The holiday season has arrived, and with it, the opportunity to drive loyalty via a seasonally-appropriate newsletter. With holiday sales representing an estimated 20 percent of total annual retail sales, there’s no denying the need for an effectively crafted newsletter that encourages customers to convert while also strengthening their appreciation for your brand and honestly conveying your best wishes. This odd year, more than ever, retailers and eCommerce brands need to create the most engaging experiences and campaigns possible, to attract consumers’ attention.
Your most ambitious holiday sales goals are well within reach. To get you started, we’ve compiled 24 Holiday newsletter ideas for making the most of your annual holiday campaigns.
Table of Contents
Bring Some Cheer with These 24 Holiday Newsletter Ideas
Holiday Newsletter Idea 1: Provide a Segment-Specific Holiday Wish List
Gift givers often struggle to know what, exactly, their intended recipients might actually like. Those who are short on ideas will appreciate detailed wish lists meant to appeal to specific types of recipients. Lists could highlight top gifts for broad categories such as kids or coworkers — or more specific groups like outdoorsy types or fashion lovers.
Holiday Newsletter Idea 2: Create a Time-Sensitive Christmas Offer With a Countdown Clock
Holiday shoppers instinctively know that time is limited, but they still tend to procrastinate — unless they think that waiting too long could cost them. Provide an enticing incentive in the form of a limited-time offer, complete with a countdown clock to remind customers that they’ll miss out if they fail to take action. Visually impactful, these clocks create a sense of urgency in otherwise leisurely newsletter readers. Important: make sure you include scarcity within your subject lines as well to maximize your open rates.
Holiday Newsletter Idea 3: Send Exclusive Holiday Deals For Your Customer Loyalty Program
Reignite loyal customers with special deals offered purely for loyalty program members. These customers will love the exclusivity and just might plan their shopping strategies around additional anticipated deals.
Holiday Newsletter Idea 4: Schedule a 7-Day Holiday Sales Week Featuring New Emails Every Day
Bombarded with competing marketing messages, customers may require occasional reminders of your company’s exceptional offers. Level up your email efforts with a 7-day series featuring new and exciting messages every day. Get creative and assign a theme to your email blast — and don’t hesitate to integrate a little humor.
To be a bit more creative, you can try a dynamic image tool, like PickaPic, which automatically refreshes the creatives in your newsletters based on the time your reader opens the email.
Holiday Newsletter Idea 5: Give a Free Santa Delivery Offer
Today’s customers are not willing to put up with high delivery fees. Most will purchase more in exchange for free or dramatically reduced delivery. Go beyond your usual delivery discount by bringing Santa into the mix. For example, if customers spend over a specific threshold, they can avoid delivery fees as ‘Santa’ heads out on his route.
Holiday Newsletter Idea 6: Reward VIP Customers With Personalized Offers to Boost Loyalty
One of the best holiday newsletter ideas to consider (for any industry) is to engage those who have supported your brand all along! During the holiday season, your primary objective is not only to score new customers, but also to take dedicated consumers to the next level. This can be accomplished with personalized deals provided in recognition of repeat customers’ loyalty to your brand. These customized deals will make consumers feel special — and they just might respond with additional purchases.
Holiday Newsletter Idea 7: Throw an Exclusive Holiday Event For Top Customers, Complete With RSVP Invitations
Reward the most loyal customers with a holiday event, which, in addition to getting them in the spirit, will help them identify even more closely with your brand. This effort can produce exceptionally enthusiastic consumers, who will not only continue to purchase your offerings but also convince their loved ones to do so as well.
Holiday Newsletter Idea 8: Provide Personalized Product Recommendations Based on Last Year’s Holiday Sales
Repeat customers often gravitate towards specific types of products. Harness the power of eCommerce marketing automation solutions such as ContactPigeon to generate recommendations based on past sales. Showcasing the right products or categories can dramatically increase your chances of scoring a repeat sale. You can run this by segmenting customers from last holiday based on the type of products bought, and run category targeted recommendation.
Another way to set up personalized product recommendations can be accomplished via a repurchase reminder, with related product suggestions.
Holiday Newsletter Idea 9: Boost AOV By Providing Coupons For Each Order Exceeding a Given Threshold
Determined to improve your average order value? Keep in mind that customers will spend more if they expect to save later. Provide coupons allowing those who reach a specific spending threshold to save a little extra when they return for a future purchase. In addition to boosting AOV, this key tactic could produce repeat customers.
Holiday Newsletter Idea 10: Reassure Customers That All Deliveries Will Arrive On Time
When the holidays arrive, normally price-conscious consumers are often willing to pay extra to ensure that deliveries arrive on time. Whether deliveries are offered for free or have a fee attached, customers will be reluctant to make last-minute purchases if they anticipate delays. Let them know that such fears are entirely unfounded.
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Holiday Newsletter Idea 11: Provide Access to Free Digital Resources
Customers love rewards. During the holidays, these often take the form of discounts and free deliveries. Digital content, however, can also entice otherwise reluctant consumers, who may go the extra mile for a free eBook, webinar, or other ordinarily exclusive content.
Holiday Newsletter Idea 12: Make It Easier to Score Company Swag
Another excellent reward: swag emblazoned with your company’s logo. Not only do such offerings encourage customer retention, but they also allow consumers to act as walking billboards for your brand.
Holiday Newsletter Idea 13: Provide an Exclusive Sample Sale
Whether you’re eager to expand your reach with long-time brand enthusiasts or determined to get potential new customers on board, a sample sale can provide a gentle boost. This is an especially appropriate tactic as you launch new product lines or encourage customers to step outside of their comfort zone.
Holiday Newsletter Idea 14: Provide Samples As Freebies
Another great option for incorporating samples? Giving them away as freebies for those who purchase specific products or spend a certain amount on other items. Recipients will love these sample products so much, they just might include the standard option with their next order.
Holiday Newsletter Idea 15: Go Beyond Black Friday
Black Friday may be the shopping season’s most important day, but not everybody is willing or able to partake. Encourage customers to continue shopping after this landmark date. In addition to Cyber Monday and Small Business Saturday, feel free to highlight last-minute deals provided specifically for holiday procrastinators.
Newsletter Idea 16: Offer Alternative Ideas For Integrating Products And Services Into the Holiday Season
Your customers are well aware that your offerings can form the basis of an amazing gift, but that’s not where their usefulness ends. How else could your products make a difference during the holiday season? Perhaps they can help customers throw parties or capture special memories. Clue your newsletter readers in on the many unexpected ways in which they can make the most of your brand.
Holiday Newsletter Idea 17: Share Stories
From silly anecdotes to meaningful memories, holiday customers love stories. The ideal newsletter tale will be short and sweet, while still capturing the essence of your brand and the spirit of the season.
Holiday Newsletter Idea 18: Encourage Customers to Get Involved on Social Media
Newsletters offer ample opportunities for social media integration. Encourage customers to check out posts on Facebook or Instagram to learn more about special holiday deals or events. Better yet, get them actively involved by alerting them to upcoming social media-based photo contests or product giveaways.
Holiday Newsletter Idea 19: Consider Other Holidays
Holiday marketing strategies often center around Christmas, but this is just one of several major events capable of getting customers excited during the months of November and December. Don’t hesitate to expand your reach to include Hanukkah, New Year’s Eve, and other highly-anticipated occasions.
Holiday Newsletter Idea 20: Optimize For Mobile
On-the-go customers primarily check email via their phones. They will quickly swipe past clunky emails that are not optimized for mobile viewing. Offer an integrated experience that allows customers to seamlessly transition from reading your email to making purchases on their phones.
Holiday Newsletter Idea 21: Discuss Charitable Efforts And Other Instances of Community Support
Customers love to support brands that, in turn, support great causes. This takes on greater meaning during the holiday season, when giving extends beyond gifts to include charitable contributions. Your newsletter provides the perfect platform to highlight your most notable charitable projects — and let readers know how they can get involved.
Holiday Newsletter Idea 22: Intrigue fans to play with you
Once you have no ideas left or other products to promote, instead of remaining silent you could focus on your social media engagement strategy. A quite effective idea which would keep your audience engaged would be to schedule daily puzzle games at your social media accounts and invite your customers play with you. Of course using your newsletter to invite them to play could greatly increase your open rates & CTR . This is a great way for your fans to discover another side of your brand and build stronger relationship with you.
Holiday Newsletter Idea 23: Email the very best articles of yours
If your brand has a company blog with useful content for your readers and customers then this idea is just for you. If you don’t, then start writing blog content right now. The XMAS period tend to be a nice opportunity for consumers to brag a little on social media and read some tips about their favorite topics or hobbies. Make sure you monopolie their interest by serving them your very best of your articles, via a content-focused holiday newsletter. And yes, they will appreciate it if you don’t try to sell to them all the time.
Holiday Newsletter Idea 24: Send Your Best, Honest Wishes
Take a moment to step back from sales mode and instead provide your best wishes for a wonderful holiday season. Sometimes, all customers want to know is that the real people behind their favorite brands’ care. This is your chance to prove it.
Holiday Marketing Trends You Should Know in 2023
The marketing sphere is constantly changing — and big shifts are in store for 2023. As you craft your holiday strategy, be on the lookout for the following trends:
Trend 1: Cocooning = Content
This year will be the weirdest of all for most of us as well as for the consumers as well. Since the new wave of the virus will make people spend most of their holiday leisure time in their homes, brands could potentially see this as a great opportunity to further engage with them. Make sure that this year your holiday marketing campaign it twice as intensive and rich in content and tips to have fun at home, since consumers already spend 4 hours and two minutes per day, since the 1st lockdown.
Trend 2: Voice-Activated Search
From Siri to Alexa, mobile users are increasingly abandoning text in favor of voice. This could have a huge impact not only on search marketing but also on email outreach. Consumers now favor conversational styles, which feel far more personal. While voice tools are not yet relied on for email, that’s about to change — and you’ll want to be ready when it does.
Trend 3: Email Resembling the Web
Email once occupied a separate sphere, but it will soon be fully integrated with web functions, allowing consumers to make purchases directly from messages. This could dramatically streamline the sales funnel, bringing email marketing into a new age.
Trend 4: Predictive Automation
Consumers are increasingly comfortable with the integration of predictive analytics in their digital pursuits. Many appreciate the convenience that predictive solutions provide. This approach can provide a competitive edge by anticipating what consumers want when they want it.
Next Step: Discover more useful Holiday Marketing resources
- The 30 Best Christmas campaigns we’ve ever seen
- Building a 360-degree Christmas marketing strategy in retail
- 100+ Fairytale-ish Christmas Email Subject Lines for Holiday
- The Step By Step Holiday Email Marketing Checklist
- Everything You Need To Know About Holiday Email Marketing
- 56 Christmas Marketing Statistics to Know for This Holiday Season
In Conclusion
Your holiday newsletter represents the ultimate opportunity to connect with both new and loyal customers. Get in the spirit of the season with a special message that reflects your brand at its best. We hope these holiday newsletter ideas can spark inspiration for your upcoming holiday campaigns. Last but not least, keep in mind that this very strange year your audience may be more willing than ever to meet another, less promotional and more humane side of your brand. Please share with us your ideas and what worked well for your business. Happy marketing!
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