Don’t Make These 6 Mistakes with Your Email Marketing this Holiday Season

Holiday email marketing sounds easy enough, right? You send frequent—but not too frequent—emails and write inclusive holiday campaigns. You offer some can’t-miss-them deals. 

If only it were that easy! Your customers’ inboxes are filling up this time of year, so to keep your email list merry, bright, and subscribed, here are six top holiday email marketing mistakes.

Going Off-Brand for the Sake of Holiday Banter

We love a holiday pun and can’t get enough of well-crafted yuletide banter (just wait, you’ll see). And, yet, we don’t have to show off all of our clever holiday quips in one email campaign––and we certainly don’t want to go off-brand for the sake of joyful cheer.

If you can make it work, wonderful. But, if jingling all the way doesn’t quite align with your buttoned-up brand, don’t force it. If an animated string of lights seems a little too playful, let the idea go. Keep it festive, but keep it on brand.

Missing the Boat Sled on Major Shopping Events

You may be thinking, “Everyone is sending out a sale email on Cyber Monday! I’m just going to get lost in the crowd, so why bother?” We totally get where you’re coming from. However, if your audience has been waiting for months to make major purchases on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, you don’t want to miss out because you didn’t pop up in their inbox. 

Plus, there may be customers who’ve been holding out to shop your Cyber Monday sale––and they could skip shopping altogether if that promo email never shows up.

Not Taking Advantage of Cross-Channel Promotion

The holidays are all about hanging out with your friends and family––and that’s no different for email! A lone holiday email campaign isn’t having a merry season, it needs its friends and family to come along for the (sleigh) ride. 

From your social media presence to your homepage, you want to create a cohesive strategy across all channels. A customer sees your ad on Facebook, they like your photo on their Instagram feed, and finally, that email in their inbox is the tipping point that reminds them, “Oh yeah, I wanted to pick up a fun coffee mug for my sister.” 

Additionally, if your email is broadcasting seasonal deals, you want your audience to see those same deals front and center on your website and Artist Shop homepage. Their experience across channels should be platform-appropriate, yet seamless at the same time.

Not Utilizing Remarketing Ads

The holidays can get busy. Your customer is shopping your website one minute and dashing out the door to their office party the next. 

This is where Facebook remarketing ads can make a big impact. When they’re scrolling through their feed later that evening looking for tagged photos on social, you have the opportunity to put your brand back on their radar and remind them they only have a few days left to place that order for holiday delivery. 

Make it punchy, make it catchy, and watch those potential customers come back and convert.

Ignoring the Impact of Your Best Customers

No matter the time of year, your best customers are those who have already shopped with you. Give the most loyal names in your audience a bonus incentive to say thank you––and don’t underestimate how many times they may shop with you throughout the season. Once they’ve placed one order, don’t assume they won’t place another with your next email offer.

Similarly, this is a great season to sell your email list on non-members. Offer holiday perks and rewards for joining your email list –– if they’re already planning to shop with you, free shipping or a 10% discount is an added bonus. Make the process super streamlined and worth the minimal effort. 

Forgetting to Have Fun!

Through all of these don’ts, perhaps the most important thing is don’t forget to have fun! The holidays are a happy time. People are looking at every opportunity to make the season more cheerful and connect with others eager to join in the holiday spirit. Use this as your chance to show your personality, bond over holiday memories, and give your customers a glimpse at the person behind the brand. Get creative, get festive, and have fun with it. 


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