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Did you know that in 2023, more than 50 percent of all holiday sales from Black Friday through Christmas came directly from email marketing? This statistic is a testament to the power of email marketing. As the holiday season approaches, it’s time to gear up and set yourself up for email marketing success. For online retailers and small business owners, the holiday season can be overwhelming. It’s a unique time when email marketing strategies differ greatly from any other time of the year.
Start by reviewing this year’s performance; which campaigns were successful? Which campaigns had lower open rates or actions? Use these insights to establish clear goals and the steps needed to achieve them. Get all your assets – content and creative - ready to go. Standing out is crucial. This is the time to push boundaries and differentiate your brand. Adopt the mindset that boldness and creativity can help your brand rise above all the commotion. The most successful brands build excitement around their holiday offers. Start hyping up your deals now to engage your audience. You can try offering limited-time products as they are a unique concept. In this, you offer something only available in a scarce time window and let that scarcity drive action. Using the same branding during the holiday season as you do year-round can be a missed opportunity to connect with your audience. Just as brick-and-mortar stores decorate for the holidays, e-commerce brands should refresh their creativity to capture that festive spirit. Consider sprucing up your email headers with holiday-themed elements and adding seasonal touches to your designs. These small adjustments may seem minor, but they go a long way in getting your audience into the holiday mindset. Make sure that you do not repeat your content failing to make your campaigns feel special and unique. It’s essential to avoid sending the same message repeatedly. If you struggle with writing fresh content, reuse content and emails that have performed well for you throughout the year. One of the biggest mistakes to make is holding back on email frequency. With inboxes overflowing, your email could easily get lost. Step out of your comfort zone and increase your sending frequency. Use your highest-performing subject lines to grab attention. Revisit subject lines that previously led to high open rates and consider incorporating fun elements like emojis to make your emails stand out. If you are not segmenting your contact list, you may be missing some important opportunities. You shouldn’t always send the same message to everyone. Relevancy is essential. Ensure your messages are customized to your client’s needs. Connecting your content to each customer’s situation goes a long way and requires minimal extra effort. For your existing purchasers and loyal customers, consider offering something special this holiday season. It reminds them that they are appreciated. You can offer them a special that is only available to a specific group and has a countdown to add urgency. Consistency is key - - your email marketing should seamlessly align with your SMS, social media, and website during the holidays. This creates a holistic and unified experience, ensuring customers engage with your brand with clarity and confidence. Don’t let Dec. 25 be the end of your celebration. Immediately start a pre-New Year campaign where the cutoff is Jan. 1. And even though a lot of people want to decrease their spending after Jan. 1, don’t forget those who received gift cards and cash as presents. Struggling with your holiday marketing or email promotions? It’s not too late to call me at 610-405-0633 or email [email protected]
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 Imagine you are at a show or concert. You receive a simple text message. It’s from a nearby store offering a discount on show merchandise with your ticket stub. You glance at the text, smile, and decide to redeem the discount after the show. The message was quick, personal and timely.
What Is SMS Marketing? SMS marketing, short for Short Message Service marketing, is a direct way for businesses to reach their customers through text messages. It is all about engaging customers with promotions, reminders, and time-sensitive information. In the world of marketing, SMS stands out because it's simple and effective. Companies use it to share promotions, send reminders, announce new products, and even ask for feedback. Why is SMS marketing so popular? Well, nearly everyone has a mobile phone these days, making it a universal marketing tool for businesses. Plus, it's easy to set up and can offer a high return on investment (ROI). Why SMS Marketing is Effective There are many businesses ignoring their Google Business Profile. Google is still the world’s most-visited website. The site currently holds more than 92 percent of the search engine market share. It’s the first place people go to find out information on your business. What type of message are you sending if all your info is outdated or just plain wrong?
If you have a shop, store, restaurant, or small business, you need a Google Business Profile. Set it up now. If you set it up more than six months ago, you need to go and manage it now. Things have changed. Your Google Business Profile shows up on Google searches as well as Google Maps. It’s your one-stop spot where customers can find info about your business, hours, specials, discounts, photos, reviews and more. According to Google, potential customers are 2.7 times more likely to trust your company if you have a complete profile. It will also make it easier for Google to match your business with the right searches. Google uses the information in your profile to determine your search ranking. This is based on relevance, distance, and reputation. The more information Google has, the better your score. Keep in mind the proper keywords when filling out your description. If you’re having trouble, visit Google Trends or Keyword Planner. Use discretion here - - you don’t want to use all the keywords. Too many will cause your ranking to drop and thus fewer search results. Find one or two keywords and gently weave them into your company’s description. Do not skip out on updating your profile. And don’t set it and forget it; that’s a mistake. If you own a retail store, update your page with discounts and promotions. If you own a restaurant, update your menu, and let customers know about upcoming events. The more you update your profile, the more Google will trust your company and elevate your Google ranking. Current photos and videos can also show customers that you have what they are looking for. Respond to Reviews (Good and Bad) Responding to reviews can elevate your business’ visibility and show that you openly engage with your clients, which will build trust in your brand. According to a survey by Google, customers are 1.7 times more likely to trust a business that responds to reviews. This can also be an opportunity to address customer concerns and invite them back to your business. If someone had a negative experience, be upfront and address their concerns. Maybe even invite them back with a special or discount. Get in the practice of asking customers to leave a review. Send them an email or text and then include a link inviting them to highlight their experience. The more reviews you receive and respond to, the better your Google score will be. A word of warning: Don’t use spam tactics or fake reviews. Google is very good at identifying them and may completely erase your profile. It’s okay to get negative reviews. Customers are more likely to trust a business with an average rating of 4.2 - 4.5 than a 5. No business is perfect. A perfect score will raise suspicions. Take Advantage of the Features Google has built in some pretty effective tools. Make sure to alert customers of events, promotions, new products, and social posts. This is also a great way to share blogs. The key is updating regularly. Remember, Google runs the search world. Make sure you are being found.  The success of your business is highly dependent on the success of the product or service you’re offering.
And even more important is being able to clearly articulate your product vision to others. When it comes to your product or service, clarity is essential. It’s necessary to define your products or services in clear descriptions that are easy for you to communicate to others. After developing product or service descriptions, you must identify to whom you want to sell. Determining your ideal customers can provide a more focused approach to your launch. With products and customers defined, you’re ready to start building your online store. This should be super exciting for you, and it’s totally normal if you’re a little nervous or scared. Try to give yourself some slack and don’t be afraid to fail, just try the steps below, learn, and improve. Step 1: Define critical business components There are two fundamental business components you need to consider before you start building your online store. Outline your sales tactics: As an online business, customer acquisition is dependent on driving people to your site. You’ll want to focus on implementing digital marketing best practices. Conduct break-even analysis: Since building a profitable business is the goal, you’ll want to monitor your financial information such as inventory and break-even numbers. This will help you forecast profitability. Step 2: Adopt business software and platforms You should do plenty of planning before starting your online business. But at some point, you’re going to have to actually launch it. After getting your fundamentals squared away, the next biggest hurdle is adopting and integrating your e-commerce platform and other business software. There are software options for all types of businesses, and they can solve nearly every problem you could ever face. Your challenge here is to select systems that are affordable and provide capabilities for now as well as down the road. Ensure ease of use: These software systems are the vehicle through which you drive your online business. There is a myriad of features you can demand, but at the end of the day, you need to be able to easily use these systems to complete your work. Plan for future integrations: Inventory and CRM are critical capabilities, but there are other systems you may need to add once your business takes off. You can save a ton of hassle down the road by initially selecting a system that will handle your future plans. As with many business duties, you may want to think about bringing in someone to analyze your marketing and help with some of these software decisions. Step 3: Build your online store With systems in place, you’re ready to design and publish your business’ site. Your branding really gets to shine during this step as the aesthetics of your digital storefront are what welcomes visitors to your business. Your branding doesn’t have to be extravagant, but it should be intentional. And unless you know how to code, you’ll want to ensure your e-commerce platform includes or supports site templates easy for you to navigate. As with any business need, this is something you can definitely outsource if you feel uncomfortable designing your own. Designing your online storefront should be fun. It’s your first chance to highlight your branding, and it means you’re close to a full business launch. If you have been working with someone who designed your brand, you may want to bring them in on this process too. Simplify the purchase process: However you decide to lay out your site, the most important component is how easy it is for your shoppers to make a purchase. You want to do everything you can to eliminate steps between product selection and online sales. Let your products/services shine: Don’t be tempted by stock images or long corporate manifestos that describe your brand. Let your products speak for themselves across your website. At the end of the day, that’s why it exists and that’s why shoppers visit. Consider your entire site: While products should shine, it’s also important to consider if you’ll have any kind of content strategy. If so, where will that be on the site? Be sure to think through what pages you’d like your site to feature. And always be sure that you are writing your content to be SEO-friendly and not repetitive. Step 4: Launch sales and marketing strategies You’ve worked through the business fundamentals. You’ve chosen your platforms and built your online store. Now it’s time to launch your online business. This means kicking off your sales and marketing strategies to introduce your business and drive shoppers to your site. Since you have taken the time to understand your customers, you already know the most effective channels for reaching them. Add to that your product expertise, and you’re all the way to a sales and marketing strategy for your new online business. Don’t make your sales and marketing strategy complicated at the onset. Trust in your targeted customer base, work up a few messaging variations to test, and set it all loose. As you’re starting out with your marketing plan, don’t be afraid to double down on what’s working. Find the messaging, channels, etc. that are driving visitors to your online store and spend resources there. You’re better off concentrating on what resonates initially and then looking to expand your base down the road. Step 5: Optimize and refine constantly Your online business is launched, and your work has truly just begun. Get ready because everything is about to accelerate. It is totally normal to feel like you’re just working to keep your head above water at this point. You just have to keep moving forward. The great thing about launching your business is that you get streams of performance data coming in. You can set up and monitor metrics to spot positive and negative trends on your marketing, site, products, margins, etc. The possibilities are endless, but what’s important is that you’re constantly looking for ways to improve. |
Boost Your BusinessMaria NovakI have over 35 years' experience in Marketing Small Businesses. Categories
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