10Dec

How to Rock Your Newsletters This Christmas

While your newsletters might not be as exciting as a Christmas card through the post, you’d perhaps be surprised just how effective they can be during the festive season. Hit the right note with your customers, and you can generate a lot of interest for your business – which is something even Santa can’t deliver in your stocking!

Want to find out how to maximize the appeal of your Xmas newsletters with winning content? Here are some great ideas.

The Best Newsletter Ideas for Christmas

1. Shout about your sale

Everyone loves a sale at Christmas. It feels almost as good as finding a gift under the tree, doesn’t it? When you’re announcing your sale, offer a discount that has real value, or run the risk that no-one will be interested. Let’s face it, 70% off tempts us a lot more than 10%! Make your email clear, uncluttered, and feature a direct call-to-action.

2. (Free) Ship ahoy!

Free shipping is always a great incentive to stop people abandoning their shopping carts and hot-footing it to another website. Promote it in your email campaign to boost awareness and get more people through to your site.

3. Give a gift

Aw, a present for us? You’re too kind! A gift at Christmas is certain to strike the right note with your customers, and they’ll love it even more if you’ve tailored it to match their tastes. MailChimp is giving away free socks, but you can give away a coupon if you’d prefer. It’s the thought that counts.

4. Send last-minute deal reminders

What surprises customers even more than a particularly loud cracker being pulled in their vicinity? A last-minute deal, that’s what! Extend your sale, offer an even bigger discount and get customers visiting your site in droves. Make sure to give your email a sense of urgency to encourage excitement.

5. Start a countdown

Your customers have only a short while to order your products to arrive by Christmas, and you need to let them know just how many days are remaining. It’s handy information to have, plus it ensures you drum up a bit of pre-Xmas excitement for your brand. Here’s a nice tool you could use for this: motionmailapp.com.

6. Get them guessing… with a quiz

When we say a quiz, we don’t mean one of those horrendous riddles you get in Christmas crackers. We’re talking about a well-planned quiz that fits with your existing style and engages your customers. If you’re feeling particularly clever, think about how you can incorporate some of your products into the quiz.

7. Launch a contest or giveaway

If your customers are still sitting on the fence when it comes to making a purchase, sometimes an email – detailing a contest or giveaway, can do just the trick. Offer free entry into an exciting competition every time they make a purchase, or a giveaway when they spend a certain amount or more. However, don’t deviate from your usual great style – keep with what you know works.

8. Let them see your human side

Sometimes, the best email content is pure fun – nothing more, nothing less. It lets your customers capture a glimpse of your human side, which is never a bad thing. Unleash your inner Christmas critic and create some content about the world’s worst festive presents, or share your team’s New Year’s resolutions.

9. Share your traditions

Again, gather the team together and ask them to come up with some of their craziest family Christmas traditions, then compile them in an email. We love Luminosity’s example.

10. Give expert advice

There’s not a single experience in December more routinely stressful than Christmas shopping. If you’re a retail business, use your wisdom to offer some great tips for your customers – outlining how to avoid last-minute panics, whining children, or complete nervous exhaustion when trailing round the malls. Trust us, your support and guidance during this trying time will be gratefully received.

11. Put your customer in the spotlight

Sure, you might enjoy the limelight at Christmas, but what about letting one of your customers take center-stage for a change? An email, profiling one of your best clients, not only acts as a powerful case study, but a rather impressive testimonial for your company.

12. Tell your 2015 story

Your loyal fans want to hear about your year, so if you’re a natural storyteller, use your email to pen a pithy, engaging tale about your company’s key moments in the past year.

And Don’t Forget…

When you’re creating a fabulous email, remember to:

Add high-impact imagery and animated GIFs

Make your subject lines as enticing as a warm mince pie

Inject personality… or even humor if you dare!

Make preheader text compelling

Make it responsive across all devices

Test it out! Don’t even think about sending it before rigorously checking it first

Oh, and one more thing! Don’t hesitate to reach us out if you need a fast email template coding help, professional email design consultation, or just out of curiosity!

Useful Links

Want more inspiration? Feast your eyes on these useful articles.