Holiday Email Marketing: Tips & Ideas

During the holiday season, eight in ten shoppers are influenced by online information before purchasing. So, no matter your business, email marketing is a promotional tool that will generate amazing results if done correctly. 

The power of email marketing increases brand awareness, grows your audience, and increases your earnings without additional costs. 

There are several times throughout the year when you can effectively use holiday email marketing campaigns. Key dates to target include Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Thanksgiving, Halloween, Valentine’s Day, Easter, and of course, the most wonderful time of the year—Christmas and New Year.

Today, we will highlight three email scenarios that can help maximize the holiday season, provide tips for crafting effective emails for this time, and present key stats and facts that will help optimize your email marketing campaign this holiday season. 

6 Tips for Holiday Email Marketing Campaign

Let's get started! Here's what you need to know and do for a successful holiday email campaign.

Tip #1

First of all, we recommend thinking about your campaign early, planning everything in advance, to be sure you are ready to launch it when the holiday season starts. 

Timing is everything in holiday marketing.

Tip #2

You need to consider that not all customers are the same, so your emails should be different too. Segment your audience based on past purchasing behavior, geographic locations, engagement level, etc. Personalized emails are more relevant, and can lead to higher conversion rates and stronger connections.

Customers love personalized emails.

Tip #3

Structure your email well. Two important elements are the subject line and a clear call to action.

Choose a compelling subject line, as it is the first thing the recipient will see. Make it short and engaging, personalized and seasonal. Use impactful words like “Exclusive” or “Limited Time”, add festive language such as “Holiday Offer”, and include the recipient's name or location. 

Each email should have a single, clear call to action (CTA) that tells the reader what to do next: Phrases like “Shop Now”, “Claim Your Discount” or “Browse Holiday Gifts” work well. 

Place the CTA button at the end of your email allowing readers to absorb the full context before taking action. Also, repeat it in different sections of the email such as headers, and end of sections, to encourage clicks where readers naturally pause.

A well-structured email is impactful. An impactful email grabs attention and motivates action.

Tip #4

The holiday mood is created by decorations in real life and festive visuals in email marketing

Visual elements help a lot to set the right atmosphere. You can use seasonal colors like red, green, and gold, along with festive icons such as snowflakes, stars, and gift boxes. Animated GIFs can also add a fun touch.  

However, be careful, not to overcrowd your design. A clean layout ensures your message isn’t lost among the visuals.

The right visuals amplify your message and ensure it is truly heard.

Tip #5

Make sure your email is visually appealing on mobile devices, as half of all emails are opened on them.  With this in mind, responsive design is essential. 

Check that fonts are legible on smaller screens, and buttons are large enough to tap easily.  Additionally, images should load quickly and don’t disrupt the user experience.

Mobile-friendly emails keep your message clear –  anywhere.

Tip #6

The last, but as important as all the above tips is to test and optimize everything to identify what works best for you. Experiment with different subject lines, email layouts, CTA placement, visual elements, and more. 

Use analytics to track open rates, click-through rates, and conversions and refine your approach based on data, ultimately improving the performance of your marketing efforts. 

Test and optimize your emails to find what works best for you.

This being said, let's move on with 3 email scenarios to help you maximize the holiday season.

3 Holiday Email Scenarios with Examples 

Several possible scenarios could be applied in a holiday email marketing campaign, such as limited-time offers, reward emails, customer appreciation emails, New Year’s plans, and more. We have chosen the top three scenarios from our perspective.

Exclusive Holiday Offer

Target audience: Loyal subscribers and top customers.

Key Elements: 

1. Combine exclusivity with time sensitivity - “Your Exclusive Holiday Offer”, “Just for you” “Hurry! Only 48 Hours”, “Ends Tonight!”
2. Offer unique perks - “Discounts available only to subscribers” “Special gift for our Top Customer”, and “Extra 25% Off for Our Best Clients”
3. Set clear CTAs with deadlines - “Order by December 20”, “Click now before the clock runs out”

Customer Appreciation Emails

Target Audience: Loyal customers who’ve been with you throughout the year
Key Elements:

1. Say “Thank You” - “Thank you for making this year unforgettable”, “We’re grateful for your trust and support”, “We couldn’t have done it without you”
2. Celebrate Achievements Together - “Your support helped us achieve”, “This year, with your support we made an impact in”
3. Share a ‘Holiday Gift’ - “As our thank-you, enjoy 48-hour early access to our holiday sale!”, “Use code THANKYOU20 for a 20% discount”
4. Add a personal touch - a video message from your team or CEO “Check out this video from our team to you”

New Year’s Plan Email 

Target Audience: Forward-thinkers and strategic planners

Key Elements:

1. Inspire Action and demonstrate utility - “2025 is your year! Let [Product Name] help you stay on track.”, “Start 2025 Strong [Product Name] for your best year!”
2. Focus on Benefits - “Achieve goals”, “Boost productivity”, “Stay motivated”, “Connect with” 
3. Exclusive New Year’s Offer - “Start now with 20% off—offer ends January 15th!”

These scenarios can act as benchmarks for your email marketing campaign. Of course, you can customize any email, and add your personal touch to fully represent your brand, company, or product.

And now let's take a look at some important statistics and facts aimed at helping you optimize and evaluate your email marketing.

Email Marketing: Stats and Facts

• There are 4 billion people who use email daily.

• This number is expected to grow to 4.6 billion by 2025.

• Email brings in 20% of visits to online holiday sites.

• A good open rate is around 17-28%. 

• A good click-through rate varies between 2-5%, depending on your niche. 

• A few unsubscribes are normal, but be mindful of any spikes. 

• The best days for marketing emails are midweek; Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are particularly effective. 

• Sending emails between 8 and 9 a.m. often results in higher open rates. Late afternoon (around 4-5 p.m.) can also be effective for follow-ups.

• The most popular tool for email marketing is Mailchimp.

Conclusion

Email marketing is your secret weapon this holiday season! 

Plan ahead, personalize your messages, and create engaging, mobile-friendly emails to stand out. Use these tips and scenarios as inspiration, add your own unique touch, and watch your campaigns spread holiday cheer while you get results.

Make this season your best one yet! Happy Holidays!