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4 Tips to Make Great First Impressions this Holiday Season

Aug 31, 2022   |   5 min read

Knowledge Center  ❯   Blog

As summer ends and Q4 nears, it’s time to ready your holiday campaigns and prepare for what promises to be another record-setting shopping season. According to Insider predictions, US retail spending will rise more than 3% this year, topping $1.26 trillion – with more than $235 billion going to eCommerce.

By taking time now to iron out a few captivating holiday email marketing campaigns, making efforts to grow your list, and giving your database a good cleaning, you’ll be well-prepared to snag a bigger slice of the trillion-dollar pie.

Today we’re sharing four things you can do to make a great first impression this holiday season and beat your revenue goals.


1. Perform an Audit of Your 2021 Holiday Campaigns

If you haven’t already, now is an excellent time to revisit last year’s campaigns to identify what worked and what didn’t, so you’re poised to make an excellent first impression with new subscribers.

Here’s how:


2. Identify Potential Trends or Obstacles

Like 2020 and 2021, the 2022 holiday season is expected to be slightly different from the norm, and there are a few events on the horizon that could alter consumer habits. Take a moment to pinpoint any upcoming trends or potential obstacles that might affect your audience so you’re prepared to shift courses or alter your strategy.

Here are a few examples of events that might affect buyer behavior this holiday season:

Once you’ve highlighted potential obstacles, consider how you might leverage email messaging to overcome challenges and make a winning first impression. For example, in light of potential supply chain issues, you might consider moving up offer timelines and setting proper expectations for buyers to help avoid backlash over slow shipping.

For example, check out this excellent 2021 email from Levi’s:

Levis email


3. Perform a Data Cleanse

Don’t wait until the thick of your holiday email marketing to realize your database needs cleaning. To maximize deliverability in Q4, perform email verification and hygiene now.

Here are a few advantages you can expect:

In other words, someone may have legitimately signed up for your offers but stopped using that email, and now ISPs are using it to catch spammers. AtData’s SafeToSend solution helps you catch potential spam traps, so you don’t become blocklisted.

In addition to performing a data cleanse, it’s also a good time to leverage postal appending so you can better personalize physical mailers to enhance your first impressions and ensure your direct mail campaigns hit their target. And you can use our Email Change of Address (ECOA) service to update contacts with current email addresses and protect your email list from churn.


4. Ensure You’re Maximizing Acquisition Opportunities

Finally, take the next few weeks to build your list as much as possible before the busy season. Evaluate your acquisition strategy and identify opportunities for improvement. Ensure your acquisition strategy includes:

The holiday season is quickly approaching, and the sooner you prepare, the better positioned you’ll be to exceed your revenue targets. By following these best practices for your holiday email marketing, you can get ahead of the competition, set new records, and make excellent first impressions this upcoming quarter.

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