holiday marketing strategies for small businesses

© Deluxe Enterprise Operations, LLC. Proprietary and Confidential.

Webinar Title


About the presenters

• Michelle Vanschelven – I’ve been with Deluxe for 8 years. I send out my own

holiday cards in February. I enjoy biking with my kids and am a better chef than

Reid!

• Reid Yoshimoto - I joined Deluxe just under 2 years as their Email Marketing

Specialist. I’ve learned from some of the best marketers here and manage the

email programs which include promotions, newsletters, and partner campaigns.

In my spare time I cook like an Iron Chef and will arrange a cook-off with

Michelle.


Mail is still an important daily occurrence

• 77% of consumers sort through physical mail as soon as they get it

• 98% of people check mail daily

“Humans are hardwired to make others feel special through something that is personal, tangible and unexpected”

Reference:Epsilon US Postal Service


Tangible expression of gratitude

In a world of electronic communications, mailed cards actually carry a stronger acknowledgement of a valued relationship

• Makes the recipient feel important

• The sender feels like he/she has gone an extra step

Reference:Wombi


5 great reasons to send holiday cards

1. Build stronger relationships and keeps business top-of-mind

2. Cost effective and make great companion products to holiday gifts

3. Establishes customer loyalty

4. Cards are often displayed throughout the season

5. Reactivates past customers, renews relationship


Keep your company name top of mind

• Explore personalization options

• Custom verses and messages

• Company photos

• Company name imprints

• Full-color company logos

• From All of Us


When your services are needed, you are remembered

• Line of Business designs

• Physical cards are displayed, raising your audience reach

• Encourages recipient to continue to call on you for service, customer loyalty


Email Marketing


Email Marketing

• Evaluation/Reporting

• Email Basics

• Plannig / Matrix

• Articles


Email Marketing: Planning – Matrix

What are some goals of your campaigns you want to send?• Drive traffic to your website• Engagement/Re-engagement – increase open rates, increase click through rates• Get new customers – grow your email list – sign people up for your newsletter• Map things out on a whiteboard

Who do you want to send to?• Different offers based on customer segments (Openers, Non-openers, Clickers)• Data tells you how your customers interact with your emails

When do you want to send them?• Halloween, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday• Post campaign follow up – if you missed it here’s a 10% offer we are running through month end (non

openers/non responders) – Send on Wednesday following Cyber Monday

What is your offer?• Clicked on November offer, offer an additional discount for your December deal• One time offer – make it exclusive to a smaller group (clickers)• Take a look at your inventory – what do you want to sell or include at a special rate

http://www.verticalresponse.com/blog/from-zero-to-success-building-an-email-list-from-scratch/


Email Marketing: Planning – Matrix

1. What worked and what didn’t?

a. Which campaigns produced the desired resultsb. How many new customers did you getc. Which days were optimal for your campaignsd. Which times were optimal

2. What do you want to do with this data?

a. Introduce or remove campaigns b. Look at previous campaigns you’ve runc. Update images and copy for successful campaigns you ran last year.


Email Marketing: Planning/Matrix

Campaign Day Date Details Goal

Halloween Offer Tuesday 10/31 Trick or treat special Revenue

Black Friday Friday 11/24 Deal 1 - % offer Test % off – clickers

versus non-clickers

Cyber Monday Monday 11/27 Deal 2 - $ offer Test $ off – clickers

versus non-clickers

December campaign Sunday - Saturday 12/01 – 12/15 Bonus special with offer December revenue

December final

stretch

Sunday - Saturday 12/18 – 12/22 Last week for holiday

offer

Last minute revenue

January NY theme Sunday – Saturday 01/01 – 01/05 New Year special Additional holiday

revenue

Post Holiday Survey Tuesday 01/08 Purchasers Feedback on offers

February Thursday 02/14 Valentine’s promotion Revenue


Email Marketing: Email Basics

How do you calculate open rates?

a) Amount of opens divided by amount sentb) Amount of clicks divided by the amount of opensc) Take an average on the hour of all opens

What increases the open rate of an email?

a) Subject lineb) Time of day that you sent the emailc) Both



Open Rate• Unique opens divided by emails sent

• (25 opens / 300 sent = 8% open rate)• Affected by Subject Line• According to Media Post the U.S. marketing average is 22%• Ask a question – “Would you like 20% off?”• Create exclusivity – “Exclusive Pre Holiday Offer”• Create a buzz – “Get a second gift on us”, “You’re missing out”

Click Through Rate• Unique clicks divided by unique opens

• (10 clicks / 250 opens = 4% click through rate)• Media Post says the U.S. marketing average is 4%• Use of image versus graphic or text• Call to action - CTA button color• Content – does the customer want to take action. Have you convinced them?• AB testing – test only one thing.

https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/300974/study-average-email-open-rate-across-industries-i.html

https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/300974/study-average-email-open-rate-across-industries-i.html



• Call to action buttons are visible and in the right area

• Links work and are they directing to the correct area of your website

• Images are from your site, consistent and familiar

• Keep copy minimal and to the point

• Test your email and then test it again


Email Marketing: Evaluation - Reporting

1. Look at open and click through rates as your campaigns launch. View initial stats for the day

and review again a couple days later.

2. Adjust as you go and keep notes.

3. VerticalResponse customers: 50K campaigns sent!

• Nov 1-15 = Open Rate 10%

• Black Friday = Open Rate 10%

• Cyber Monday = Open Rate 9%

• Dec 1-15 = Open Rate 9%

• Overall click rates were 2.5%



Campaign Day Date Details Sent Open Rate Click

Through

Rate

Notes

Halloween

Offer

Tuesday 10/31 Trick or treat

special

995 15% 2% Sent at

11am on

Tuesday

Black Friday Friday 11/24 Deal 1 - %

offer

997 17% 5% Good click

through

rates

Cyber

Monday

Monday 11/27 Deal 2 - $ offer 1000 18% 4% Subject line

got good

open rate

December

campaign

Sunday -

Saturday

12/01 –

12/15

Bonus special

with offer

995 12% 3%

December

final stretch

Sunday -

Saturday

12/18 –

12/22

Last week for

holiday offer

997 17% 3%



What did you learn?

• Who was a maybe - did open your email

• Who declined – did not open

• Who attended – did open and did click (eat)!


Email Marketing - Articles

Deluxe Blog:

• A Retailer’s Checklist to Prepare for the Holidays• Make It a Season of Success: Tips, tools and more for your holiday

marketing

VerticalResponse Blog:

• 50 all-time great retail subject lines• Holiday marketing without the heavy markup: 11 tips for seasonal

marketing on a budget• 3 tips to wake up nonresponders and boost email open rates• How to create an effective email marketing campaign [INFOGRAPHIC]

https://www.deluxe.com/blog/a-retailers-checklist-to-prepare-for-the-holidays/

https://www.deluxe.com/blog/make-it-a-season-of-success-tips-tools-and-more-for-your-holiday-marketing/

http://www.verticalresponse.com/blog/50-all-time-great-subject-lines-that-work/

http://www.verticalresponse.com/blog/holiday-marketing-without-the-heavy-markup-11-tips-for-seasonal-marketing-on-a-budget/

http://www.verticalresponse.com/blog/3-tips-to-wake-up-nonresponders-boost-email-open-rates/

http://www.verticalresponse.com/blog/how-to-create-an-effective-email-marketing-campaign-infographic/

Visit deluxe.com

https://www.deluxe.com/