At this time of year, we can feel Christmas in the air, and it’s a wonderful thing. Mince pies, chestnuts roasting on an open fire, twinkling lights, hundreds of emails hitting our inbox with offers and discount codes…
Ah, yes, the Christmas email marketing splurge. It’s a bit like registering for the gym in the New Year – exciting at first, but it won’t last.
The ‘Christmas Card’ approach to email marketing is a bad idea – let’s look at why.
The Importance of Regular Contact
Email marketing isn’t about sending off a perfunctory email at Christmas and then not bothering again for the next twelve months. It’s a long-term investment in building a relationship with your customers and ultimately, if you’re not committed to consistent communication, you shouldn’t really bother building an email list in the first place.
Consider the actual Christmas card (as opposed to a marketing one). Your aunt from overseas, who you haven’t seen in years, sends you a Christmas missive that lets you know how she, and all those cousins you can vaguely remember, are doing. You read it, you might smile, you might think, ‘She was nice, that aunt,’ and then you move on. There’s a turkey to buy, decorations to sort, presents to wrap… ah, Christmas!
And then you forget all about Aunt Nellie. January comes, February, March… oooh, it’s December, look, here’s a Christmas card from that aunt…
Yup.
The same feeling is compounded with a marketing email – after all, you’re not even a family member! It comes, if the subject line is good, then it’s read, maybe it even gets a smile, and then… forgotten.
When it comes to email marketing (not usually aunts) then being sporadic is not only instantly forgettable, it’s also often a bit annoying. Regularity, on the other hand, reinforces your brand and builds trust. In some situations (like when you’re funny or your offers are useful), it creates anticipation.
Don’t be a distant aunt, be mum! We all love our mums, right?
Emails: Not Just For Christmas
If you are guilty of the Christmas card marketing process, then don’t beat yourself up – you’re not alone. Many big businesses are just as bad. One-off promos once a year happen, but they’re just a waste of a good email list.
Email is a powerful tool for nurturing leads, building relationships and establishing your brand – when used regularly and consistently. It’s not a one-and-done sort of thing.
So, instead of relying on a quick Christmas message to perform miracles, how should you go about leveraging that all-important email list?
Email Marketing: The Long Game
For your email marketing to do its job, you need to look at it with a long-term view. Each of the good emails you write adds a little to your brand reputation for the customers that read it, the great emails result in a sale or at least an enquiry, and those bad emails (there’ll be a couple, let’s be honest) get washed away, allowed to sink forgotten in the sea of better stuff.
Over time, you build up a relationship that has a foundation in trust; Over time, you become the first port of call whenever your customer is looking to purchase the thing you sell. A subscriber who has been following you all year (or for years) is going to receive your Christmas email happily and is far more likely to act on it.
Just like how you’re more likely to listen to advice from your mum than that distant aunt.
Tips For Nurturing Your Email List
Need some actionable tips? Consider this your Christmas gift from me…
Read Nathan Littleton regularly
I’m always writing more tips and delving deep into ideas to give you some great advice, so why not make reading my content one of the regular things you do to improve your email marketing? Just like your content should be, mine is available throughout the year (though I do do a great Father Christmas impression when needed).
Share valuable content
The very best way to get people to respect you and your brand is to give them content they actually value. Only you will know specifically what that is for your marketplace; research to see what people want, and nail it!
Show your personality
Boring, generic emails (and I include anything written by AI in this group) might get the message across, but it won’t stick, and it won’t nurture a relationship. Be you, because you are unique, and your personality is the difference between your emails and something anyone could kick out. It’s like your Christmas presents – a personal gift, carefully chosen by you, is far more appealing than a book token.
Use promos and exclusive deals
Be Santa, not just at Christmas! But remember, the excitement of gifts drops quickly if they’re all the time. Balance your deals and pushing sales so that it’s valued and not just sell, sell, sell.
Segment your email list
Sounds painful, but all it means is to cut your email list into groups and make sure you target each group with the thing that’ll appeal most to them. Understanding your market works wonders.
Be regular, but don’t be spam
You should be emailing regularly, but not hourly! Depending on your product or service, and your audience, there’s a sweet spot of regularity which may be monthly, it may be weekly, it’s unlikely to be daily, and it’s definitely not just for Christmas. Connecting your emails to form a cohesive series or sequence is also good, but always be careful not to bombard.
Keeping Your Brand Top-of-Mind with Nathan Littleton
When your email communication is consistent and valuable, your brand is at the forefront of your subscriber’s mind, meaning when they go to make a relevant choice, they’ll be thinking of you, and you’ll be the business they come to.
Why not work together? If you find the idea of consistent and effective email marketing a little difficult, then why not bring in an expert? I’m Nathan Littleton, and I’m an all-year-round email elf. Hmm… maybe not an elf, more of a professional marketer! Contact me today to find out more.
