It is no secret that the holidays inspire a spike in email marketing efforts, and the 2009 holiday season is no exception. This year’s email volumes are predicted to increase and even earlier in the season than previous years. Even though most of the messaging comes from retail stores offering the “best deals around,” there is something to be learned from the behavior of email recipients during this time of year.
The Experian Marketing Services posted The 2009 holiday marketer: Benchmark and trend report that includes a review of the email marketing industry’s holiday performance. It also includes a plethora of tips to help us stay ahead of the emailing frenzy that occurs in our inboxes each year. So, what will prevent your company’s emails from getting lost in this year’s messaging madness? Let’s explore.
‘Tis the Holiday Hints:
Don’t hold back. “Don’t be afraid to increase email frequency and deliver relevant messages a few times a week. Customers expect to hear from you more during the holiday season.”
Keep messaging familiar. “Use your company name or email address in the “from” label and be consistent, so your customers know what to expect. Don’t repeat the “from” label in the subject line — space is too valuable.”
Keep subject lines short and sweet. “According to the Q2 2009 Experian CheetahMail Benchmark report, all industries with the exception of consumer products and services experienced the highest open rates when using subject lines of 25 characters or less last year. Longer subject lines of 75 characters or more had the second strongest performance for all businesses except those in the retail, travel and entertainment industries.”
Send a survey. “On average, surveys and polls produce a 30 percent lift in open, click and transaction rates. Link your emails to surveys this season —they are powerful tools for fostering better relationships with your customers and gaining deeper insight into their demographics, opinions, and service and product-satisfaction rates.”
In summary, your email recipients are comfortable with their inboxes looking like the mall on Black Friday. So, keep your messaging active and take advantage of the extra attention people pay to their emails during the holiday season. Merry email marketing!
