Getting Your Emails Ready for the Holidays

It’s that time of year again. And for lots of small businesses, that means making sure your emails stand out in a crowded inbox. Whether you’re running a special promotion, or just want to send a little holiday cheer, don’t miss this lucrative opportunity to connect with your subscribers.

Here’s our checklist to make sure your next email campaign is holiday ready:

1. Check Your List… And Check It Twice

Let’s face it: It’s probably been awhile since the last time you’ve done some list cleanup. Before you start sending, take the time to remove subscribers who haven’t engaged with or opened your emails in a while. This will ensure that your emails make it to those who really want to read them. Your open rate will thank you.

2. Incentivize

Offering email subscribers a special gift or promo code is a great way to engage them during the holiday season. Your gift doesn’t have to have a cash value, either. Why not gift them your latest ebook or video course? Learn more about creating incentives people love.

3. Mobile Friendly

Let’s face it: who has time to spend on an email that doesn’t play well with mobile? And most marketers agree: 80% will delete said email and nearly 30% will unsubscribe completely (Litmus).

4. Use Integrations

The holiday season means your life is about to get even busier. Take advantage of integrations that help with list-building, audience targeting and more. Visit our App Showcase for a full-list of time-saving integrations.

5. Schedule Your Content

Identify key dates for your business. Are you running a promotion on Black Friday? Make note. Keeping an editorial calendar will help you identify the best opportunities to run your campaigns – and helps eliminate the guessing game of when to send your next email.

6. Optimize Your Subject Line

The inbox during the holidays is like a shopping mall during the Black Friday rush: Every email for itself. To ensure that yours don’t go unopened, craft a subject line that really gets subscribers to take notice. (Bonus points for best use of emojis.)

7. Test Your Campaigns

It’s never too early to think about next year. Run an A/B test to measure the success of a particular email campaign. The one that gets the most engagement and click-thrus is a good strategy to keep in mind for Holiday 2016. Here’s how to run quick and easy tests to optimize your marketing.

8. Have a Post-Holiday Plan

Don’t miss the opportunity to keep engaging holiday subscribers once the season winds down. Keep this in mind when you’re planning your editorial calendar. A regular email cadence will keep your business top-of-mind.

How are you getting your emails ready for the holiday season?

Make sure your emails land on the nice list this season. And be sure to share with us how you’re prepping your business for the months ahead in the comments!

The post Getting Your Emails Ready for the Holidays appeared first on Email Marketing Tips.

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