How to achieve 95 + % open rates in Holidays 2019-2020

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Writing this material I’ve found a whole bunch of articles telling that people usually read more newsletters during holidays, click more on the links and all the similar stuff about increased open rates, CTR, etc. Honestly, it was WAY strange to me, as I don’t ever open 95% of these bundles of waste paper, where people first increase the price by 200%, then reduce it by 80%, and scream that it’s an unprecedented discount.

“The more you communicate with your current and potential customers, the more you can earn.
Any kind of communication through e-mail, by phone, tête-à-tête, by writing in an envelope or somehow else is building relationships. If you maintain frequent contact with customers, you take into account several key factors related to business growth.
Therefore, do not forget to verify your email database before mailing (use free email checker).”

Yes, some brands I trust and read their emails regularly, but it happens only with that notorious 5 %.

I moved on to small research among my social circle, and guess what? They act pretty much the same. And maybe we are not a representative sampling, but here’s a full-scale study showing that holiday-themed emails generate a 14.6% lower open rate than business-as-usual (BAU) emails.

So pls don’t count your open rates will grow only because it’s Christmas time!!!

When your competitors send tons of emails and customers are closing their eyes and ears, just to reduce this fuss ― what do you do? Bail on all and go drink a couple of beers? Of course, you can, but in that case, forgive about whining that you are a super hard-working entrepreneur but the market is bad and bla-bla.

Despite the noise pollution, holiday time is a really great opportunity to grow your earnings. Notwithstanding your customers are thrown by emails up to the ears, still they need to buy gifts for their friends and family. And though they are willing to spend their money much more likely than at the usual time of year.

Your call is just to be in the focus of their attention at the right time.

What should holiday mailings be like?

Decide on the number of emails in the holiday chain and on the sending time. Add emojis, uppercase, veiled obscenity to the subject ― everything to attract the reader’s attention (but most importantly, do not deceive him).
Consider the holiday’s scale. To ensure your proposal is not lost among other emails and covered the maximum number of subscribers, you may send the same emails with a new topic to those who have not opened it the first.
Due to the increase in the number of mailings on major holidays, ESPs have to increase their capacity to send all emails without delay, but delays still happen. Mailings get in a queue, and you lose profits. Therefore, schedule the start a few hours earlier than usual.
Customize multiple emails to get more reasons to contact the user. An emails chain might look like this:

Email 1: a gift guide with merchandise selections. Add a clear call to action so that subscribers have time to collect presents.

Email 2: information about the delivery dates. Explain when to order to receive gifts just before the holiday. And don’t forget about the distance to where you’ll ship it 😉

Email 3: a selection of gifts “for yourself”. Focus on the subscriber’s buying history and preferences.

Email 4: congratulations. It’s too late to order something on the day of the holiday (unless, of course, you have a superb-express delivery).

Email 5: options for the weekend. If the holiday is celebrated more than one day, you might offer some recreation goods, tickets for a journey or just useful content to gladden your customers.

Give subscribers what they want. Make email content unique to each user based on their preferences. You can use behavioral segmentation based on customer activity, clicks, and previous email openings. Consider the subscriber’s data: location, age, gender, etc.

Holidays email strategy

Prepare in advance

Don’t craft emails in a rush ― errors mean disrespect to your customers. Trying to do everything on the last day will lead to the whole campaign going down the drain. To avoid this, use a calendar and schedule work in advance.

Conduct the past years’ analysis

Recall the last year’s email opening trends and sales statistics. According to the results, it’s easier to understand the clients’ expectations.

Competitors research

Check how your competitors are doing. I’m not encouraging you to repeat their actions, but to analyze other businesses’ experience and add it to your own. Subscribe to a competitor’s mailing list. Look in social networks, which campaigns are repeated from year to year.

Maintain the subscriber base hygiene

Clean the contact list regularly. Get rid of invalid email addresses. It’s a mandatory procedure before large-scale email campaigns. Otherwise, you risk your reputation as a sender. BTW: special offer for validation from Proofy Marketing team.