Tracie Sherlock
We all know how effective email marketing can be. It’s a personal, wide-reaching marketing method that has the potential to hugely increase traffic to your website and drive sales. However, the success of an email marketing campaign depends on a number of things. You need to create interesting and engaging messages for your customers and, perhaps most importantly, you need to get your timing right.
Getting email marketing right can be easier said than done, particularly when you’re struggling for inspiration. These days, customers demand messages that are relevant to them and cater to their needs. Thankfully, finding things to inspire your email marketing is simple if your think seasonally. Every season provides a host of ideas for your email campaigns, from national holidays to unusual weather patterns. And, by sending a seasonal email, you will be addressing exactly what’s on your customers minds at the right time. Here are some of the ways you can use email marketing through the seasons:
Summer
The summer is the time of year when we should be thinking about relaxing and enjoying the sunshine. However, the changeable British weather doesn’t always allow this. You customers will have very different requirements if the weather is rainy and cool (rather than warm and sunny), so this is something you should address with your email marketing.
During a particularly changeable period of summer weather, rather than showcasing their warm weather fashions, department store Marks and Spencer decided to feature clothing suitable for all weathers in their marketing email:
Weather emails are not just limited to fashion retailers. During a rainy period, sheet music retailer Music Room took the opportunity to feature their ‘sheet music umbrella’ in their marketing email:
Many people decide to escape the changeable weather over the summer months and head to places where the climate is more predictable. Email marketing is the ideal medium to provide holiday inspiration.
By featuring beautiful images in your marketing emails, you can instantly get your customers thinking about jetting away to warmer climes. Online travel agent On The Beach feature images prominently in their marketing emails:
Fashion is also an important part of summer holidays, so marketing emails can showcase this. However, fashion lovers are likely to receive a huge number of holiday clothing emails in the summer, so if you can put a twist on it, your emails will be more likely to be noticed.
Clothing store Joy used a marketing email to show their customers how to pack for their holidays (as well as showcasing their fashion range):
Autumn
Autumn is the season when the cooler weather starts to set in. People start to buy things to prepare themselves for when the chill arrives. Use email marketing to suggest products that could help your customers through the cooler winter months. Boot and shoe retailer Ugg Australia did this by featuring cosy slippers in their email campaign:
When the weather gets cooler, people are also less likely to want to leave the house. This can make it a difficult time for places like restaurants. A change in your menu could be enough to motivate your customers to visit during the cooler months.
In this email, restaurant chain Pizza Express are encouraging their customers to visit by showing off their autumn food range and offering 25% off:
Autumn is also the time of year when children go back to school. If your business offers something that could help with this transition, you should feature it in your email marketing. Shoe store chain Brantano feature back to schools shoes in their marketing emails, and Apple provide special deals for students going back to university:
Winter
Apart from freezing cold weather, the winter season is synonymous with one thing: Christmas. Customers can be bombarded with marketing emails during the festive season, so you need to make sure that yours is the email that they act upon.
Usually, customers respond well to emails featuring special offers and discounts, but Christmas competition means that, during the festive season, they are not particularly unique. Travel agent Thomas Cook put a twist on the standard ‘special offer’ email by sending their subscribers a Christmas gift. They wouldn’t find out what the gift was unless they clicked thorough the email:
After Christmas, you can encourage your customers back to the shops by letting them know about your January sales. Again, it’s a time of year where there’s a huge amount of competition among retailers. Create a sense of urgency with your customers by letting them know when your sales are coming to an end, and set yourself apart from other retailers by offering additional sale discounts in your email. Home fragrance brand Neom did both of these things in their January Sales email:
Spring
Spring is the season that brings Easter. Food retailers and restaurants usually do well over the Easter weekend, but if your business doesn’t provide either of these things, you can still take advantage of the holiday for your email marketing.
Jewellery retailers Joshua James offered their customers a special discount over Easter, and featured Easter-related charms in their marketing email:
It’s also a good time to ‘spring clean’ your marketing list. Try to re-engage with your inactive subscribers, and delete those who haven’t engaged with you in a long time. A ‘we miss you’ email can help you to connect with your inactive subscribers, like this one from NBC’s online store:
Each of the seasons provides a wide range of inspiration for your email marketing ideas. By thinking about the needs of your customers as the seasons change, you’ll be sure to achieve email marketing success.
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