Email Marketing is a fantastic way to reach new and existing customers. Not only is the form of marketing suitable for both web and mobile, but it also gives you added creative freedom when it comes to adding elements to the communication being sent out.

Another great feature that can be integrated into your email marketing campaign is the use of digital assistant marketing to manage the process – you've got to love technology!

So, for a quick recap, email marketing is the practice of sending marketing communication to customers using email as the source of delivery. Given the digital nature of this, you can add as much or as little text as you like, as well as multimedia content to take it to the next level.

Something else worth mentioning is the ability to personalise this communication based on user data gathered. This means that you can tailor your communication per-database and even have it linked to user activity.

Why Go Through The Effort Of Personalising Communication?

People want to feel valued and special. They don’t want to be seen as just another number, they want to see and know that you care about them and their wellbeing.

Personalization has been found to improve engagement and increase your return on investment. To support this, research has found that 71% of customers are more likely to open a personalised email – especially when it comes from a brand.

So, instead of trying to get away with the generic "Hi friend" or even just simply "Hello", invest a few extra minutes and set up a personalized email. In an age where automation is king, this will in most cases require some simple programming to set up.

Personalization is also about more than just slotting in a name, it can also be a matter of sending personalized discounts or account updates – everyone loves a good deal. You can even add tracking to links embedded into the email to see what people respond to.

It can also be linked to your customer's activity. For example, if they've abandoned a cart at your online store or if they have made a booking. Simple reminder or confirmation emails go a long way when it comes to building and maintaining customer relationships.

Is Email Marketing Dead?

With the greatest certainty, we can say that email marketing is not dead. If anything, it is thriving. Approximately 3.9 billion people across the globe make use of email services. That’s 3.9 billion people you could potentially reach.

This is because there's something more special, almost a novelty, that comes with going through your inbox and reading your email. It's an experience social media is yet to fully be able to replicate.

How Personalization Can Be Powerful During The Holidays

While personalized email marketing is a welcomed experience all year round, during the holiday season it is a rather pleasant surprise. Between shopping for gifts and hosting family and friends, it can become a time-consuming and often costly exercise.

Brands that reach out to their customers during this time, and that are able to provide a helping hand, will see their customer relationships grow well into the new year.

Holiday Email Marketing Trends

There are some things in life that will never change, like the sky being blue or the fact that water is wet. What is however prone to change is the ever evolving world of marketing.

It is flexible enough to adapt to changing market needs and global events, for example, the holiday season. With every passing year, customers’ needs evolve, the world changes and marketing needs to play catch up with it all.

With the holiday season front and centre, here are a few trends that we anticipate seeing in the coming weeks:

• Softer, less intense backgrounds to bring focus to the contents of the email. When there are too many elements in an email, it can be difficult for the customer to focus on the “right stuff”. Keep your approach simple and easy to follow.
• Photo grids to showcase experiences, content and so much more. There are so many ways to structure them. You could have a feature image with the main focus followed by several smaller ones below, or have a carousel set up that allows the customer to flip through them. It’s a simple yet effective way of showcasing your brand.
• Visual data to make it easier to understand and read the information given. This is a great way to share important business information, like company performance. Infographics, graphs and animated facts and figures are easy to identify and read and add to the overall aesthetic of the design.
• Animated images and GIFs for a bit of life in an otherwise one-dimensional piece of communication. This doesn’t need to be an over-the-top video production; it can be something as simple as having something on screen change colors.
• Engagement and interactivity by giving the customer the option to make selections and engage with your email. You can add a Q&A section for customers to answer, slider scales for rating purpose or even a poll. Just remember that it needs to be simple as complex programming can be tricky to perfect.

5 Tips For Holiday Email Marketing

With everything shared above, you are almost ready to embark on your holiday email marketing campaign. But, before you do, here are a few tips to help you get started and develop a strategy.

• Consider your audience - who are you communicating with and why?
• Be mindful of our diverse world and be mindful of being biased to only one group during this time. Rather stick to “happy holidays” or “have a great festive season” as not everyone celebrates Christmas.
• Keep it lighthearted and fun, after all, it's the end of the year and people are looking to relax and unwind. Text-heavy, boring emails will be deleted in a matter of seconds.
• Consider special, promotions and discounts that would best suit this time of year.
• Try including a call to action that allows your customers to continue their journey and invest in your brand.

Email marketing is far from dead, and during the holiday season, it can be a great way to build powerful relationships with your customers. With a bit of extra thought, personalisation and a bit of fun, you can leave a lasting impression that builds the foundation for another successful year.