A Christmas Marketing Story: The 12 Chapters of a … · · 2017-10-23A Christmas Marketing...

A Christmas Marketing Story: The 12 Chapters of a Successful Season

1C

1 | www.iContact.com

Did You Know?

According to the Direct Marketing Association’s The Power of Direct

Marketing, email delivers the highest return on investment across

marketing mediums by a whopping £43.62 for every pound spent.

Resource #1Jenni Williams, “Top 10 Steps for Creating a

Holiday Marketing Campaign That Shines,” The

Official Email Blog of iContact, 9 September 2011.}}

What’s the most wonderful time of the year? Now! The Christmas trading period is

rife with opportunities for your small business to grow its lists, attract new customers,

and increase sales. And if you start your Christmas marketing now, you will be able

to take full advantage of all the festive season has in store for you.

Learn everything you need to know about successful Christmas marketing in our 12 chapters, complete

with ideas, advice, and insider tips.

CHAPTER 1: CREATE A PLAN

As with any marketing campaign, you will want to create a plan before you get off and running. In coming up with

a plan, you’ll need to ask yourself some key questions about what you want to accomplish this Christmas and create

goals for your campaign. Once you have your overall goals, you will need to establish a budget. Knowing your budget

and goals will help you create a plan that works for your business.

In creating your plan, you’ll want to

think about how email and social media

marketing fit into your overall marketing mix.

Your messages and offers should be fairly

consistent across your marketing channels,

whether online, print, etc. Consider your

goals and how each channel will help you

achieve those goals. Some channels perform better than others for different goals and audiences. One key advantage

of online channels versus print, aside from lower cost, is flexibility. With an email campaign, you can generally make

minor tweaks to an offer up until the time you send the email to your list. Additionally, your email list is made up of

customers who have asked you to send them marketing offers by signing up for your communications.

While having a plan is definitely important to a successful Christmas campaign, having flexibility in that plan can be the

difference between a campaign that flops and one that soars. Markets, competitors, and circumstances can all change.

What seemed like a great offer or what worked well in the past may not work this year. If you build in flexibility, you’ll be able

to adjust your campaign early and salvage your Christmas sales.

For a more detailed list of tips for planning your Christmas campaign,

check out our blog post “Top 10 Steps for Creating a Holiday Marketing

Campaign That Shines.”1

www.icontact.com

http://blog.icontact.com/blog/top-10-steps-for-creating-a-holiday-marketing-campaign-that-shines/

http://blog.icontact.com/blog/top-10-steps-for-creating-a-holiday-marketing-campaign-that-shines/

A Holiday Marketing Story: The 12 Chapters of a Successful Season


2CHAPTER 2: BUILD A SCHEDULE

A key component to any Christmas campaign is

creating a workable schedule around key holidays and

marketing dates. Take note of the dates below for the

2011 holiday season, and build your plan around the

activities you would like to do for each date. Then,

work backwards from those dates to ensure you can

complete everything in time to reach customers on the

right days.

Planning, September to early October

Halloween, 31 October – Although pumpkin lanterns and kids in fancy dress costumes are not normally

associated with the Christmas period, Halloween is a great time to kick off your Christmas campaigns.

Black Friday, 25 November – Black Friday marks the traditional start of the Christmas shopping

season and is the single biggest shopping day in the United States (a trend that is quickly catching on

in the United Kingdom). Black Friday campaigns often begin as early as the Friday before Thanksgiving,

and some companies, particularly in the B2B space, begin their big sales as early as mid-November

to get an edge over their competition.

Cyber Monday, 28 November – People are back at work after the Thanksgiving break in the United

States and easing into the week by doing some online shopping. Internationally, there is a huge

amount of hype to jump on here.

Super Saturday (sort of), 17 December – Super Saturday is typically the Saturday before Christmas, but

with Christmas falling on a Sunday this year, Saturday, 17 December, will likely fill the Super Saturday shoes.

Use this to your advantage by creating some urgency in your last-minute shoppers.

Hanukkah, starts 20 December – Christmas is not the only holiday celebrated in December. Take

advantage of Hanukkah’s eight nights of giving by sending a series of offers promoting a new gift idea

for each night.

Christmas Day, 25 December – Christmas Day is the culmination of most of the shopping that has

occurred over the past couple of months and is typically a slow day for retail.

31OCTOBER

25NOVEMBER

28NOVEMBER

17DECEMBER

20DECEMBER

25DECEMBER


Did You Know?

An informal iContact Facebook poll shows that most

marketers are getting an early start on holiday marketing:

� 58% will start in September � 95% will begin before late November

www.icontact.com



3Boxing Day, 26 December – Boxing Day is one of the busiest shopping days of the year as the early-

January sales kick in. This is a great opportunity to clear out remaining merchandise, take advantage of

shoppers with Christmas money and vouchers to spend, and finalise your planning for the new year.

This week also presents a great opportunity to promote offers relating to New Year’s Eve celebrations.

New Year’s Eve, 31 December – This is the last chance to make sales before the end of the year

as well as a major day for celebrating.

New Year’s Day, 1 January – This is a great day to rest and enjoy yourself before starting your plans

for your next 12 months of marketing!

CHAPTER 3: GET IN THEIR HEADS

There are four types of Christmas shoppers: early birds, prime-time buyers, last-minute shoppers, and post-Christmas

bargain hunters. Each shopper wants you to speak directly to their needs—from offering deep discounts early in the

season to guaranteeing rush delivery at the last possible moment. Once you learn what motivates your shoppers,

you will know how to create messages that best connect with them.

Early Birds

Early birds know what they need, have a budget, and want to finish their shopping before

the holiday rush. They are willing to sacrifice the best offers (which typically come at prime

time) for access to the best products and services (which may sell out before the height of

the shopping season). Don’t assume early birds will pay full price, though; they expect to be

rewarded for shopping early, and they love snagging a good deal.

Start sending messages in early October to your best customers and those who purchased

from you last year at this time. Focus your promotions on the perks of early shopping (think

“enjoy a glass of eggnog while your friends battle for shopping-centre parking places”).

Here are a few offers that will catch the eye of an early bird:

� Time-sensitive discount (e.g., 30% off before 1 November)

� Exclusive free gift with purchase

� Exclusive event or early access to new products/services

� Advance purchasing (e.g., customer thank-you gifts that can be ordered by administrative

professionals early in the season and delivered to their customers closer to the holidays)

31DECEMBER

26DECEMBER

1JANUARY


www.icontact.com



Prime-Time Buyers

Prime-time buyers check gifts off their lists between late November and mid-December.

They have several weeks to make buying decisions, and competition is fierce among

businesses vying for their attention, especially during peak online shopping times, such

as Black Friday and Cyber Monday. If you decide to throw your hat in the ring, you want to

reach your contacts’ inboxes by mid-November.

Most prime-time buyers kick off their Christmas shopping in late November, but not everyone

has the same shopping strategy. Create an email and social media marketing plan that

addresses shoppers’ different needs. Any old marketing message will not win their notice,

so focus on creating offers, text, and designs that stand out.

Here are some marketing activities sure to win prime-time buyers’ attention:

Entice Shoppers with In-Store Promotions

Early deals work well for buyers who want to be done with their shopping by the end of

November; consider offering deals that are good through 1 December. Other prime-time

buyers will continue shopping throughout the season, so extend your shopping hours and

promote short-term offers that change often. Throughout the prime-time buying season, use

social media to let shoppers know you still have high-demand items in stock or to share gift

ideas for different members of the family.

Don’t Forget Online Shoppers

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are quickly becoming the busiest online shopping days of

the year. For some prime-time buyers, there’s nothing more satisfying than pretending to

work while covertly filling online shopping baskets. Although most shoppers will make their

purchases at work, it’s probably not their work email addresses they’ve given you. Send an

email to your contacts letting them know that a special surprise will arrive in their personal

inboxes on Black Friday or Cyber Monday. This tactic works well even outside of these days.

Insider TipIn a 2010 study by ATG (Consumer Shopping Experiences, Preferences, and Behaviors), 70%

of respondents reported that they abandoned online shopping baskets because they learned

that delivery charges were more than they had expected. Free delivery offers, therefore, will

be very attractive to shoppers this holiday season.


Insider TipIf you are an e-commerce company, consider running a sale that starts as soon as the clock

strikes midnight on Black Friday. Armchair shoppers will thank you (in sales).

www.icontact.com



Be a Source of Inspiration

Prime-time buyers with dozens of friends and relatives on their lists are often in search of

great gift ideas. Help buyers out by sending a series of emails highlighting products and

services that would make nice gifts for different recipients and budgets.

Last-Minute Shoppers

Some people work best under pressure. These are your last-minute holiday shoppers. They

want to find great gifts, but mostly they want a no-nonsense buying experience, helpful

service, and guaranteed delivery dates. These shoppers are most receptive to marketing

messages; every passing hour lowers the barrier to sell.

This Crate & Barrel email from the 2010 Christmas period

is a good example of how to communicate with last-

minute shoppers:

� The email states how many days are left to shop

before Christmas.

� It provides last-minute gift suggestions.

� It promotes electronic gift vouchers, the last-minute gift

of choice for many shoppers.

� It notes the last days to order for guaranteed

Christmas delivery.

� It highlights a mobile application, which makes last-

minute shopping easier.

Post-Christmas Bargain Hunters

One size doesn’t always fit all, which means many people will be back in stores after the

holidays to exchange gifts they have received. Others will be looking to use up their newly

acquired stacks of gift vouchers. Use email and social media to promote your end-of-year

deals and to update shoppers on what you have in stock.

Try these promotions targeted at post-Christmas bargain hunters:

� Talk up products and services for the new year (from champagne and dresses for New

Year’s Eve to gym memberships and closet organisers for resolution-setters).

� Let your shoppers know you understand their needs. If you own a travel agency, for

example, you might advertise discounts on real vacations now that the in-laws have

left town.


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6



CHAPTER 4: BE SELECTIVE

Every shopper loves a good deal, but think of your messages like a menu in a restaurant—too many dishes to

choose from, and nothing looks appetising. Too many deals, and a potential customer may walk away overwhelmed,

confused, or, at worst, irritated. Promote just one offer per email and social media message, and segment your list

accordingly. If you have a range of complementary products, focus on a hero product, and promote additional items

with less prominent links.

CHAPTER 5: KEEP IN TOUCH

Unlike distant relatives who may be content with receiving your family’s Christmas newsletter once a year and not

much more, your customers need constant attention during the season. Marketing noise is at its peak, and your

brand needs to be sticky to make it onto your contacts’ shopping lists. Think about increasing the frequency of your

email and social media messages during the season. As long as your messages are relevant and interesting, your

subscribers will welcome the additional touches.

CHAPTER 6: FOCUS ON BENEFITS

Christmas shoppers are more likely to open emails that have enticing subject lines. Keep these four characteristics

of winning subject lines in mind:2

1. Useful

2. Ultra-Specific

3. Unique

4. Urgent

For example, Piperlime—an online retailer of shoes, apparel, and accessories for men and women—sent an email

with this subject line in the summer of 2011: “Last day! 20% off fall apparel + smokin’ slippers”. This has all the

characteristics of a winning subject line:

1. Useful – The offer of 20% off is valuable to the email’s recipient.

2. Ultra-Specific – The subject line is clear: the recipient can save on fall clothing for one more day.

3. Unique – This promotion stands out because instead of offering a discount at the end of the season like

most retailers, Piperlime offers it at the beginning. Plus, the reference to “smokin’ slippers” is unusual and catchy.

4. Urgent – “Last day!” pushes the recipient to read the full email sooner rather than later.

Another great example can be seen in the short-but-sweet subject line “99 under $9”, sent by Fred Flare—an online

shop for fashion and home items in the United States. Short subject lines quickly grab the attention of customers and

prompt them to take action, which in this case involved viewing a guide with 99 gift ideas, each under $9.


Resource #2Brian Clark, “The Three Key Elements of Irresistible

Email Subject Lines,” Copyblogger, 26 August, 2010.}{

http://www.copyblogger.com/email-subject-lines/

http://www.copyblogger.com/email-subject-lines/

www.icontact.com

7A Holiday Marketing Story: The 12 Chapters of a Successful Season


CHAPTER 7: STAY SOCIAL

In 2010, Experian Hitwise—a global online competitive intelligence service—reported that Facebook had surpassed

Google in the United States to become the most visited website on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s

Day.3 And when Facebook isn’t outperforming Google during the festive season, it’s coming very close.

Get your brand in front of the millions of people flocking to social media

during the holiday season to check out friends’ pictures and post about

their travel plans:

� Post offers and gift ideas on Facebook and Twitter.

� Encourage your fans and followers to talk about your brand,

and surprise a few who say nice things with rewards, such

as gift vouchers or special discounts.

� Attract new fans and followers by including social media links in

your holiday emails.

� Reward your fans and followers with giveaway campaigns.

� Gauge your contacts’ needs by asking questions (e.g., “What’s

the best Christmas gift you have ever received?”) and running polls.


Resource #3Heather Dougherty, “Facebook Reaches Top Ranking in

US,” Experian Hitwise Analyst Weblog, 15 March, 2010.}{

http://weblogs.hitwise.com/heather-dougherty/2010/03/facebook_reaches_top_ranking_i.html



www.icontact.com

98

Clickthrough Rate (CTR)The number of times a link is clicked in a message divided by

the number of delivered messages. For example, if a message

is sent to four subscribers and one subscriber clicks on the

message twice, the resulting CTR for that message is 25% (1

unique click / 4 delivered emails = 25%).

Unique Clicks / Delivered Emails = CTR



CHAPTER 8: LEARN WHAT WORKS

The Christmas trading period is short, which means time spent on campaigns that miss the mark can be especially

costly for your business. Whenever possible, split test your subject lines, offers, and email designs.

These dos and don’ts for testing—from iContact’s chief product,

marketing, and strategy officer, Jeff Revoy—will help you test for

success this Christmas:4

CHAPTER 9: MEASURE AGAINST YOUR GOALS

Once you’ve done the hard work of setting your Christmas marketing goals (perhaps increasing brand awareness

or revenue), don’t forget to check in periodically to make sure that your campaign is meeting the mark. Choose the

metrics that tie to your goals, and track them regularly. If your goal, for example, is to increase your brand awareness

by generating traffic to your website, track your email clickthrough rates. By the same token, don’t focus too much on

metrics that are not related to your goals. If you want to increase revenue, and you’re performing in that area, don’t

sweat lower email open rates.

Historical data can also be very helpful as you measure

against your goals. If you had similar holiday marketing

goals last year, compare where you are today to

where you were at the same time last year. If you are

underperforming, consider revisiting some of your more

successful promotions from last year.

Don’t: Send one test message to 50% of your list and the other to the remaining 50%.

Do: Use the 10-10-80 rule: One test goes to 10% of your list and the other to a second 10%. Send the winner of

these two messages to the remaining 80%.

Don’t: Test multiple variables at a time. Testing multiple variables can make it difficult to determine which changes

affected your results.

Do: Test one variable at a time.

Don’t: Be discouraged by tests that yield similar results between your 10% segments.

Do: Recognize that tests with similar results can mean that what you tested wasn’t an important component of your

message or that both of your messages performed well.


Resource #4Jeff Revoy, “Testing: 5 Steps to Find the Right Formula

for Effective Emails,” DemandGen Report, 19 July, 2011.}{

http://www.demandgenreport.com/archives/demanding-views/843-testing-5-steps-to-find-the-right-formula-for-effective-emails-.html

www.icontact.com

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CHAPTER 10: CORRECT YOUR COURSE

If you measure against your goals and find that your campaign is not getting you the results you would like, don’t be

afraid to correct your course. You know what is best for your business, and being flexible this Christmas is a must.

If you need to turn your Christmas marketing campaign around, consider these strategies:

� Trot out new and different offers.

� Reconsider the “winning” subject lines and designs from previous split tests, and overhaul your email

communications accordingly.

� Think about whether Christmas is really the right time for you to try to compete with big-box retailers, especially

when it comes to price. If your Christmas marketing campaign is costing your business too much and

doesn’t look like it will be successful or even sustainable throughout the rest of the season, abandon course.

Sometimes it’s best to cut your losses and focus on the time of year when you are most competitive.

CHAPTER 11: GROW YOUR LIST

During the Christmas trading period, shoppers are visiting websites and stores that may not be on their radars during

other months of the year. If you can convince these shoppers of your business’s value in their everyday lives, the

holiday season can be a time of tremendous growth for your lists.

These shoppers will likely be harder sells, but with the right messages, they may become some of your most loyal,

repeat customers. Entice them to sign up for your lists with special discounts for the immediate season. Include sign-

up forms on your website, on your social media pages, and at the checkout counters of physical store locations.

Once a contact signs up, send a welcome email with a list of all the great perks they will receive as a subscriber, and

follow up with messages that have been highly successful for you in the past.


www.icontact.com

12A Holiday Marketing Story: The 12 Chapters of a Successful Season


CHAPTER 12: REMEMBER THE BASICS

The frenetic pace of this festive period will keep any marketer, new or experienced, on their toes. Don’t, however,

forget the basics; your Christmas email and social media marketing campaigns will benefit from the best practices

that inform your campaigns during other times of the year.

Cleanse Your Lists

Take time to cut cold contacts from your lists. Hard-bounced email addresses and contacts who have ignored your

emails for a significant period of time can be safely removed. Sending to disengaged contacts or email addresses

that no longer exist can be both expensive and damaging to your sending reputation.

Automate Your Messages

Set up autoresponders to automatically deliver a predetermined series of messages. These can include welcome

messages to new subscribers, online course invitations, or carefully crafted sales messages. Autoresponders are a

great way to nurture contacts early in their relationship with you, especially if you offer a product that includes some

type of free trial. Just be sure that your autoresponders are not sent on the same day as your holiday messages;

reaching out to a contact too frequently can result in an unsubscribe.

Opt for Text

Make good use of real text (not graphics) at the tops of your emails. A graphic-heavy email will appear blank until

the recipient has selected to download the graphics. Real text is always visible. Don’t feel like you can’t include

Christmas-themed graphics in your messages at all; just do it smartly. And always remember to create a text-

only version of your message. This is especially important because many of your contacts will be away from their

computers and will depend on their smartphones while travelling over the Christmas period.

Make sure your Christmas marketing story this year is a story of success. Start using the tips and tricks

in this guide today, and guarantee your business a very happy holiday season.

– The End –


www.icontact.com



ABOUT iContact

Contact is a purpose-driven company—headquartered in the United States and with offices in the United Kingdom—

that makes email marketing and social media marketing easy, so that small and midsized companies and causes

can grow and succeed. More than one million users have signed up for an iContact account, and the company

maintains B Corporation status, a certification awarded to companies meeting comprehensive and transparent social

and environmental performance standards. As part of its ongoing social mission, iContact applies the 4-1s Corporate

Social Responsibility Model, donating 1 percent from each of its payroll, equity, product, and employee time to its

local and global communities. Visit us online at iContact.com, on Twitter @iContact, at our LinkedIn Group, and at

our Facebook page.

Contact Us:

288 Bishopsgate

London, EC2M 4QP

United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0)208 099 7855


http://www.icontact.com

http://twitter.com/#!/iContact

http://www.linkedin.com/company/icontact

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