Christmas Email Marketing: How to Plan a Holiday Campaign That Sells
When to start your holiday email campaign
US holiday shopping takes off around Thanksgiving, with Black Friday and Cyber Monday in the same week. If your first holiday email goes out in mid-December, many shoppers have already crossed most names off their list. A workable plan is to prepare content in October and send a gift-guide email before Thanksgiving. In December, narrow your emails down to specific offers and deadlines.
The most important date of the whole campaign is the last day to order for delivery by Christmas. USPS, UPS and FedEx publish their holiday shipping deadlines every year. Put your cutoff into the email as soon as you know it. It is the strongest reason for a customer to order today rather than “sometime next week”.
Example
The campaign does not end at the shipping cutoff. E-gift cards, digital products and services delivered in January still sell to people who left shopping until the last minute.
Who you can email under the CAN-SPAM Act
Commercial email in the US is governed by the CAN-SPAM Act, which the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) enforces. The law does not require prior consent. It works on an opt-out basis: you may email people until they ask you to stop. It covers every commercial email, not just bulk sends, and it makes no exception for business-to-business email.
Every marketing email must:
show accurate sender and header information and use a subject line that matches the content,
clearly disclose that the message is an advertisement,
include your valid physical postal address,
explain how to opt out. You must honor an opt-out request within 10 business days.
Your existing customers are the strongest audience for a holiday campaign, and you do not need their consent to email them. They keep the right to opt out, though. Once they do, you may not send them marketing, and you may not sell or pass on their address.
What the law allows and what reaches the inbox are two different things. Bought lists and old addresses from one-off inquiries produce spam complaints. Mailbox providers then filter your emails, including the ones to loyal customers. The safest holiday list consists of people who signed up for your newsletter and customers who bought from you recently.
What a Christmas email should include
The subject line decides whether anyone opens the email. In December, short subject lines with one concrete piece of information work best: a deadline, a discount or a type of gift. Keep it honest, because CAN-SPAM prohibits deceptive subject lines. You will find ready-made examples in our list of top Christmas email subject lines.
Keep the body simple:
One offer per email. Three promotions in one message usually mean the reader picks none of them.
One button with a clear call to action, such as “Shop gifts” or “Order in time for Christmas”. Links to social media or your blog belong in the footer.
Delivery deadline and shipping cost visible in the text, not only at checkout.
Mobile first. Most people read email on their phones, and nobody zooms in on tiny text in December.
Tip
Segment your list instead of sending one email to everyone
One email for everyone is the fastest route to unsubscribes. Split your contacts into at least three groups:
Customers who bought in the past 12 months get an offer that builds on what they already bought.
Last year’s holiday shoppers bought a gift and nothing since. Remind them what they chose last year and suggest something similar.
Subscribers who never bought respond best to one clear benefit, such as free shipping over a set order value.
If you sell to companies, add a fourth group: business customers. In December they buy gifts for employees and clients. Many want the purchase invoiced before December 31 so it lands in this year’s books. A bulk order with one invoice to the company is more useful to them than a discount.
What to do after the holidays
Between Christmas and New Year, send a short thank-you email without any sales pitch. People remember it longer than another discount.
In January, write down three numbers for each December send: how many people opened it, how many clicked and how many bought. Our guide on how to analyze and measure the success of your holiday marketing campaign walks through the process. Next year you will start from what actually worked for your customers, not from scratch.
Not sure email marketing is worth it for a small business? Read about the advantages and disadvantages of email marketing for small businesses.
When should I send the first holiday email?
The week before Thanksgiving, when people start planning gifts. In December, send only specific offers and reminders of your shipping deadline.
Do I need consent to send holiday marketing emails in the US?
Not under the CAN-SPAM Act, which works on an opt-out basis. Every email must still identify the sender, include a valid postal address and let people unsubscribe.
How many emails before Christmas are reasonable?
Three to five between mid-November and Christmas, each with a different topic. Most small businesses cannot fill more than one email a week with useful content.
What must every commercial email contain under CAN-SPAM?
Accurate sender information, an honest subject line, a clear disclosure that it is an ad, a valid physical postal address and a working opt-out.
What can I offer customers who missed the shipping deadline?
E-gift cards, digital products or services delivered in January. Send them in a separate email after your last shipping date.