Most companies send emails only during certain holidays, believing that other news feeds are either absent or not interesting to readers. This is why you receive emails from some brands once a month at best, and more often a couple of times a year. But in fact, there are much more reasons to communicate with a client using mailings, even if we take into account only the holidays.
What to write about, what are the reasons and why it is worth writing at all, we will tell you in this article.
1. Why are holiday newsletters so good?
Holiday newsletters are great because they evoke emotions in the reader. They will immerse it in the atmosphere of festive bustle and gifts. And in such an atmosphere, we are all much more willing to part with our money, trying to please ourselves and our loved ones.
They are divided into several types:
- Congratulatory… The ones in which you simply congratulate your customers and perhaps give a discount or a free subscription. They are not selling in nature. Aimed at increasing customer loyalty and return in the future. Usually sent on the day of the holiday.
- Promotional… It all depends on the essence of the action and the timing of its holding. So, if this is a drawing of valuable prizes among all buyers, which will take place in a month, then in addition to the main letter, it is worth preparing 1-2 reminder letters. Such mailings are carried out not only to increase sales, but also to increase audience engagement. In addition to raffles, these can also be special offers (for example 1 + 1 = 3) or gifts for each purchase. It is worth sending letters a few days before the start and after the start. Also, do not forget about the newsletter with the results if this is a giveaway.
- Selections of products by category… The so-called gift guide. Helps to navigate in your assortment and to decide on ideas for a gift. The main goal is sales.
- Gamified emails… Their main purpose is to engage the reader, hold their attention, and make you remember. Very often, such letters are shared on social networks and forwarded to each other. You can cook both in the form of an AMP letter or a separate page with the game, or in the form of a simple puzzle.
- Discount letters… The most frequent and popular content of all mailboxes. Despite their jadedness, they are still popular with both sides. The only advice is that you should not be frequent with such promotions, otherwise they will start coming to you only for sales.
2. Examples of mailings for different holidays
We have prepared a large selection of letters for the most popular holidays.
- September 1… Knowledge Day opens up a lot of opportunities for festive newsletters. Depending on your niche, you can start preparing for the holiday even in the summer. For example, if you have a stationery store or clothing for children and adolescents, then in early August you should remind parents about preparing for school, and towards the end – arrange a small sale.
In addition to goods for schoolchildren, “back to school” collections in clothing, jewelry and accessories are popular. And also selections in the genre “what you need to do before the end of summer”. Books and tutorials are also selling well. On the holiday itself, in addition to congratulations, you can offer a discount or invite to a closed sale.
Fig. 1 – Mailings by September 1
- Valentine s Day… You can congratulate regardless of the niche in which you work. There is just freedom for imagination and creativity. You can prepare a selection of gifts, and ideas for a festive evening, and even offers to make a gift to yourself.
Fig. 2 – Valentine s Day
- New Year… In December, you can devote the whole month to festive mailings, having prepared guides for choosing gifts, a selection of the most desirable and popular products, and tips “How to celebrate the New Year”, and game letters. In general, you can send almost anything, and in absolutely any niche. Just remember to end this entire holiday series with a congratulatory letter.
Fig. 3 – Mailings for the New Year
- Easter… If on other holidays there is full scope for clothing and accessories stores, then Easter is a celebration of goods for the kitchen, supermarkets and home decor. However, like Maslenitsa.
Therefore, feel free to offer recipes for paska using your products, advertise ovens, baking dishes, stickers for eggs. Tell us about the setting of the festive table and Easter traditions. Well, and the rest of the niches can be reminded that they are not uniform cakes, and just congratulate them on the holiday.
Fig. 4 – Mailing lists for Easter
- October 14 for Ukraine and February 23 for the CIS countries… A holiday for men. So, you need to advertise everything masculine and brutal: cars, cigars, gadgets, accessories, diaries, screwdriver sets and stuff like that. But even if you are a women s clothing store, you can play up that by saying that a happy woman = a happy man. Or hinting that nothing will please a loved one like new underwear on his lady. Well, or at least make a selection of military-style bows.
Fig. 5 – Mailings on October 14
- March 8… Here, on the contrary, everything is for women: from cosmetics to flower delivery and sushi. The main thing is that if men do not congratulate each other on February 23, then women on March 8 generously present their friends, mothers and colleagues. This means that you can target email campaigns to absolutely everyone.
Fig. 6 – Mailings by March 8
- April Fool s Day… It is impossible not to beat this day with a newsletter with “ridiculous prices” and not “bring a smile by giving customers a discount”. It s cute, it s funny, and not very boring yet. Therefore, it is worth taking note.
Fig. 7 – Mailing lists for April Fool s Day
- Halloween… It s almost like New Years. Suitable for all niches, even if they are not directly related to the holiday. Therefore, as always, you can make a “night of terrible discounts”, “nightmarishly low prices” and “terribly good deals”.
Fig. 8 – Halloween mailing lists
What all holiday letters have in common:
- Festive design… Everything in these letters is replete with elements of the upcoming holiday and sets the reader in the appropriate mood.
- Special offer… Where can we go without it? Especially when you need to stand out from the competition. There are good discounts, sweepstakes, and just creative selections and game letters.
- The presence of a chain of letters… The chain helps to warm up the audience and reach the maximum number of users. You don t need to make the chain long. It is enough to prepare 2-3 letters united by one topic. It is also advisable to make all letters versatile. That is, in one you offer a gift guide, in the second you talk about discounts, and in the third you congratulate you on the holiday.
3. What to do when there is no reason
There are holidays every month. Moreover, you can pay attention to those that are far from being heard by everyone. For example: Cosmonautics Day or Mother s Day.
But, if they are not enough for you, then you can come up with your own! And while you may find it ridiculous at first, many well-known companies use this technique.
Fig. 9 – Smile Day, Friday 13th, Sleep Day, Customer Day
Fig. 10 – Kissing Day, Indian Summer, World Paper Day, Friends Day
But coming up with a news feed does not end the email specialist s headache. You also need to carefully prepare for the mailing:
- Explore and segment your audience. This will increase the chance of performing the targeted action several times.
- Prepare a chain of letters for the upcoming event. Decide what you will send and in what sequence. Why should there be several letters? To prepare the reader for the purchase as much as possible and illuminate your offer from different angles.
- Add holiday elements to your content. Earlier in the article, I said that mailing for the holidays creates a special mood. And in order to form it, it is necessary that the notes of the holiday soar in everything: from the subject of the letter to the visual part and the text inside.
You can read more about how to properly prepare for the holiday newsletter in this article.
It is also worth remembering that you need to be creative and adjust news feeds to your niche, and not mindlessly copy others.
For example, if you have a building materials store, then you do not need to write letters on March 8th with a proposal to give your beloved women a couple of kilograms of cement. But you can play up this by saying that the best gift for March 8th is a perfect renovation of the apartment. A well-equipped summer cottage for the May holidays is generally the dream of all your subscribers. The main thing here is not to re-creative, so that it does not turn out to be simply ridiculous.
conclusions
You can always find a reason to communicate with your audience. And since everyone loves holidays and gifts, it is wasteful not to use them as a news feed for mailing.
The main thing is not to mindlessly set up discounts on every occasion, especially if you have a difficult niche. And to play up the dates in the calendar so that it looks appropriate and creative. Well, and, of course, do not forget about an integrated approach and regularity. And you will see how the audience will become more loyal to your brand.