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Why Black Friday Email Marketing Matters
Black Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year, with consumers flooding stores and websites looking for epic deals. In 2021, Black Friday online sales hit $8.9 billion in the US alone, up from $7.4 billion the year prior according to Adobe Analytics data.
With so much opportunity during this single day, Black Friday is prime time for e-commerce brands to connect with customers and drive sales through email marketing campaigns.
Why does Black Friday email marketing matter so much?
This massive spike in consumer spending provides a huge opportunity to engage your email subscribers who are also likely eager Black Friday shoppers. Loyal email subscribers are a retailer's best customers. Email allows you to send targeted and relevant messaging to different audience segments throughout the customer journey.
Most importantly, email marketing has been proven to lift sales. According to Experian, segmented and personalized emails deliver transaction rates 6 times higher compared to generic bulk emails. Clearly, brands who do Black Friday email marketing right stand to gain big.
Planning Your Black Friday Email Campaign for Maximum Impact
To make the most of this cyber shopping extravaganza, e-commerce marketers need to start planning their Black Friday email campaigns early. Give yourself at least 2 months lead time to prepare.
First, thoroughly review your email subscriber lists. Take time to clean up your lists by removing inactive subscribers and bounced emails. Make sure you have the right segments and groups created to allow for targeted messaging. Separate out loyal customers, subscribers who haven't purchased lately, or those who are most interested in certain product categories based on past engagement and purchases.
Next, develop a schedule and calendar for your Black Friday emails. Map out the timing and triggers for each email. Tease early and build anticipation by mentioning Black Friday specials in emails as early as late September. Promote upcoming doorbuster deals and flash sales to get subscribers excited.
In the weeks leading up to the big event, craft emails that provide exclusive early access to deals just for subscribers. Send sneak peeks of product reveals and special Black Friday discounts.
On Black Friday, use urgency and scarcity tactics in your messaging like time-expiring discounts or limited quantity offers. Make call-to-actions abundantly clear, with prominent Shop Now or View Deal buttons.
Incorporate personalization into emails with dynamic content that displays subscribers' names, past purchases, or product preferences. Test your emails thoroughly to optimize render rates across mobile and desktop.
Executing Your Black Friday Emails for Maximum Conversion
In the days leading up to Black Friday, send emails reminding subscribers of the upcoming deals and your brand's participation. Give customers a reason to choose you on the big day.
When Black Friday arrives, monitor your sent emails closely. Send confirmation emails immediately after each purchase to thank customers. Follow up with re-engagement emails to any customers who abandoned carts to gently remind them to come back and complete their purchases.
After Black Friday ends, keep marketing with post-holiday re-engagement emails. Bring back popular deals that sold out or target subscribers who didn't engage with your Black Friday emails. Retarget shoppers who browsed but didn’t buy with personalized product recommendations.
Evaluating Your Black Friday Email Campaign Performance
The work doesn’t stop once Black Friday ends. You need to dive into your email analytics to evaluate performance.
Start by looking at open rates, clickthrough rates and conversion rates. How do these metrics compare to previous holiday campaign benchmarks and averages? Did any particular segments over or underperform?
Identify your top-performing emails in terms of revenue generated. Examine subject lines, content and call-to-actions that drove the highest engagement. Learn what resonated with your audience to inform future holiday email strategy.
On the flip side, analyze lower-performing emails. Which messages failed to connect with recipients? Optimize these emails or remove poor-engaging segments from future Black Friday email sends.
Takeaways to Start Planning Now for Black Friday Email Success
- Black Friday brings a surge in e-commerce, allowing you to connect with customers at scale
- Start planning early, analyzing subscriber lists and mapping out email sequencing
- Build excitement, provide early access, and use urgency and personalization in emails
- Closely track email analytics to find what converts best for future campaigns
Black Friday presents a huge opportunity for driving sales through email marketing. Follow these tips to make the most of this busy shopping season. Start planning your holiday email strategy now to outperform the competition. With smart segmentation, optimization and compelling content, you’ll see your list engagement and conversions soar.
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