Trend Report. 2 Flickr Photo Credit: mx5tx 6 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 7. Our Agenda 1. Getting Started 2. What Worked in 2009 3. The Best Practices You Should Stick With 4. The Most Important Tip for 2010 Holiday Emailing 5. Q&A 7 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 8. I. Getting Started 8 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 9. Ask Yourself • What are your goals for this year’s holiday campaigns? • What will be the main call-to-action of your campaigns • Will you have a dedicated holiday email series or will you jazz up your current campaigns (think: auto-response campaigns and transactional emails) with holiday flair? • How will you measure success this year? 9 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 10. Review last year’s campaigns to evaluate what worked. 10 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 11. Review Last Year’s Campaigns Which campaigns generated the best response? Remember to look at all metrics: • Open • Click-through • Conversion • Forward • Unsubscribe • Complaint 11 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 12. Review Last Year’s Campaigns Did your complaint or opt-out rate start to spike mid-series? Identify the issues and plan for 2010 accordingly. 12 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 13. Review Last Year’s Campaigns What days of the week did you send on? Were weekdays or weekends more successful? 13 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 14. Come up with a schedule, a plan-of-action. 14 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 15. Develop a Schedule Plan frequency and number of campaigns: • How often are your subscribers used to receiving emails currently? • Do you want to increase that level or maintain the same schedule? • Will you come right out and announce your holiday series and deals or will you slowly tailor the emails more and more to the holidays? 15 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 16. Develop a Schedule Review your schedule with other departments to confirm there are no conflicts. You want to sprinkle timely and relevant emails in between now and the holidays, not bombard your subscribers. Flickr Photo Credit: emma.kate 16 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 17. Don’t Flood The Inbox 59% of US and UK Internet Users said the reason for not regularly opening/reading email marketing messages is that they come too frequently.1 1 e-Dialog "Manifesto for E-mail Marketers: Consumer Demand Relevance" (2010) 2 Flickr Photo Credit: Greg Hayter 17 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 18. For a full pre-holiday audit guide, check out our two- part blog post, “It’s Time for your Pre-Holiday Email Check-up”: Part One: http://blog.blueskyfactory.com/general/it%E2%80%99s-time-for- your-pre-holiday-email-check-up-part-1/ Part Two: http://blog.blueskyfactory.com/creativeanddesign/it%E2%80%99s- time-for-your-pre-holiday-email-check-up-part-2/ 18 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 19. II. What Worked in 2009 19 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 20. What Worked in 2009 Announcing early bird specials to encourage subscribers to shop early 20 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 21. What Worked in 2009 Creating urgency closer to the holiday • Only 10 more days until Christmas! • Guaranteed shipping by X date 21 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 22. What Worked in 2009 Giving your recipients “insider status”, special deals just for them 22 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 23. What Worked in 2009 Introducing a daily or weekly sale item just for subscribers 23 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 24. What Worked in 2009 Triggered emails for abandoned shopping carts 84% of recipients open an abandoned cart emails within 24 hours, and 99% of recipients open within a week. Experian (2010) 24 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 25. What Worked in 2009 Recommendations based on what was frequently viewed in recent sessions 25 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 26. What Worked in 2009 Showing recipients the closest store to them to encourage both online and offline purchases 26 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 27. What Worked in 2009 Promote “last minute” gift items 27 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 28. What Worked in 2009 Showcase gift ideas by budget, gender, age and interests 28 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 29. No Matter What the Core Offer…Include Free Shipping! Last holiday season, free shipping offers with no minimum spend requirement had 70% higher transaction rates, triple the revenue per email, and more than double the average order value compared to free shipping offers with minimum requirements. 1 1 Experian Marketing Services’ annual 2010 Holiday Marketer: Benchmark and Trend Report (2010) 2 Flickr Photo Credit: Robert S. Donovan 29 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 30. What Worked in 2009 Participate in National Free Shipping Day • Friday, December 17 • Delivery by Christmas Eve guaranteed • Last year, more than 750 merchants participated, and over 35,000 sales took place! • This year’s goal is 1,000 merchants with over 50,000 sales http://www.freeshippingday.com/ 30 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 31. What Worked in 2009 During the holiday season, be sure to spread the cheer. 31 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 32. Spread the Cheer Relevant holiday tips, how-to guides • Recipes • How to stay healthy this holiday • Guide to a stress-free holiday • Travel tips • Party planning 32 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 33. Spread the Cheer • Give a “family & friend” discount, reward for referring a friend • Prompt subscribers to submit their own holiday tips, recipes, money-saving ideas, best traditions • Send a video that will give your subscribers a good laugh http://blog.g1440.com/2009/12/happy-holidays-from-all-of-us-at-g-1440/ 33 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 34. Spread the Cheer Emails with a refer-a-friend link have been proven to drive 14% higher open rates, 20% higher clicks and 40% higher transaction rates than those without.1 1 Experian Marketing Services’ annual 2010 Holiday Marketer: Benchmark and Trend Report (2010) 34 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 35. Spread the Cheer Encourage sharing by providing Forward to a Friend links and Share With Your Network buttons http://www.blip.tv/file/3021827/ 35 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 36. Spread the Cheer Be interactive by showcasing a game, quiz, or survey 36 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 37. Spread the Cheer Give away something…for FREE! 37 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 38. Spread the Cheer Show your subscribers you appreciate them, and don’t just see them as a dollar sign 38 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 39. Spread the Cheer Add a little humor to your subscribers’ holiday season 39 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 40. Spread the Cheer Show subscribers the more charitable side of your company 40 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 41. What Worked in 2009 Your job is not over come New Year’s. Be there after the holidays. 41 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 42. Post-Holiday Emails Survey buyers about their purchases 42 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 43. Post-Holiday Emails Complement their holiday purchases with accessories Image source: Smith-Harmon, “Retail Email Guide to the Holiday Season” 2009 43 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 44. Post-Holiday Emails Encourage gift card redemption or purchases The promotion of gift cards in holiday email marketing messages more than tripled transaction rates for multichannel retailers last year. Experian Marketing Services’ annual 2010 Holiday Marketer: Benchmark and Trend Report Image source: Smith-Harmon, “Retail Email Guide to the Holiday Season” 2009 44 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 45. III. Best Practices to Stick With 45 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 46. Best Practices To Stick With The holiday season is not the time to try out new and fancy tricks. Instead stick with what works for you and follow these 15 general tips. 46 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 47. Best Practices to Stick With 1. Make sure only true opt-in subscribers are included in your email campaigns 2. Segment list based on click behavior 3. Remember the expectations regarding frequency you set up front with your subscribers 4. Consider setting up a separate opt-in just for the holidays and set up a holiday-only unsubscribe option 5. Check with your ESP to make sure your IP reputation is in good standing 47 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 48. Best Practices to Stick With 6. Find a balance between offer and value-added content 7. A/B split test: subject lines, call-to-action placement, offer used 8. Use this holiday to plan for next holiday 9. Subscribe to your competitors' emails to generate ideas for next year 10. Ensure your call-to-action is prominent (5 second test) 48 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 49. Best Practices to Stick With 11. Include a View in Browser link 12. Remember to include Share With Your Network links, and encourage social sharing 13. Ensure all images have alt tags 14. Take the time now to ensure your email renders well across all email clients 15. Build a strong subject line that reflects content of email and creates urgency 49 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 50. IV. Most Important Tip for 2010 Holiday Season 50 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 51. Mobile Version Your carefully crafted email is often being viewed by a potential buyer or key decision maker on a mobile device 51 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 52. Mobile Version Optimize each email for all mobile devices by featuring a link to a mobile version 52 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 53. Mobile Version 24% of online consumers (with or without Web-enabled phones) say they expect to be comparing prices, and 22% expect to be purchasing items from their mobile phones in the next 12 months. 1 Experian Marketing Services’ annual 2010 Holiday Marketer: Benchmark and Trend Report (2010) 2 Flickr Photo Credit: William Hook 53 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 54. Mobile Version Make sure all links in your email lead to landing pages which mobile devices can support (e.g.- no flash) 54 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 55. Time For Your Questions! 55 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 56. Thanks for Attending Whether you’re an email marketing beginner, a casual mailer or a battle- hardened ninja, THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO EMAIL provides proven strategies and tactics you can apply to your campaigns Download your free copy here: http://www.blueskyfactory.com/holiday2010/ 56 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010
- 57. Please Contact Us Please submit your questions now via the GoToWebinar dashboard Lindsay Clark Joanna Lawson-Matthew Senior Client Services Manager Senior Client Services Manager lclark@blueskyfactory.com joanna@blueskyfactory.com www.blueskyfactory.com Contact Blue Sky Factory: blog.blueskyfactory.com Twitter: @blueskyfactory 57 Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010