7 December Publication Concepts (and Why They Work)

Advertising and marketing is usually about experimentation and iteration.

Strive providing free presents as an alternative of proportion reductions. Tinker along with your buyer segments. Write a topic line utilizing nothing however emojis. See what works greatest—and do extra of it.

However December undoubtedly isn’t the time for taking part in. With Christmas approaching quick, you’ll wish to lean again on tried-and-trusted methods to maximise income era at this essential time of 12 months.

Fortuitously, audiences are notably receptive to our messaging in December, which sees the second-highest e-mail open price of any month, at 21.81 p.c. Solely November—which, let’s not overlook, contains BFCM—has a better price.

Hopefully, you have already got a transparent image of what your December e-mail advertising campaigns will appear to be. However in case you’re nonetheless seeking to finalize your plans, don’t fear, as a result of I’ve taken one other deep-dive into the Drip swipe file to spherical up seven of the perfect December publication concepts…

As entrepreneurs, we’re usually determined for Black Friday and Cyber Monday to be over. Months of planning, adopted by probably the most intense working week of the 12 months—and on a regular basis you’re continually terrified that your web site will crash or your emails will by accident promote final 12 months’s provide.

It’s a surprise we hold coming again for extra.

However proof suggests that customers don’t suppose the identical. Take a fast peek at Google Traits and also you’ll see there’s nonetheless some search curiosity round Black Friday and Cyber Monday after the occasions have handed:

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So why not give them what they’re in search of by sending a BFCM followup e-mail in early December? That’s exactly what The Physique Store did in my first December publication instance:

There are a pair benefits to this strategy. 

Firstly, there’s a far stronger likelihood prospects will truly see your post-Cyber Weekend emails. Based on Marketing campaign Monitor, greater than 116 million emails are despatched on Black Friday—greater than another single day. So there’s one thing to be mentioned for following up a number of days later to succeed in individuals who missed your message on the day itself.

Secondly, there’s a superb likelihood you’ll wish to run some form of low cost or promotion in early December anyway. Tying it to your BFCM providing means you’re technically selling the identical sale fairly than beginning a brand new one. 

That is sensible from a client psychology perspective, with analysis from Klarna revealing that 38 p.c of consumers imagine fixed gross sales make manufacturers look retro and low-cost.

Sadly, not all of these gross sales are going to stay. Based on the Nationwide Retail Federation, retailers anticipated greater than 13 p.c of all merchandise bought in the course of the 2020 vacation interval to be returned, at an estimated price of $101 billion. 

The overwhelming majority of these returns—simply over 80 p.c—occur in January:

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That’s a irritating, if inevitable, statistic. You’re employed laborious to hone your messaging all through the vacation season, solely to see about $1 of each $7.50 spent leading to a return.

Wouldn’t or not it’s good in case you may discover some strategy to cut back your return price?

Really, you possibly can, with analysis from Shinhyoung Lee and Youjae Yi revealing that shoppers are much less more likely to return purchases together with a free reward. 

Based on the researchers, it’s all in regards to the buyer’s perceived sense of loss. For no matter purpose, they’ve a larger feeling of loss when the merchandise they return is described as a “free reward.”

Use this technique to your benefit by providing a free reward as a part of your December advertising plans, like cosmetics model Origins did on this instance:

This strategy isn’t nearly decreasing returns. By providing the reward to prospects who spend over a certain quantity, you can even improve your common order worth—offered prospects understand the reward’s worth to be price the additional expense.

In a world the place 56 p.c of all cart abandonments will be traced again to shipping-related considerations, there’s by no means a unhealthy time of 12 months to advertise free transport.

However this tactic will be particularly priceless throughout December, with analysis from Google revealing that 75 p.c of vacation consumers plan to purchase from manufacturers that provide free transport.

Sleepwear model Lunya is clearly effectively conscious of this development, utilizing free transport as the primary “hook” for considered one of its December 2021 e-mail campaigns:

There’s lots to love about this instance.

For one factor, Lunya saved issues easy by providing free floor transport on all US orders, leaving no room for confusion. It additionally launched a component of shortage by working this promotion as a limited-time low cost, encouraging consumers to purchase now.

Importantly, Lunya additionally took care so as to add additional info round supply timings:

That is essential throughout December, when prospects merely can’t afford for his or her purchases to reach later than anticipated.

If something, it seems we’re truly turning into much less organized in the case of Christmas buying. Google revealed that in 2021, searches for “final minute christmas presents for” elevated globally by greater than 700 p.c within the week working as much as December twenty fifth.

There are a pair methods for ecommerce entrepreneurs to capitalize on shoppers’ lack of preparation.

One strategy, favored by cosmetics model Charlotte Tilbury, is to warn prospects when the ultimate date for Christmas transport arrives:

This isn’t simply an opportunity to drive gross sales; it’s virtually a public service. Your prospects will thanks for serving to them keep away from the embarrassment of telling their nearest and dearest: “Sorry, your reward’s within the mail—I undoubtedly didn’t overlook to purchase it.”

Alternatively, in case you’re capable of provide ultra-fast transport—or maybe in-store pickup—nearer to Christmas Day, be happy to delay your messaging to the final attainable minute.

You’ll have a serious level of distinction versus all these different retailers that can’t ship as late as you, supplying you with a improbable alternative to drive last-minute gross sales.

Within the UK, shoppers constantly splash out round £4 billion ($4.9 billion) on December twenty sixth, so it’s undoubtedly one other massive alternative to drive on-line gross sales.

Menswear model Chubbies is effectively conscious of this, utilizing Boxing Day 2021 to focus on its e-mail advertising subscribers with a revenue-generating promotion. It began with the e-mail topic:

This can be a improbable topic line. It’s humorous, but additionally simply actual sufficient to make you suppose: “Hmmm, perhaps I ought to deal with myself.” I couldn’t assist however click on—and I’m certain loads of different recipients felt the identical.

Intelligently, Chubbies backed up its wonderful topic line with a stable gross sales promotion, providing a wholesome low cost on out-of-season inventory:

Once more, that is clever advertising. At the very least within the northern hemisphere, few shoppers are actively planning to purchase swim trunks in late December. What’s the hurt in providing a considerable saving on merchandise that might in any other case be gathering mud in your warehouse?

Knowledge from the US Census Bureau exhibits that spending at retailers and eating places climbed by 3.8 p.c month-on-month in January 2022—nearly twice as excessive as economists had predicted.

In different phrases, January is (yet one more) key interval for driving gross sales. Begin the 12 months poorly and also you’ll be taking part in catchup for weeks or months to return.

All of which signifies that it is sensible to begin pushing your January providing in late December, identical to Mattress Bathtub & Past did on this e-mail instance:

Identical to my earlier instance from Chubbies, the emphasis right here could be very a lot on clearance offers.

This is sensible. Based on Deloitte, the typical client is anticipated to shell out nearly $1,500 all through the vacation season. 

In any case that spending, the very last thing on most individuals’s minds is to spendmuch more on a bunch of big-ticket purchases. So take a leaf from Mattress Bathtub & Past’s ebook by pointing potential consumers within the path of your most closely discounted—and, due to this fact, most enticing—provides.

Spotify Wrapped has modified all that. The streaming platform’s personalised annual roundup attracted 30 million viewers in 2017, rising to greater than 120 million in 2021. Final 12 months additionally noticed nearly 60 million shares of Wrapped tales and playing cards throughout social media.

So why not soar on the bandwagon and share your personal “wrapped” of the earlier 12 months?

Clearly, you’re not Spotify, so you possibly can’t inform your e-mail subscribers how lengthy they spent listening to Taylor Swift. However you possibly can undoubtedly spotlight key tendencies and occasions from the previous 12 months, equivalent to:

Model Republic jumped on the “yearly roundup” development in 2021 by showcasing varied happenings from across the enterprise, together with its new retailer fit-outs and its sustainability efforts:

I’m a giant fan of this strategy—notably across the problems with company social duty and environmental, social, and company governance.

Truth is, shoppers wish to know that you simply’re making a (optimistic) distinction to the planet.

Analysis from Google Cloud discovered that four-fifths of consumers choose manufacturers’ values to align with their very own, whereas three-quarters have “break up up” with retailers over values-related conflicts.

But it surely’s not simply sufficient to easily make guarantees; it’s essential observe by way of with motion. Certainly, an Ipsos survey discovered that 34 p.c of shoppers have actively researched manufacturers to search out out whether or not they’re staying true to their phrases.

What higher time to exhibit your environmental credentials than proper on the finish of the 12 months?

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