Maximizing Promotions with the 2009 Holiday Push

Here we are, well into the last quarter of 2009, and holiday-related marketing campaigns are well underway. Many of Gold Lasso’s clients have begun promoting sale dates, coupon codes, clear outs, special event dates such as VIP access to online sales and other year-end online campaigns. Meanwhile, some still have not begun their end of year planning. Start now, it’s not too late. Here are some tips to help organize your e-marketing strategies:

• Coordinate online and offline promotions together to reinforce customer messages.
• Prepare special “backup plan” promotions that might be triggered by an event – snow in Florida promotions and inventory blowouts are just a few examples.
• Make it your New Year’s Resolution to be more engaging with your customers. Clearly and directly ask your customers to use social media by sharing info on Twitter or Facebook, forwarding to a friend or responding to a survey. Follow up with a thank you email or give financial incentives to those who share messages. (This feature can be tracked in eLoop standard campaign reporting.)
• Incorporate Auto Responders so people receive messages immediately after signups or customer purchases. This not only puts your name in front of the customer right away, but prompt emails encourage higher open rates and build better sender IP reputation.
• Keep pushing your messages all the way until last minute. It’s OK to send messages the day before Cyber Monday as well as on Cyber Monday. (The Monday following Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is associated with a significant increase in online sales. Cyber Monday is November 30. Mark your calendars!).
• Don’t only promote holiday shopping. Why not assemble messages for New Year’s – encourage customers to stock up on services or products for 2010 now.
• Busy staff? Why not incorporate RSS-to-Email functionality in campaign creation. One of our clients saved his office 20 hours of staff time by utilizing this feature in eLoop!

These are just a few of the many ways email marketing can be used to enhance your business this time of year. Remember to start sending emails now, send often, and send all the way until the end of the promotion for maximum results. For more information on how these features can be used, contact your eLoop Account Manager.