The no-man’s land that is New Year’s email marketing

Christmas gets most customers’ (and therefore, most marketers’) attention right up until December 25. This leaves very little time for any of us to talk about the end of the year, the start of a new one, and the wonderful celebrations many of us are planning on December 31st. So today, we’re giving New Year’s the attention it deserves.  Read on for strategy and tips, some great New Year’s email marketing examples, and ideas you can apply to your own business.

Let’s make New Year’s a thing again!

 …but first, a word on relevance

I refer to New Year’s as the no-man’s land of December email marketing programs because it just doesn’t seem to have a spot on the calendar. There isn’t a lot of time to talk about it unless you want to split time with December 25th, and who wants to try and steal the spotlight from Christmas Day?
Before you read on for a few ways that your business might connect New Year’s themes to your business products and services, take the time time for a reality check.

Does your business align better with gift-giving than it does with glamorous gatherings or new beginnings?

If you see an obvious bias on the part of your customers’ behavior OR your product and service mix, you should consider skipping one or the other. There’s no point in forcing a New Year’s email marketing campaign just to show up in the inbox. If it isn’t relevant, or if you’re really reaching to find a connection and add value for your subscribers around this theme, bag it.

I mean it.

But if you DO see obvious ways that your business can deliver value to the inbox for your customers around New Year’s themes, let’s make it work.

Okay, let’s do this.

New Year’s Email Marketing Theme #1: Glamorous Gatherings

If you’re in the glamorous gathering business, consider starting the New Year’s conversation early (as in, before Christmas). Your customers want those sparkly earrings, that fine bottle of champagne, and the best DJ in [insert your town here]. Help them get what they need to ring in 2019 in style.

Can you save New Year’s email marketing campaigns for right after Christmas? Sure! If your product ships quickly, or if you’re a brick and mortar location and open between Christmas and New Year’s, by all means.

But if you’re a party planner or in the lifestyle realm, odds are that you’d be FAR too late if you wait until after Christmas to send your New Year’s email marketing campaigns. People need time to book their caterer, their DJ, to order their wine. People want to be prepared.**
**except me. I’m like, not a real big plan ahead-er in my personal life.

Send a dedicated “Countdown to New Year’s” email at the start of December. Include New Year’s offers in your Holiday Guide throughout November and into December. Opt for a New Year’s spotlight instead of a Last Minute Gifts email campaign. Better yet, center your Last-Minute Shopper’s campaign around New Year’s instead of Christmas!

Sprinkle some of that jeweled disco ball glamor in amongst your tinsel-laden emails early in the month, and send your last call towards the end of December.

New Year’s Email Marketing Theme #2: Year-End Review / New Year Kick-Off

Send your customers an email that highlights all the ways your business made a positive impact in 2018. This is different than your digital holiday card. It should center around your business activity, not your customer’s contributions to your business.

You know that old 90s song, “Closing Time”? The lyric

every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end…

is what your Year-End Review email campaign should strive to sum up. What lies in store next year is directly impacted by what your business accomplished in 2018! Share your story and your warm fuzzies with your subscribers. You’ll make them feel good that they were a part of your excellent year, and be that much more excited to join in the journey ahead!

Speaking of the journey ahead, you could also give the people who have contributed to your success in 2018 a peek behind the curtain at what you have planned for the year to come. Share your business New Year’s Resolutions. Maybe you have a few new products or a new menu to roll out in the new year. Tease them out to your subscribers to get them excited. Or perhaps you are resolving to over deliver on customer expectations in a specific area, such as customer service or shipping time. Let your customers know these changes are coming down the pipe.

Better yet, invite your customers to share in the experience of accomplishing these business New Year’s Resolutions. Put together a quick survey asking them where they’d like to see you focus next. Poll your customers by sharing the 5 things you’re considering for the year to come, and ask them to vote on their favorite. Encourage them to share their experience with you on Yelp, or join your community on social media. When we invite our customers to actively inform the decisions we make as a business, we are taking an important step in turning a casual customer into a loyal brand advocate.

And there’s no better time to do this than at the start of a New Year, when most of us feel a little more altruistic in the afterglow of Christmas and the promise of a fresh start.

New Year’s Email Marketing Theme #3: What your customers need to accomplish their own resolutions!

Raise your hand if you (personally) LOVE New Year’s Resolutions!

*raises hand proudly*

I LOVE the start of a new year. I actually even love the start of a new quarter, or a new month! Something about new beginnings gets me amped to double down my efforts and show up as the best version of myself. Never is this feeling more intense than at the very beginning of a new calendar year.

January 1, I heart you.

Build a New Year’s email marketing campaign around Resolving to X. Share your products and services that allow your customers to do whatever X is.

When I worked in the wine industry, a client had the idea to center a campaign around Resolving to Try New Things. We put the spotlight on some of the micro-production wines they were producing from lesser-known varietals. Not only was it a great way to introduce their subscribers to a different side of their winery, it drove sales!

There are a lot of ways to connect your product or service to common New Year’s Resolutions. Healthy lifestyle? More productivity? Learning a new skill? Having a more organized and stylish home? Dressing for success?

Okay, maybe I’m the only one who resolves to actually look like I am trying.

Here are a few winners for tying in resolutions into your New Year’s email marketing campaigns:

 

But selling stuff doesn’t need to be at the heart of your New Year’s Resolutions campaign.

In fact, one might argue that it shouldn’t be. After all, how many of us resolve to save some money at the start of a New Year? How many of us have tapped our savings to splurge on holiday gifts? Anybody else feeling a little buyer’s remorse come December 26?

*sheepish hand raise*

Consider simply GIVING to your subscribers with value-added content. Inspirational quotes, a free how-to guide, motivational magic… Earn your subscribers’ trust by showing up for them in this way, giving instead of asking.

Some thoughts on cadence

By now, you probably have some ideas on how to tie in New Year’s email marketing campaigns to your December plan. But maybe you’re still wondering how to squeeze it on the calendar.

During the holiday season, it isn’t unheard of to send a campaign every week, as long as the themes and offerings are relevant and you’re being thoughtful with your segmentation.

Look at your calendar and find the most logical place to send your New Year’s email marketing campaign(s), based on your product offering, shipping/delivery timelines, days that your business is actually open, and when your customers need whatever it is you have to offer. Shuffle a few things around if you have to, but make it work if it works.

Clear as mud? Obviously.

Summin’ it up

There are many ways to share your business values, products and services through New Year’s email marketing campaigns. I hope you’ll take a minute after reading this to brainstorm on your own. Make a list of 5, 10, 20 campaign concepts, themes, products, or stories that would align neatly with themes of glamorous gatherings, a year in review, and new beginnings. Circle your favorites, share them with a colleague, and make a plan to connect with your customers through your own New Year’s email marketing programs. Take a look at your existing December calendar to find the best place to send without inundating your customer inbox or cannibalizing your other email marketing campaigns.

What are your email marketing New Year’s resolutions? Tell me in the comments below! If you think that I can help, hit me up.