How to Ghost 👻 the Holiday Stress with Killer Email Strategies

The Nightmare before Christmas/Black Friday 🫣

I know, I know. The words "Black Friday" and "Christmas" to email marketers often runs a chill down the spine. We don’t want to talk about it yet, but we have to talk about it. The reality is, it’s the biggest email marketing sending season of the year and some preparations have to be made. However, this year, let’s go straight Ebenezer Scrooge and address these email marketing ghosts head on! 👻

The Ghost of Email Past 🎩

Remember the days of "batch and blast"? It’s true, we all used to send generic, one-size-fits-all emails to every subscriber in the hope of reaching a wide audience. But those days are long gone, as is the patience of recipients for inbox overload. Generic messaging is out and "pick me" personalization and engagement is in. Which means we’ve moved from annoying everyone to sending to the right ones.

This ghost reminds us how far we’ve come in refining email our tactics and segmentation. Today’s tools let us curate content, nurture customer relationships, and send fewer (but much much cooler) targeted emails.

The Ghost of Email Present 🎁

So, how do we prepare for the holiday rush before it’s sucking out our soul like a Dementor (iykyk⚡️)? Here are the steps to get a head start on your holiday email campaigns:

• Segment and Target: Identify your fan club (most engaged users) now. Sort your list into groups like frequent buyers, seasonal shoppers, and newbies, so your messages are personalized and relevant.
• Batch Sends: As your list grows and the emails become more frequent, batch your sends to stay friendly with email clients and stay off their naughty (spam) list.
• List Hygiene: Start scrubbin! Remove inactive contacts to improve deliverability, reduce bounce rates, and help your messages stand out during high-traffic periods.
• Plan Automated Journeys: Set up workflows to automate sequences. For example, create a series for cart abandonment, wishlist nudges, and “you might also like” recommendations, so you’re prepared before the inbox chaos starts.
• Incorporate Scarcity and Urgency: Design content with countdowns, limited offers, and “only X left!” messages that boost conversions. Test these now to see what resonates with your audience before the big days hit.

The Ghost of Email Future 🔮

When we’re in the thick of it, keep it easy-peasy: focus on clear calls-to-action and actionable content. Use urgency, but don’t drown your recipients in content. Remember, you’re a recipient as well, so put yourself in their shoes. What would you like to see (or not see) flow through your inbox?

And post-holiday? First, pour yourself that extra glass of spiked eggnog, you deserve it champ.

Now, it’s follow-up time! Send a "thank you" to your bestie buyers, give non-buyers a final chance to snag offers (or maybe they don’t deserve it?), and invite feedback. Building on holiday success means turning new contacts into regulars and keeping the momentum strong going into the new year. 🍾