1. Make your content mobile and desktop friendly

In today’s digital age, it’s important to ensure that your content is not only visually appealing but also optimized for both mobile and desktop devices. With more and more people shopping and browsing through their phones and laptops, it’s important to review how your website performs across different devices and make any necessary optimizations.

By making your content mobile and desktop friendly, you can provide a pleasant browsing experience for your users. Nobody wants to zoom in or scroll endlessly just to read the content or view product details. So make sure that your website and email design is responsive, with easy navigation, readable text, and properly sized images.

Optimizing your website for mobile devices can also help reduce abandoned carts and increase conversions. If users find it difficult to navigate or complete a purchase on their phones or tablets, they are more likely to abandon their carts. On the other hand, if the checkout process is smooth and user-friendly on all devices, it can lead to higher conversion rates.

2. Turn abandoned carts into revenue with crafty email follow-ups

The holiday season is here, and with more shoppers turning to online shopping, it’s the perfect time to focus on fine-tuning your abandoned cart recovery strategy. Don’t let those potential customers slip away – give them a chance to save their carts for later.

One effective way to reconnect with shoppers who’ve shown interest in your products is through personalized emails or messages. By sending follow-up messages tailored specifically to their abandoned carts, you can remind them of the items they left behind and entice them to complete their purchase.

Whether it’s a friendly email highlighting the benefits of the products or a text message offering a limited-time discount, these personalized approaches can make a significant difference in recovering lost sales during this busy holiday season.

3. Add a personal touch to your messaging

When it comes to holiday messaging, personalization is key. Gone are the days of generic mass emails and cookie-cutter marketing campaigns. Today, it’s all about creating a personal connection with your audience.

By utilizing the data you’ve gathered from preference centers and first-party data sources, you can tailor your messages to cater to each individual’s preferences and behaviors. This level of personalization not only shows that you value their unique needs but also increases the chances of engagement and conversion.

Imagine receiving an email that speaks directly to your interests or a targeted holiday ad that showcases products you’ve been eyeing. It instantly creates a sense of connection and makes you feel understood as a consumer.

4. Sprinkle some holiday magic into your SEO

The holiday season is the perfect time to sprinkle some festive magic into your website’s SEO. By incorporating festive keywords throughout your SEO copywriting and product descriptions, you can capture the attention of shoppers who are in the holiday spirit.

One way to add a touch of holiday flair to your SEO is by updating your meta tags and headings to showcase that seasonal spirit. By including keywords like “holiday deals,” “gift ideas,” or those related to your product, you can align your website to what customers are searching for at this time of year. By with your customers’ seasonal searches, you can increase the chances of attracting more traffic to your website. 

You can make the most out of your website traffic by incorporating a clear call-to-action (CTA) section. Not only does it help enhance your click-through rate, but it also allows you to drive revenue. By organizing your CTAs with various links, you can cater to the different interests and preferences of your visitors.

To make your CTAs engaging, use simple language that is easy for users to understand. A user-friendly layout will also encourage them to take action. Remember, the goal is to create a seamless experience that entices users to click and explore further.

5. Be social media savvy

The holiday season is the perfect time to have some extra fun on social media. With so many people spending time online during this festive period, using paid and organic social methods is an effective way to reach both new and loyal customers.

On Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, you can use targeted ads to connect with your desired audience uniquely. These platforms offer a range of gamification options to incorporate into your ad campaigns. You can create engaging content that resonates with your demographic using interactive quizzes, polls, and immersive storytelling experiences.

By adding gamification elements to your social media ads, you can transform the user experience from passive viewing to active participation. This approach not only increases brand awareness but also encourages interaction and engagement with your target audience.

But why stop there? For an added layer of flair and authenticity, team up with influencers who resonate with your target audience. Collaborating with influencers can help you tap into their engaged followers and create a buzz around your brand during the holiday season.

Time to wrap up

These five simple and engaging tips will help make your holiday marketing campaign a smashing success. By keeping your messaging personalized, your SEO festive, and your content as device-friendly and heartwarming as possible, you’re setting yourself up for a profitable holiday season. So why wait? Jump into the holiday marketing fun and spread good cheer all around.

We’re always recommending you get your customers’ preferences in order to deliver tailored communications, so what’s the issue?

Have opt-out campaigns become overkill?

A year ago we asked our LinkedIn audience what they think of opt-out campaigns, and the results were almost 50:50. In theory, they’re great, but in practice they’re almost more bother than the campaigns they seek to shield you from would be. It’s important to only send an opt-out campaign if you’re planning to send more than one campaign for the day itself, or you’re only adding to the noise.

As brands work with different calendars, some opt-out campaigns can start weeks before the potentially upsetting date. If you know Mother’s Day is a sensitive time for you, you can choose to avoid your promotions inbox for the week preceding it. However, with the rise of opt-out campaigns, this is no longer enough, as inboxes can be a reminder of a sensitive occasion every day for weeks.

What’s the solution?

So, you want to deliver relevant campaigns and be emotionally sensitive to your audience, but it seems a lot of people are fed up of opt-out campaigns. What can you do? Let’s look at a few things you can do to be a part of the next phase of opt-out marketing.

Utilize your preference center

Utilize your preference center year-round. Include opt-out options for sensitive occasions in your general preference center. Often the occasion won’t feel as sensitive if you do them all in one go upon signup, and this also ensures you won’t need to send out any campaigns on the topic, as you already have the data.

These examples from Bloom & Wild and Hotel Chocolat are great examples of preference centers and should be the norm moving forward. This year I’ve received lots of opt out campaigns and the majority of those didn’t include a link to a preference center too. You’d hope these brands are at least storing your response permanently, but I’m sure I’ve opted out of the same brands year after year. This makes for duplicate work, and it’s unnecessary extra emotion for your customers too.

Don’t make it such a big deal

If you do want to send out opt-out campaigns, consider making it a feature of a BAU campaign, a block or banner, rather than the entire focus of the email. Emails solely focused on opting out, in a design similar to the actual emails would be, are more upsetting than they need to be.  

This email from Harvey Nichols is all about its Beauty Month takeover, towards the end of the campaign a subtle and discreet Mother’s day opt-out block is present. Of course, you want to ensure people who want to opt-out have the option, so there’s a balance between singing and shouting about it, and still giving people the option. 

Create sensitive campaigns

Recognizing that an occasion can be sensitive for your customers is important, and an opt-out campaign isn’t the end of that required sensitivity. When you’re creating campaigns for these occasions, consider the audience that this is hard for. Seeing inclusive and broad language such as mother figures, step mothers, grandmothers, and so on help to soften the sensitivities for some people.

Opting out of emails is just some of the marketing around the day people will see. You can’t opt-out of social media, tv adverts, in-store posters and so on. You also need to be aware that not everyone who finds the day hard will have opted-out. You can stand out by making your email campaign a safe space within a sensitive topic.

Find a way to put a positive spin on it for those who don’t or can’t celebrate. Include some inclusive, uplifting copy in your campaign such as ‘and for those of you who find this day hard, treat yourself, we’re celebrating you’. For those who have opted-out, create a separate content led campaign with no mention of the day at all – so that they don’t feel forgotten, and have a happy distraction on a day where they might be hurting. Empathetic marketing is on the up, and it’s nice to be nice.

This example from kitchenware brand Our Place handles Father’s Day in a fantastic way. The brand hasn’t shied away from the day, but instead handled it with sensitivity and a sense of realness. Featuring a personal story from someone with an absent father, it gives comfort and company to anyone also facing that and finding the day difficult. I also love the line of copy: “To everyone who fills a father’s shoes, we wish you a very happy and restorative Father’s Day” – it’s the perfect example of inclusive language and empathetic marketing.

Summary

Hallmark holidays are big sales opportunities, and they’re opportunities for your brand to demonstrate empathetic marketing too. These days can be incredibly hard for some people for all sorts of reasons. As a brand, the last thing you want your email campaign to do is ruin your customer’s day. Your customer’s experience is priority, and more than ever for these occasions there is no one-size-fits-all approach.

With a bit of forward planning, and a considerate preference center you can deliver sensitive campaigns (or not), without asking your customers each year. Delivering a positive experience and making your customers feel cared for has never been more important. Luckily we do have the tools to do just that. It’s time to be a little more sophisticated for this next stage of opt-out marketing.

How you use them and which you choose to include in your social media marketing plan will vary depending on your brand and your audience. Remember, the goal is to surprise and delight, and sometimes, the weird and wonderful is what it takes to engage customers and stop the scroll. Of course, you know we love a cross-channel approach, and social media and email marketing can really help each other out.

This list is extensive, it’s not exhaustive. With so many more holidays popping up all the time, there are sure to be some we’ve missed. But this list is designed to help inspire some new campaigns and help you plan unique ways to engage your customers.

January 2023

Themes for the month

Dry January #DryJanuary

National Mentoring Month #Mentoring Amplifies

National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month

January hashtag calendar

January 1 – New Year’s Day #NewYearsDay

January 2 – National Motivation and Inspiration Day #MotivationandInspirationDay

January 2 – Science Fiction Day #ScienceFictionDay

January 2 – World Introvert Day #WorldIntrovertDay

January 4 – National Spaghetti Day #NationalSpaghettiDay

January 4 – Back to Work #BacktoWork

January 5 – Bird Day #BirdDay

January 8 – Bubble Bath Day #BubbleBathDay

January 8 – National Vision Board Day #VisionBoardDay

January 11 – Human Trafficking Awareness Day #HumanTraffickingAwarenessDay

January 11 – Clean Off Your Desk Day #CleanOffYourDeskDay

January 13 – National Sticker Day #NationalStickerDay

January 13 – Make Your Dreams Come True Day #DreamsComeTrue

January 14 – Organize Your Home Day #OrganizeYourHomeDay

January 14 – Dress Up You Pet Day #DressUpYourPetDay

January 15 – National Hat Day #NationalHatDay

January 17 – Martin Luther King Jr. Day #MLKDay

January 18 – Winnie The Pooh Day #WinnieThePoohDay

January 19 – Popcorn Day #PopcornDay

January 20 – Penguin Awareness Day #PenguinAwarenessDay

January 21 – National Hugging Day #NationalHuggingDay

January 22 – Chinese New Year #YearOfTheRabbit

January 23 – National Pie Day #PieDay

January 24 – National Compliment Day #NationalComplimentDay

January 25 – Opposite Day #OppositeDay

January 27 – Chocolate Cake Day #ChocolateCakeDay

January 30 – Croissant Day #CroissantDay

January 31 – Backwards Day #BackwardsDay

February 2023

Themes for the month

National Black History Month (USA)

Random Acts of Kindness Week: February 13-19

LGBT+ History Month (UK)

February hashtag calendar

February 2 – Groundhog Day #GroundhogDay

February 2 – World Wetlands Day #WorldWetlandsDay

February 3 – Golden Retriever Day #GoldenRetrieverDay

February 4 – World Cancer Day #WorldCancerDay #WeCanICan

February 4 – National Bubble Gum Day #BubbleGumDay

February 6 – The Grammy Awards #Grammys2023

February 6 – Frozen Yoghurt Day #FrozenYoghurtDay

February 7 – National Send a Card to a Friend Day #SendACardToAFriendDay

February 8 – National Boy Scouts Day #BoyScoutsDay

February 9 – Pizza Day #PizzaDay

February 9 – New York Fashion Week begins #NYFW

February 11 – Make a Friend Day #MakeAFriendDay

February 12 – Super Bowl LVII #SuperBowl2023

February 13 – Self-Love Day #SelfLoveDay

February 13 – Galentine’s Day #GalentinesDay

February 14 – Valentine’s Day #ValentinesDay

February 14 – Singles Awareness Day #SinglesAwarenessDay

February 17 – Random Acts of Kindness Day #RandomActsOfKindnessDay

February 17 – London Fashion Week begins #LFW

February 18 – Eat Ice Cream For Breakfast Day #IceCream

February 20 – Love Your Pet Day #LoveYourPetDay

February 20 – Presidents Day #PresidentsDay

February 21 – Mardi Gras #MardiGras

February 24 – Toast Day #ToastDay

February 26 – National Wear Red Day #WearRed

March 2023

Themes for the month

Women’s History Month

American Red Cross Month

Ramadan: 22 March – 21 April

March hashtag calendar

March 1 – Peanut Butter Lover’s Day #PeanutButterLoversDay

March 2 – Dr. Suess Day #DrSuessDay

March 3 – World Wildlife Day #WorldWildlifeDay

March 3 – World Book Day #BookDay

March 4 – Employee Appreciation Day #EmployeeAppreciationDay

March 7 – Cereal Day #CerealDay

March 8 – International Women’s Day #InternationalWomensDay #IWD2023 #EachforEqual

March 8 – Organize Your Home Office Day #OrganizeYourHomeOfficeDay

March 9 – Meatball Day #MeatballDay

March 10 – International Day of Awesomeness #IDOA

March 12 – National Girl Scout Day #GirlScoutDay

March 12 – The Academy Awards #Oscars2023

March 14 – Potato Chip Day #NationalPotatoChipDay

March 14 – National Napping Day #NationalNappingDay

March 16 – Panda Day #PandaDay

March 17 – St. Patrick’s Day #StPatricksDay

March 18 – World Sleep Day #WorldSleepDay

March 18 – Awkward Moments Day #AwkwardMomentsDay

March 19 – National Let’s Laugh Day #NationalLetsLaughDay

March 19 – Mother’s Day (UK) #MothersDay

March 20 – First Day of Spring #FirstDayofSpring

March 20 – International Day of Happiness #InternationalDayofHappiness

March 20 – World Storytelling Day #WorldStorytellingDay

March 21 – Elimination of Racial Discrimination Day #RacialDiscriminationDay

March 21 – World Poetry Day #WorldPoetryDay

March 22 – World Water Day #WorldWaterDay #Water2me

March 23 – Puppy Day #PuppyDay

March 25 – Tolkien Reading Day #TolkienReadingDay

March 26 – Good Hair Day #GoodHairDay

March 26 – Earth Hour Day #EarthHourDay

March 31 – Transgender Day of Visibility #TDOV

April 2023

Themes for the month

Stress Awareness Month

National Poetry Month

April hashtag calendar

April 1 – April Fools Day #AprilFools

April 2 – World Autism Awareness Day #AutismAcceptance

April 3 – Find a Rainbow Day #FindARainbowDay

April 3 – World Party Day #PartyDay

April 7 – World Health Day #LetsTalk

April 7 – Good Friday #GoodFriday

April 9 – Easter Sunday #HappyEaster

April 9 – Unicorn Day #UnicornDay

April 10 – Siblings Day #SiblingsDay

April 11 – Pet Day #PetDay

April 19 – Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day #PJDay

April 20 – National Lookalike Day #NationalLookalikeDay

April 21 – National High-Five Day #NH5D

April 21 – World Creativity and Innovation Day #Innovate

April 22 – Earth Day #EarthDay2023

April 23 – National Picnic Day #NationalPicnicDay

April 24 – Pigs in a Blanket Day #PigsInBlanketsDay

April 25 – World Malaria Day #EndMalariaForGood

April 28 – Superhero Day #SuperheroDay

April 28 – Take Our Daughters & Sons to Work Day #COUNTONME

April 29 – International Dance Day #InternationalDanceDay

April 30 – Adopt a Shelter Pet Day #AdoptAShelterPetDay

May 2023

Themes for the month

National Barbeque Month

Lupus Awareness Month

May hashtag calendar

May 1 – May Day #MayDay

May 3 – Thank a Teacher Day #ThankATeacher

May 4 – Star Wars Day #MayThe4thBeWithYou

May 5 – Cinco de Mayo #CincoDeMayo

May 5 – World Password Day #WorldPasswordDay

May 6 – Nurses Day #NursesDay

May 8 – World Donkey Day #DonkeyDay

May 10 – World Lupus Day #LupusDay

May 11 – Eat What You Want Day #EatWhatYouWantDay

May 12 – Limerick Day #LimerickDay

May 13 – World Cocktail Day #CocktailDay

May 14 – Mother’s Day (US) #MothersDay

May 15 – International Day of Families #FamilyDay

May 15 – National Chocolate Chip Day #ChocolateChipDay

May 16 – Love a Tree Day #LoveATreeDay

May 17 – World Baking Day #BakingDay

May 18 – Visit Your Relatives Day #VisitYourRelativesDay

May 20 – World Bee Day #BeeDay

May 21 – Endangered Species Day #EndangeredSpeciesDay

May 22 – Sherlock Holmes Day #SherlockHolmesDay

May 24 – National Scavenger Hunt Day #NationalScavengerHuntDay

May 24 – Brother’s Day #BrothersDay

May 25 – Wine Day #WineDay

May 28 – Hamburger Day #NationalHamburgerDay

May 27 – Heat Awareness Day #NoFryDay

May 29 – Memorial Day #MemorialDay

May 30 – National Creativity Day #NationalCreativityDay

June 2023

Themes for the month

Pride Month

Men’s Health Education and Awareness Month

June hashtag calendar

June 2 – Rocky Road Day #RockyRoadDay

June 3 – Donut Day #DonutDay

June 5 – World Environment Day #WorldEnvironmentDay

June 5 – National Cancer Survivor’s Day #NCSD2023

June 6 – Drive-in Movie Day #DriveInMovieDay

June 7 – Chocolate Ice Cream Day #ChocolateIceCreamDay

June 8 – World Oceans Day #WorldOceansDay

June 8 – Best Friends Day #BestFriendsDay

June 10 – London Fashion Week begins #LFW

June 11 – Make Life Beautiful Day #MakeLifeBeautiful

June 14 – National Flag Day #FlagDay

June 14 – World Blood Donor Day #GiveBlood

June 16 – Fudge Day #FudgeDay

June 17 – Eat Your Vegetables Day #EatYourVegetablesDay

June 18 – International Picnic Day #PicnicDay

June 19 – Martini Day #MartiniDay

June 19 – Juneteenth #Juneteenth

June 19 – Father’s Day #FathersDay

June 20 – World Refugee Day #WorldRefugeeDay

June 21 – First Day of Summer #FirstDayOfSummer

June 21 – National Selfie Day #NationalSelfieDay

June 21 – World Music Day #WorldMusicDay

June 21 – International Yoga Day #InternationalYogaDay

June 24 – Take Your Dog To Work Day #TakeYourDogToWorkDay

June 27 – Sunglasses Day #SunglassesDay

June 30 – Social Media Day #SMDay, #SocialMediaDay

July 2023

Themes for the month

National Ice Cream Month

National Grilling Month

July hashtag calendar

July 1 – Joke Day #JokeDay

July 2 – World UFO Day #WorldUFODay

July 4 – Independence Day #July4th

July 5 – Bikini Day #BikiniDay

July 6 – Fried Chicken Day #FriedChickenDay

July 7 – World Chocolate Day #WorldChocolateDay

July 9 – Fashion Day #FashionDay

July 10 – Pina Colada Day #PinaColadaDay

July 11 – Cheer Up the Lonely Day #CheerUpTheLonelyDay

July 12 – Malala Day #MalalaDay

July 13 – French Fries Day #FrenchFriesDay

July 14 – Mac & Cheese Day #MacCheeseDay

July 15 – Give Something Away Day #GiveSomethingAwayDay

July 16 – Guinea Pig Appreciation Day #GuineaPigs

July 17 – World Emoji Day #WorldEmojiDay

July 17 – Ice Cream Day #IceCreamDay

July 18 – Nelson Mandela International Day #MandelaDay

July 20 – Lollipop Day #LollipopDay

July 21 – Junk Food Day #JunkFoodDay

July 24 – Tequila Day #TequilaDay

July 24 – Parents’ Day #ParentsDay

July 26 – All or Nothing Day #AllOrNothing

July 28 – Milk Chocolate Day #MilkChocolate Day

July 29 – Lipstick Day #LipstickDay

July 30 – International Day of Friendship #DayOfFriendship

July 31 – Harry Potter’s Birthday #HappyBirthdayHarry

August 2023

Themes for the month

National Immunization Awareness Month

Black Business Month

August hashtag calendar

August 2 – Coloring Book Day #ColoringBookDay

August 3 – Watermelon Day #WatermelonDay

August 5 – Blogger Day #BloggerDay

August 5 – Beer Day #BeerDay

August 7 – National Sisters Day #SistersDay

August 8 – Cat Day #CatDay

August 9 – Book Lovers Day #BookLoversDay

August 11 – Sons and Daughters Day #SonsAndDaughtersDay

August 12 – World Elephant Day #WorldElephantDay

August 13 – International Lefthanders Day #LefthandersDay

August 13 – Bowling Day #Bowling Day

August 15 – Relaxation Day #RelaxationDay

August 16 – Tell a Joke Day #TellAJokeDay

August 17 – Non-Profit Day #NonProfitDay

August 18 – Never Give Up Day #NeverGiveUp

August 19 – World Photo Day #WorldPhotoDay

August 19 – World Humanitarian Day #WorldHumanitarianDay

August 20 – National Lemonade Day #NationalLemonadeDay

August 23 – Sponge Cake Day #SpongeCakeDay

August 25 – Banana Split Day #BananaSplitDay

August 26 – Dog Day #DogDay

August 27 – World Rock Paper Scissors Day #RockPaperScissor

August 29 – Chop Suey Day #ChopSuey

September 2023

Themes for the month

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

Suicide Prevention Month

Friendship Month

Back to School

September hashtag calendar

September 2 – World Coconut Day #WorldCoconutDay

September 4 – Eat An Extra Dessert Day #EatAnExtraDessert

September 4 – Labor Day #LaborDay

September 5 – International Day of Charity #CharityDay

September 6 – Read a Book Day #ReadABookDay

September 7 – Superhuman Day #SuperhumanDay

September 8 – International Literacy Day #LiteracyDay

September 9 – Stand Up To Cancer Day #KissCancerGoodbye

September 11 – Day of Service and Remembrance #911Day

September 12 – Grandparents Day #GrandparentsDay

September 13 – Positive Thinking Day #PositiveThinkingDay

September 15 – Greenpeace Day #GreenpeaceDay

September 15 – London Fashion Week begins #LFW

September 19 – Talk Like a Pirate Day #TalkLikeAPirateDay

September 21 – International Day of Peace #PeaceDay

September 21 – Miniature Golf Day #MiniGolfDay

September 21 – World Alzheimer’s Day #Alzheimer’sDay

September 22 – Car-Free Day #CarFreeDay

September 22 – Hobbit Day #LordOfTheRings

September 23 – First Day of Fall #1stDayOfFall

September 24 – International Rabbit Day #InternationalRabbitDay

September 26 – European Day of Languages #EDL2023

September 27 – World Tourism Day #WTD2023

September 28 – Good Neighbor Day #GoodNeighborDay

September 29 – World Heart Day #HeartDay

September 30 – Love People Day #NationalLovePeopleDay

October 2023

Themes for the month

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Global Diversity Awareness Month

National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month

National Cyber Security Awareness Month

October hashtag calendar

October 1 – World Vegetarian Day #WorldVegetarianDay

October 1 – International Coffee Day #CoffeeDay

October 2 – Name Your Car Day #NameYourCarDay

October 4 – World Animal Day #WorldAnimalDay

October 4 – National Taco Day #NationalTacoDay

October 5 – World Teachers Day #WorldTeachersDay

October 6 – Noodle Day #NoodleDay

October 10 – World Mental Health Day #WorldMentalHeathDay

October 11 – International Day of the Girl #DayOfTheGirl

October 13 – Train Your Brain Day #TrainYourBrainDay

October 13 – World Sight Day #WorldSightDay

October 14 – World Egg Day #WorldEggDay

October 15 – Global Handwashing Day #GlobalHandwashingDay

October 16 – World Food Day #FoodDay

October 17 – Spreadsheet Day #Spreadsheets

October 19 – Evaluate Your Life Day #EvaluateYourLife

October 21 – Reptile Awareness Day #ReptileAwarenessDay

October 22 – Make a Difference Day #MDDAy

October 24 – United Nations Day #UNDay

October 25 – Greasy Foods Day #GreasyFoodsDay

October 26 – Pumpkin Day #PumpkinDay

October 28 – Chocolate Day #NationalChocolateDay

October 30 – Checklist Day #ChecklistDay

October 31 – Halloween #Halloween

November 2023

Themes for the month

Men’s Health Awareness Month #Movember

Epilepsy Awareness Month

November hashtag calendar

November 1 – World Vegan Day #WorldVeganDay

November 2 – International Stress Awareness Day #StressAwarenessDay

November 3 – Sandwich Day #SandwichDay

November 4 – Candy Day #CandyDay

November 4 – Use Your Common Sense Day #CommonSense

November 8 – Cappuccino Day #CappuccinoDay

November 9 – World Freedom Day #Freedom Day

November 11 – Veterans Day #VeteransDay

November 11 – Singles Day #SinglesDay

November 12 – Happy Hour Day #HappyHourDay

November 13 – World Kindness Day #WKD

November 13 – Tongue Twister Day #TongueTwisterDay

November 14 – World Diabetes Day #WDD

November 15 – Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day #CleanOutYourRefrigeratorDay

November 16 – International Day for Tolerance #ToleranceDay

November 16 – Fast Food Day #FastFoodDay

November 18 – Mickey Mouse’s Birthday #MickeyMouse

November 19 – International Men’s Day #InternationalMensDay

November 19 – Women’s Entrepreneurship Day #WomensEntrepreneurshipDay

November 21 – World Hello Day #WorldHelloDay

November 23 – Espresso Day #EspressoDay

November 23 – Thanksgiving Day #Thanksgiving

November 24 – Black Friday #BlackFriday2023

November 25 – Small Business Saturday #SmallBusinessSaturday

November 26 – National Cake Day #NationalCakeDay

November 27 – Cyber Monday #CyberMonday

November 28 – French Toast Day #FrenchToastDay

November 28 – Giving Tuesday #GivingTuesday

December 2023

Themes for the month

Hanukkah: December 18 – December 26

Christmas: December 24-26

Kwanzaa: December 26 – January 1

December hashtag calendar

December 1 – World AIDS Day #WAD2023

December 2 – Play Basketball Day #PlayBasketballDay

December 3 – Make A Gift Day #MakeAGiftDay

December 4 – Cookie Day #CookieDay

December 5 – International Ninja Day #DayOfTheNinja

December 7 – Cotton Candy Day #CottonCandyDay

December 8 – Pretend to Be a Time Traveler Day #PretendToBeATimeTravelerDay

December 8 – Brownie Day #BrownieDay

December 9 – Christmas Card Day #ChristmasCardDay

December 10 – Human Rights Day #HumanRightsDay

December 11 – International Mountain Day #InternationalMountainDay

December 12 – Gingerbread House Day #GingerbreadHouseDay

December 14 – Monkey Day #MonkeyDay

December 15 – 10 Days to Christmas #10DaysToGo

December 18 – Bake Cookies Day #BakeCookiesDay

December 21 – Crossword Puzzle Day #CrosswordPuzzleDay

December 21 – First Day of Winter #WinterSolstice

December 24 – Christmas Eve #ChristmasEve

December 25 – Christmas Day #MerryChristmas

December 31 – No Interruptions Day #NoInterruptionsDay

December 31 – New Year’s Eve #NewYearsEve

As well as being big for retailers worldwide, BFCM is enormous here at Dotdigital. We dedicate months towards ensuring your emails land when you need them to. This year included moving our email-sending services to the Azure Cloud, reducing network traffic, and removing pause and resume from campaigns.  

Some of our industry colleagues reported delays in their sending pipeline as well as real-time segmentation. During BFCM this can result in a very expensive opportunity cost indeed.

Bottom line is, you need a platform that just works. Dotdigital customers experienced an outstanding delivery rate of 99.3% across the entire weekend. This resulted in the delivery of no fewer than 212.5 million emails and 4.5 million SMS messages on Black Friday alone.

Black Friday – Cyber Monday in numbers

Significant increases in BFCM send volumes

So how did this Black Friday compare to last year’s? Amid a backdrop of an economic downturn, did Black Friday bring in the usual peak in orders?  

This Black Friday, Dotdigital exceeded all expectations, officially smashing all our records and sending the highest volume of emails in a single day. In fact, we helped marketers deliver an additional 6 million emails, taking our record from 206 million to over 212 million.  

What does this tell us? 

There was a significant increase in the number of marketing communications being delivered. SMS is where we saw the biggest uplift, experiencing a 34% increase in messages sent over the Black Friday weekend.  

The number of emails sent increased by just over 3%. While this may sound small, it means that an additional 16,088,452 emails were sent this year.  

Also, we saw a 26.5% increase in emails starting from the Monday before Black Friday. SMS was also being sent in higher volume, increasing 14.8% from the week prior. 

What does this mean for consumers and brands?

So, marketers are sending in higher volume, what does this mean for the consumer? 

As consumers ourselves, we have to admit to feeling a bit of fatigue around Black Friday this year. Emails were coming earlier and in a higher volume than we’ve previously experienced. Flash sales, early access, Black Friday weeks, and more.  

Black Friday was once a big event – an event that was highly anticipated. Shoppers would queue outside stores, tv cameras would broadcast scenes of carnage as shoppers battled it out for heavily reduced stock.  

As Black Friday has expanded into the weeks before and after it, has the day been diluted too much? To us, it’s beginning to feel as though the sense of urgency is lost, and consumers are growing numb to the deals.  

This poses a problem for brands. Black Friday was once a guaranteed sales driver. At a time when ROI and sales are vital to survival, you need it to be again. If consumers are becoming numb to it, there’s more work to be done to unlock the revenue potential of Black Friday and the holiday season as a whole.  

For consumers, it can feel too much. With deals starting before Black Friday itself, it can be hard to know when the best time to purchase is. On the one hand, you don’t want to buy early and risk losing a higher discount that may come later. On the other hand, you don’t want to wait too long and risk an item going out of stock.  

It’s a similar quandary for retailers. You don’t want to launch your sales too early and leave shoppers underwhelmed on Black Friday itself, but wait too long, and you could lose custom to competitors who begin discounting a week in advance.   

What’s the solution to BFCM fatigue?  

That’s hard to tell. We will only really know once the whole holiday season is wrapped. Is it Black Friday fatigue or simply consumers keeping a closer eye on their spending? 

We can simply advise caution: be certain your emails are relevant to the recipient during the holidays. Use your segmentation tools. eRFM will help you identify your loyal customers, brand champions, and those who are inactive. Every segment deserves a unique customer journey.  

Where you can, add AI-powered product recommendations to personalize and boost the relevancy of your message. Dynamic content ensures you’re reaching the right person with the right message. These tools are at your fingertips and will be the difference between an order placed and a conversion missed. 

Is BFCM sustainable?

As well as watching budgets, shoppers are becoming increasingly mindful of over-consumption and sustainability. Does this mark the end of BFCM?  

Perhaps the future of the holiday centers around greener, more considered choices. As consumers continue to favor brands who give back, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) will be a hot topic for marketers going into 2023. It’ll be interesting to see how consumer desires for sustainability can combine with a holiday based purely on consumption.  

There are already a number of brands that abstain from Black Friday due to concerns over sustainability. Patagonia for example, FREITAG, Monki, and By Rotation too.  

We understand that Black Friday and Cyber Monday are massive opportunities for most brands, and therefore you can’t adopt a hardline against Black Friday, but there are ways you can encourage sustainable practices during your sales.  

This year, we saw brands including free clothing recycling bags and offering slower, eco-delivery options on their shipping pages. Even small steps can add up to big changes. With Dotdigital, you can be safe in the knowledge that every email you send is coming from a carbon-neutral platform.

But, that being said, there are almost too many days and too many opportunities. How do you ensure you’re maximizing every opportunity without working all the hours in a day?  

The answer is simple: marketing automation.  

Holiday marketing automation 

The weeks from the end of October to the beginning of January are jammed packed. Not only are you trying to organize reunions and celebrations with friends and family, but marketers also have to make time and resources stretch even further.  

Email marketing is a demanding job for marketers, even during the quiet months. When the holiday marketing opportunities begin, email marketers are under pressure to turn every moment into a conversion. Marketing automation provides much-needed relief during this time.  

How? Because it gives you the ability to pre-build your email marketing for the period.  

The best thing about the holiday season is that the dates are set and unchanging. No matter what Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of November; Black Friday follows immediately. Christmas Day will always be on the 25^th and the new year always begins on the 1^st of January.  

Holiday email marketing calendar  

These are just a few of the key days in the holiday season with immovable dates. You will know from the beginning of the year when these days will fall. As a result, you should be able to plan, build and schedule your email marketing around these dates well in advance.  

• Thanksgiving  
• Black Friday  
• Cyber Monday  
• Giving Tuesday  
• Small business Saturday 
• Free Shipping Day 
• Start of Hanukkah 
• Christmas Eve  
• Christmas Day 
• Boxing Day (UK) 
• End of Hanukkah 
• New Year’s Eve 
• New Year’s Day 

Our ultimate email marketing automation list  

The beauty of email marketing automation is the time it saves. You can build these emails to match your business needs well in advance of the day. No longer do you have to be fretting down to the last minute, or feel sender anxiety before you hit the send button.  

Even better is the fact that you can apply rules throughout your program to improve and personalize the customer experience. For example, if a contact has opened and clicked on your ‘last shipping date’ email but has not made a purchase you can prompt them with a new action to buy a gift card.  

Below is our ultimate list of emails brands should be adding to their holiday email automation programs. 

1. Black Friday  

Nowadays, Black Friday is a campaign in itself. But if your brand is still sticking to days gone by when Black Friday really was just Friday, there’s no better place to kick-start your holiday marketing campaign. 

2. Cyber Monday 

A close rival to the biggest sale event of the year, Cyber Monday is a must-have addition, especially for ecommerce brands looking to boost sales.  

3. Giving Tuesday 

This newcomer has been making waves in holiday marketing strategies for the past couple of years. At a time when corporate social responsibility (CSR) is being taken increasingly seriously by consumers, brands need to be thinking about Giving Tuesday (falling the Tuesday after Thanksgiving) as part of their holiday marketing campaigns.  

4. First of December 

The December first is when you can really kick things off. By the time this rolls around shoppers have seen all the Christmas adverts and received endless Black Friday emails. Why not kick it off with something light-hearted and fun to get people in the festive spirit?  

5. Gift guides

Gift guides are invaluable to the consumer during the holiday season. There’s nothing harder than spending hours trying to find the perfect gift for your impossible-to-buy-for loved one. Gift guides can help alleviate the pressure. Even better, when you categorize your email by product or price, you’re making it even easier for the shopper to convert.  

6. Free Shipping Day 

Another newbie you might not have considered before, Free Shipping Day generally falls in mid-December and offers free shipping with guaranteed delivery by Christmas Eve.  

7. Happy Hanukkah 

This one is less about Hanukkah and more about inclusivity. Never forget that not all your customers will be celebrating Christmas. Hanukkah and Kwanza both fall around the same time of the year too. To ensure you’re never marginalizing your audience, add these celebrations to your holiday email marketing plans.  

8. Last shipping date 

Gone are the days when Arnold Schwarzenegger has to run all over the city on Christmas Eve to find the perfect present for his kid. With a ‘last shipping date’ email in your campaign, even last-minute shoppers should be able to get organized.  

9. Gift cards 

And for those that don’t gift cards are always an option. Of course, some people won’t be able to see and exchange gifts with their loved ones, for gift cards CTAs should be included in all your holiday marketing, but after your last shipping date, it’s time to push them and help those un-savvy shoppers who have left it too late.  

10. Christmas Eve  

Depending on your brand and your brand message, Christmas Eve campaigns can look very different. For some it might be a simple season’s greeting; for others, it might be the start of yet another sale as you look to get ahead of the competition in the January sales.  

11. Merry Christmas 

Keep this one simple. Chances are people won’t get the time to read their emails on Christmas Day, so keep it short and sweet. Thank you and festive messages of goodwill always go down a treat.  

12. New Year’s Day 

And so, the new year begins. It’s likely that January sales have already kicked off, despite it only being the first of January. This is a good time to reconnect with customers after a long and busy sales period. Set out your goals and ambitions for the year and make customers feel a part of the journey. This is the key to long-term customer loyalty. 

So, what can we as marketers learn from Christmas adverts? And what can we apply to our year-round email marketing campaigns? Let’s take a look.

Know your brand position

A huge category of Christmas ads belongs to supermarkets. UK supermarkets are all battling to be the place of ‘the big shop’. Money is important, especially this year, and of course quality is too – particularly if you’re hosting in-laws that you’re trying to impress. So all UK supermarkets pull out all the stops.

I’m going to start with premium food retailer Waitrose. I like its ad as it matches the brand so well. Waitrose know its’ selling point isn’t value, convenience, or even sparkle, but quality produce. It feels different to the other supermarket campaigns, it’s straight-forward, and honest. It shows how Christmas season is year-round for farmers and other producers. Christmas takes time, effort, and integrity; that is the message.

In a year where many households are feeling the pinch, Waitrose does a clever job of subtly illustrating the value behind its products. The behind-the-scenes element, reminds the customer of all the steps before it hits shelves. The final frame reads: ‘It’s the care we put in that makes Christmas this special’. Hammering home that the brand cares about the product, and by extension, its customers.

Key takeaway

Know your brand’s USP. Is it value, a one-of-a-kind product, a superior quality service? Whatever it is, make sure this shines through in your campaigns.

Add some character

Staying with the food retailers, Asda, Aldi, Lidl, and M&S all utilized a character to star in their Christmas adverts this year. Brand characters have gained momentum in recent years. Asda and Aldi both tapped into already well-loved Christmas characters from blockbuster movies. With Asda using Buddy the Elf, and Aldi offering a fresh, carrot-led take on Home Alone.

“My brand doesn’t have a character, so how can I apply this to my emails?”

We’re glad you asked. A character doesn’t need to be an animation or a famous star, it can be anyone from your brand. Whether it’s your CEO, your denim designer, warehouse packer, heck, even your email designer, showing the humans behind a brand can really connect with customers. Showing some personality and some character really warms customers up to what can otherwise be a faceless entity.

Key takeaway

Utilize the natural characters in your brand and give them a spot in your campaigns. A great option is in a welcome program to build trust, and a Christmas message from your CEO or other important figure goes along way at building rapport, and loyalty.

Tap into trending topics

Tesco’s advert is a jolly parody of a party political broadcast. The UK has had (another) heavy year where political matters have dominated the headlines on an almost daily basis.

For brands, tapping into a trending topic is a great way to piggy-back on pre-existing momentum. Tesco have chosen something the whole country is aware of, and made it light-hearted.

The brand also heavily features its products throughout, highlighting the low-cost options, something that will appeal to many. This is also done by subtle reminders that using its Clubcard gets you cheaper prices. Loyalty is certainly something you need to be encouraging and rewarding at this time of year, especially to keep customers coming back in the new year.

The ad also shows relatable family groups, this is something that naturally warms customers to a brand – seeing someone like them enjoying the brand. In your email marketing, you can employ this tactic through the use of user-generated-content (UGC). UGC and email are the perfect pairing, it’s a great way to get free content, encourage engagement, and build trust with your customers.

Key takeaway

Gain instant momentum by tapping into trending topics and making them your own.

Showcase your brand values

Moving on from food retailers now, to department store John Lewis. The undisputed leader of great Christmas adverts. When I started drafting this blog I decided to watch the John Lewis offering first. They are usually the best after all. It was a big mistake, as it left me sobbing at my desk. John Lewis have once again created an advert that stays with you.

This year, John Lewis have chosen to make the 104,000 children in the care system in the UK the focus of its advert. The ad also recognizes that the Christmas experience is different for everybody. This is something John Lewis have done before, it’s fantastic to see a huge brand represent those people who don’t fit a traditional ‘happy family’ narrative. Without a single product in its ad, it’s all about emotion and values. Something John Lewis do well.

John Lewis has understood the current social climate, choosing to use its platform to share an important message, rather than pushing expensive items many can’t afford. It’s a strong demonstration of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) – something that’s a big part of John Lewis’ overall identity and appeal.

The festive period is a time for giving, it is the season of goodwill after all. So it’s nice to see a crossover between those values, and the ever-present commercialization of the holidays. It shows that a balance can be found.

Of course, for some shoppers value has to come first. However, for those in a position to shop based on brand values and reputation, John Lewis makes a strong bid – and as always, creates conversation amongst everyone else.

Remember, there’s nothing worse than social-washing, stemming from the term green-washing, social washing is the act of intentionally looking like you care about a cause to look good, but not actually helping the cause in any way. As expected, John Lewis have also backed up their advert with a new program to support charities in the sector and to offer employment opportunities to young people who have experienced life in care.

Key takeaway

Recognize the mood of your customers and use it to inform your messaging. You don’t want to be sending out tone deaf sales messages that will turn customers off from your brand.

Tell a story 

It turns out that Disney are quite good storytellers, who knew? This year’s campaign tells the heart warming story of a growing family, told from the point of view of a young daughter. The ad shows how the girl feels that the unborn baby is taking her mum’s attention away from her. This is a story many viewers will resonate with on some level.

It’s a heartwarming tale, one that leaves you wanting more. It certainly made me want to go and lose myself in a wholesome animation. Storytelling is an excellent way of getting your message across, and making it memorable.

The campaign also gets brand values in there, the ad ends with a nod to Disney’s chosen charity. The final frame saying ‘Supporting Make A Wish’ – a well-known children’s charity that ties in very closely with the Disney audience.

Key takeaway

Tell a story; it’s much more memorable than other styles of writing. Remind customers of your brand’s purpose, or the journey your product has taken to get to them, or the journey it could take them on. Find your angle, and create something special.

Conclusion

Christmas adverts are a celebration of marketing. A time where brands go all-out to wow customers and create something worth talking about. With email marketing there are certainly some key tactics we can take away and apply to our campaigns to stand out in a busy inbox.

In my own experience, email marketing is fast-paced, and centered around results you can track. As it should be. But sometimes it’s important to take a moment, and look at the bigger, marketing picture. Otherwise we risk our campaigns going stale.

This holiday season try and carve out some time with your team to discuss how your brand can add an extra layer of emotion, sparkle, or brand story to your campaigns. Have some fun with it, and create something your customers will remember, and make your campaigns something to look forward to.

Shoppers plan on spending an average of £189.59 during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. That a 31% reduction from 2021.

Finder research

Unsurprisingly, Black Friday shopping is expected to be lower this year than in recent times. Overall, Black Friday and Cyber Monday spending in the UK is set to decrease from £6bn in 2020 to just £3.95bn in 2022.

But that’s not to say they’re not looking for a good deal.

Many people are still planning on shopping, just with a reduced budget. This means that you have to work smarter to make your marketing stand out. You want them to convert with you over the competition so we’ve pulled together five simple but effective tips to win big this sales season.

1. Segment and personalize

First, let’s start by making sure you’re reaching the right people during this period. Segmentation leads to increased relevancy, increased revenue, and less wastage. Most of your customers and prospects will want messages and offers throughout the holiday season. Some won’t want them all, but we’ll touch on that a little later.

Data capture

Popovers: With data capture in the run-up to Black Friday you might want to re-think your approach and change your value prop. Work harder to show them what else you offer beyond great holiday gifts and discounts. Having said that, it will be common for shoppers around this time to just sign up for a discount, purchase, and possibly never return.

Abandoned browse popover: Another thing to consider is an abandoned browse popover. Keep shoppers engaged by using popovers, triggered only when someone goes to leave your site, to offer them even more holiday goodies.

Re-engage

Why not use the start of the holiday period as a reason to win people back?

For those who genuinely have stopped engaging with your emails, using the excitement of the holiday period can be a great way to bring them back into the fold. In the retail world, you’ll have offers and holiday-themed merchandise to sell them. For B2B and NFP, you may have award ceremonies and parties like our Dotties.

Be mindful of the fact that some contacts may only be seasonal, in which case they’re not ‘not’ engaging; it’s just not their time of year. Find a way to pinpoint them and target them differently by mentioning what it was they bought last year and offering up intelligent product recommendations.

Amend your content and cadence

One thing we see with a lot of brands is that even though customers have filled out the preference center, thoroughly browsed your website, and even purchased; many of the brands still fail to recognize any of that behavior. Email marketing campaigns just keep coming and coming without any acknowledgment of a purchase or browsing activities. Some have even sent offers for products customers have already purchased.

One of the easiest things you can do to ‘recognize’ a recipient is to know whether they have purchased recently, how much they’ve spent, and what they’ve purchased. You can then change your mailing cadence and content accordingly.

AI-powered product recommendations based on what has already been purchased really do help at this point.

2. Use data insights

Intelligent and informed marketing always wins big. Make sure you’re using your data and analytics in the most efficient way possible.

This may be looking at your eRFM persona and identifying customers ripe for conversion. Highly engaged frequent shoppers should receive a different message from new customers. They can even receive different offers.

Before Black Friday begins, you should also be checking in on your automation programs. How are your revenue-generating programs performing? Is there anything you can do to improve them before the big day? Think personalization, dynamic content, and product recommendations – anything that will help drive more sales.

3. Back-in-stock emails

Products may go out of stock for several reasons. The effect can be highly frustrating for customers who expect to be able to purchase what they want when they want it.

The damage of stockouts extends beyond the direct consequence of a lost sale. There’s the possibility that the shopper will turn to a competitor to find the items in question. Then, there’s the long-term impact on customer satisfaction caused by the frustrating experience.

Dynamic content and AI-powered product recommendations ensure you’re delivering the most up-to-date information about your product stock levels or the latest features and updates to your product.

This is especially important for the season’s hottest products. It allows you to build brand buzz and encourage more visits.

4. Seasonal messaging

You can sometimes lose sight of the occasion when you’re working on the marketing side of the fence. Working on Black Friday emails in June can really take the shine off the holiday. But for your customers, they’ll be looking forward to it. After all who doesn’t love a bargain?

You need to conjure up some fun and bring some excitement to their typically dull inboxes.

Think about:

• How your returns policies might be changing, or delivery times, and get that into your campaigns – especially welcome emails
  
• Including a countdown timer ahead of your Black Friday deals
  
• Ensuring your email marketing design templates stand out

Maybe go with a different tactic this year and adopt a charity-focused Black Friday campaign. It’s great for brand-building, and consumers love a brand backing a cause that they can also get behind.

5. Create a sense of urgency

Creating a sense of urgency in your emails can increase sales by over 300%. But how do you go about creating a sense of urgency, we hear you ask. Following these simple copywriting tips can help your write a sales-driving email marketing campaign.

• Use compelling language: Utilizing limited-time language in your email subject line and calls to action (CTAs) is a smart way to create urgency and increase sales. Mirror this language with an action-based tone to create a seamless experience. Make sure your CTAs leave no doubt about what you’re offering and what the recipient should do next to get the offer.
  
• FOMO (fear of missing out): It might sound cheesy but it’s a powerful marketing tactic that you can draw on through your use of language. Use phrases like ‘biggest sale of the year’ or ‘best prices of the season’ in your Black Friday marketing to encourage recipients to shop before it’s too late.
  
• Abandoned cart emails: There will always be some shoppers who don’t complete their purchases. It’s essential to ensure your abandoned cart automation program is in place before Black Friday. It becomes an even more important tactic for ecommerce businesses to win back these potential customers. Offering discounts and other promotions are the most effective way to bring shoppers back but don’t forget that Black Friday entails a much tighter window of opportunity than usual. Make sure to amend the timing of your abandoned cart emails accordingly.

Let’s wrap it up

Black Friday is ultimately all about offering great deals to your recipients. However, a great deal isn’t just offering a staggering discount. Your recipients will respond to unique ideas like giveaways, shopping tips, charitable contributions, and holiday-themed social events.

Be creative and have some fun and you will be on your way to Black Friday success.

That’s why we’ve put together the ultimate checklist to help you plan your Black Friday sales with confidence.

Today, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the biggest shopping days of the year. In the UK, the expected spend over Black Friday weekend is £8.71bn. The US, the stalwart of Black Friday shopping expects 108mn people to make purchases on Black Friday alone.

In Australia, interest in Black Friday has grown by 614% over the last five years, with shoppers spending an average of AU$263 a day.

Tactical shopping

Shoppers are adapting. They’re preparing themselves and approaching Black Friday with specific items in mind. 42% of shoppers know what they want to purchase, and they’re wise enough to have a rough price in mind.

What they’re buying depends on who they’re shopping for. 62% of shoppers are buying for their families, while 45% are shopping for themselves.

Some customers may be going through the year, racking up a list of items they want to get when the Black Friday sales start. So, if they’re going to be tactical about it, it’s time you were too.

Get Black Friday ready

Experience matters. On an average day, 80% of customers are willing to pay more for an item, if a brand offers them superior service.

To create unforgettable engagements, planning is essential. Especially for the holiday season. We’ve put together a killer checklist, so you can be fully prepared and focus on delivering the experiences that drive sales.

1. Decide what you’re offering

When we think of ‘Black Friday’ we think of sales, discounts, and price drops, but that doesn’t have to be the case.

Big-ticket items tend to be where shoppers are looking for deals. Laptops, TVs, and smartphones are the most popular options. But if these fall outside your remit, why not try another tactic?

If you have a loyalty scheme or use RFM segments, how about targeting loyal customers with exclusive content? That’s what the sports brand Nike did. There are no rules around Black Friday, so try something different to stand out in the crowded inbox.

2.  Update your PPC plan

We’ve already mentioned shoppers have items in mind when Black Friday starts. What they may not have chosen is where they’re going to get it. Updating and increasing your PPC budget for the holiday season will improve your chances of being discovered.

3. Improve website UX

Experience extends far beyond how you make the reader feel with an email. Your website’s ease of use can be the difference between a sale, and an abandoned cart. Leading up to the holiday season, you should carry out a full audit of your site.

Options such as guest checkout and gift wrapping can make a huge difference to customers. Similarly, auto-applying discounts without the need to enter a code significantly improve the user’s experience.

This example from CBD brand TRIP circumvents the need to create or log into an account, whilst still collecting the data needed to deliver email marketing in the future.

4. Establish timelines

The most successful ecommerce retailer over Black Friday weekend (no surprise) is Amazon. Why is this? Because they offer a full week worth of discounts. Kicking off at the beginning of the week, Amazon runs deals all the way from Monday to Cyber Monday. Again, this is a great way to stand out from the crowd, but it’s not the only way.

Do you want to build up excitement and anticipation with a series of ramp-up emails? Figure out what tactic you’re going to take and get planning. The further in advance you can do this, the more time you’ll have to plan your design, segments, and content, and build your automation.

Also, don’t forget to be thinking about delivery. Can you fulfill a promise to deliver before Christmas? Are you going to need to outsource or hire more employees to manage your warehouse stock?

5. Design your templates

Are you planning on refreshing your templates from last year, or looking for something a bit more bespoke to hook subscribers? Make sure you have them ready to go. Once they’re created so you can add them to your Black Friday automation programs.

It’s all important and now’s the time to get these details sorted. It’ll help ensure things go smoother as the big day approaches.

6. Push new sign-ups

Popovers are a great way to encourage new visitors to sign-up for your email marketing. In the lead-up to Black Friday, use these to grow your marketing lists. Hook them with exclusive access to pre-Black Friday sales or free delivery during the sales when they subscribe.

7. Plan your content

Show shoppers clearly, and concisely, why they should shop with you. What are your USPs? Bring your brand’s personality to life and give a reason to choose you over your competitors. Make sure your offers are clear and easy to understand. If you’re offering a discount via code, make sure it stands out and is eye-catching, so it’s not missed by readers.

If it’s a site-wide discount, make it obvious. Remember, subscribers will be receiving hundreds of these emails. They’ll be skimming your emails at best, so make sure you’re hooking them above the fold.

You also need to reflect this across your whole site. You don’t want missed deals to lead to negative feedback because they weren’t visible on your site. Your offers need to be easy to find across your homepage and all Black Friday campaign landing pages.

8. Check your providers

Make sure your website hosts and email providers know about your upcoming campaign and expect the rise in traffic. Updates or changes to their software could cause massive problems if they go wrong. Luckily, the development team put a coding freeze on Dotdigital during the holiday season, to ensure your marketing runs as smoothly as possible.

This year, Black Friday falls on Friday 25 November and runs until Cyber Monday on Monday 28 November.

Follow this checklist, and you’ll be ready to take on the world this holiday season.