For companies, the Christmas season is one of the most important sales periods of the year. The coronavirus changed the world this year – some countries are still in lockdowns or have severe restrictions. Instead of strolling through Christmas markets and storming shops on Black Friday, many consumers will do their holiday shopping from home this year.
From the mall to the inbox
Not only where, but also how this year differs from previous years. In 2020, communication will shift even more from offline to online. That’s why it’s all the more important that brands stay in touch with their customers. According to the Selligent Marketing Cloud Consumer Survey, most customers prefer communication via email – although there are of course differences between generations.
Email campaigns: content is king
In the case of email campaigns, only exciting content can convince consumers – but what should we do if we fail to deliver our content to consumers? According to the Selligent Consumer Survey, 39 percent of customers cancel a newsletter. The reason: You generally receive too many emails. Especially during the holidays, people are bombarded with a huge amount of marketing mailings. This is not only annoying, it is also a technical danger: inboxes are blocked, mail providers can trigger spam alarms. However, deliverability can be positively influenced by two factors:
Don’t become a spammer
Sure: Black Friday, Cyber Monday, winter sale and Christmas specials tempt you to start several email campaigns at the end of the year. But marketing mailings shouldn’t be sent too often – otherwise the click on the spam button is inevitable. The Selligent Marketing Cloud survey found that most consumers tolerate one email a week or one or two emails a week. So it’s better to optimize and personalize the content of the mailings so that several campaigns can be presented clearly and attractively. You should also avoid making critical changes just before the holidays. Modifications should be carried out at least two months in advance. Check your domains and email infrastructure before the campaign to make sure that no malfunctions have crept in.
Get to know your customers
Mailings are aimed at people. They must be personal and contain relevant content or be in the current context. Links with attractive offers and clear calls to action offer added value for the customer and increase engagement. And what applies to infrastructure changes also applies to the layout: These should never be done directly before important sales periods, since in the worst case scenario the customer does not recognize the brand immediately and the mailings are not opened.
Write to inactive contacts at the end of the year? Sounds good, but not recommended. Only target active customers (responding within the last six months) to keep your incoming mail rate high. Do not use third-party lists.
–
