Planning your Holiday Email CampaignsAndrew Kordek & Tamara Gielen

Speaker #1: Tamara GielenDigital direct marketing consultant & coachAuthor of “Be Relevant!”Founder of the Email Marketer’s ClubCognos, eBay, OgilvyOne

About the Email Marketer’s ClubLargest email marketing community3,000+ membersDiscussion, networking, knowledge-sharing, educational initiatives

Hi, my name is Eyan. They asked me to stay quiet for the next hour. That’s going to be tough…

Speaker #2: Andrew KordekGroupon’s manager of optimizationAuthor of “The Scrappy Email Marketer” and “The Email Zoo” blogs9 years of email experience (B2B and B2C)Obsessed with email and social media marketing

Let’s get started!

Agenda for todayWhere do you start?What do you have to watch out for?Best practices aka “Nuggets”ExamplesQ & A

Where Do You Start?

What is next?NOW!! You start now! Hopefully before now.Have a plan and a scheduleHave contingency plansCAUTIONFrequencyEngagementUnsubscribesDeliverability

7 golden nuggets

“Choice is a good thing….”Nugget #1 Opt Down

Nugget #2Preference Centers“Knowledge is good. But applied knowledge is better”

Nugget #3 Contingency Templates“Be prepared…for ANYTHING”

Nugget #4 – Deployment Schedule“Have a plan. Stick to the plan. Don’t deviate from the plan despite pressure. Short term gain can lead to long term pain.”

Nugget #5 – Segment, Segment, Segment, Segment, Segment6 month click and opensFrequent buyersPurchasers onlyBrowse BehaviorHoliday onlyIn store purchaseRecencyGift cardRegistry3 month click and opensSwamp fileNon engagers “Use a sniper rifle, not a cannon”

Nugget #6 – Test. But don’t go crazyOffer testingEmail/Web testingSubject line 80/20 then deployContent testingTemplate testingPre-header testingSocial Network testing“Test. Learn. Adapt.”

Nugget #7 – Try to monetize your transactional email80/20 RuleDynamic Recommendations vs. static (on send or at open recommendations)Bounce back offersCross categoryHumanize“Turn a transactional email into a customer engagement”

6 fun ideas to stand out in the inbox

1. Elongated postcard theme3 lines separated equal spaceIndicate:Merry ChristmasHappy HanukahHappy KwanzaIndicate that “no matter what you celebrate…XXX has everything you need”Get Creative. Be Unique.

2. “Celebrate Festivus” Postcard StyleSubject Line: Celebrate Festivus with XXXXOnly Image in the email is PoleTremendous viral potential

3. “Nothing is on sale”Postcard StyleSubject Line: Nothing is on sale at XXXXBody of email shows nothing on sale at the top with a mirror image showing that “everything is on sale”

4. “Sneaky Santa Claus/Snowman” Postcard style.Themed after where is waldo.Person has to look at the email and find the number of Santa Claus’ and/or snowmen.They enter the number of ones that they find and if they guess it right, they win a $$ shopping spree

5. “Gifts for Co-Workers” Everyone struggles to buy gifts for co-workers/bossesEmail inspired and offering suggestions for folks who need to buy gifts for coworkers.Office themed email, with cubes or offices showing folks and linking them to the gift suggestions

Some thingsto consider

Use last year’s insightsWhat did you learn from last year’s holiday campaigns? What worked and what didn’t?Look for inspiration in your competitor’s past holiday campaigns.

Some sources for inspirationEmail Analyst (www.emaildatasource.com)www.newsletterarchive.orgwww.retailemailblog.com

Make sure they don’t leaveSet expectationsAsk them to opt-in to a special holiday listAllow them to reduce frequency (temporarily)

Some things to consider…Add social sharing buttons to your emailsPlan your post-holiday (gift redemption) campaignsOptimize your landing pages!

Handy resourcesHoliday Email Marketing 2009 http://www.email-marketing-reports.com/iland/2009/07/holiday-email-marketing-2009.htmlRetail Email Guide to the Holiday Seasonhttp://www.retailemailblog.com/2009/08/retail-email-guide-to-holiday-season.html

Don’t forget!Get creativeStand out from the crowdUniqueness grabs attentionDon’t abandon your acquisition strategyRelax. Have fun. Think LONG term.

Questions?