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Oct 14, 2019 | 4 minute read
written by Guest
Year after year, Cyber Monday (the Monday after Thanksgiving) has proven to be one of the busiest shopping days in terms of sales numbers.
The average conversion rate for Cyber Monday emails are the highest among all holiday emails, therefore, it’s crucial to implement effective email marketing campaigns if you’re going to stand out amid all the noise.
There are different kinds of promotional emails, such as announcements, giveaways, tiered discounts, and “almost gone” notifications. Depending on your product offering, some may work better than others. These campaigns must be correctly segmented, mobile-friendly and reinforced. Here are four examples from leading brands on how to win Cyber Monday via email campaigns:
When people sign up as subscribers to an email list, they’re usually asked a few questions about themselves, such as the ZIP code they reside in.
This particular DSW email ad does so many things right. While the footwear retailer is offering the usual discounted prices to consumers, it also recommends products based on the meteorologist data in the area. The result is a personalized call-to-action campaign that tells consumers why they need the boots advertised in the email.
The subject line “And now, a look ahead” also motivates people to not just open the email, but also read through the information to gather more insights.
When it comes to subject lines, the more witty they are, the more likely consumers will open them, which also means they’ll be more likely to click on and buy what you’re offering. In fact, 35% of customers open emails because of the subject line alone.
People are most likely to open your email marketing messages between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays, when they’re going through their inboxes. The percentage of people who open your email out of the total number you sent it to is called your open rate.
Still, it’s best to use A/B testing and track your open and click-through rates, to understand how well your customers and subscribers respond to your subject lines.
With the slew of emails landing in their inboxes on Cyber Monday, give your subscribers something to remember with an interactive campaign. You won’t regret it: interactive content gets two times the conversion compared to passive content.
The retailer Lou & Grey does a good job of this kind of campaign with a countdown clock. Not only is it interactive, it creates a sense of urgency for consumers. The message communicates that if they don’t hurry up and click, they’ll be missing out on the best deals around. (Note: This screenshot is not interactive, but the email campaign was when it went live.)
Another good example of this comes from the brand Greats, whose email campaign below shows the items that are almost sold out. The campaign also happens to use the words “Free” and “Black Friday,” which are both among the most popular words used during the weekend. Both words have some of the highest open and click rates.
Other popular words include:
Similar to creating a sense of urgency, triggered messages account for more than 75% of email ROI. What is a triggered message? This is usually a post-purchase message designed to appeal to the lapsed consumer. It can be a message that invites consumers to re-explore the items sitting in their online shopping carts.
Customer reactivation orders increased by 106% during the Black Friday weekend, which is why the meal kit service Blue Apron decided to try this smart strategy one year to win back customers.
Another successful tactic for today’s socially and environmentally conscious consumers is communicating brand ethics. With all the money that consumers spend during the Black Friday weekend, people want to know they’re not opening their wallets just to buy more stuff.
People know the brand Everlane as a sustainable retailer that embraces transparency in its operations and pricing. As a result, reinforcing its brand’s ethics is a smart strategy, especially since Everlane’s consumers shop at the retailer in part because of what the brand stands for. This is especially true when the “holiday” is centered around consumerism and getting “the best deal.” At a time like this, getting the right deals in front of the right people makes all the difference when it comes to sales numbers.
Sure, the standard discount can be effective, but in today’s e-commerce market, the winners are going to be the brands that plan their marketing campaigns in advance. Depending on what industry you’re in and the products you’re offering, well thought-out campaigns are what will grab your customers’ attention. This is especially even more crucial during Cyber Monday, when there will be a lot of competition in their inboxes.
Consider using things like location data, urgency (otherwise known as FOMO), interactivity and tailored triggered messages. In many ways, the tactics used during Cyber Monday are applicable year-round. The only difference is messaging should be bigger and better than ever. The time spent optimizing email campaigns will be worth the uptick in brand awareness and, of course, sales.
Guest Contributor: Eric Goldschein works at Fundera, a marketplace for small business financial solutions.