In my twisted little universe, Guy Fawkes didn’t care about politics, Catholicism, or inequality. He was literally sick of trying to keep up with November email marketing. And this is before bonfire night was even conceived. My history is a little fuzzy on the subject, but in 1605 the logistics of getting ready for Remembrance Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday must have been a nightmare. How would he have overcome that? No wonder he blew himself up.
And created yet another November celebration for the rest of us. Thanks Guido!
In the real world, most of our year has the important dates spread out quite nicely. We enjoy sales in January, fall in love and eat pancakes in February, March and April are spent chasing chocolate rabbits. You get the point. November is a cluster-grenade of important holidays. That means it is time to think creatively. We need all those ideas, and we need them now. So let’s get started and plan our November emails.
Overcome the nightmare
It might sound ridiculous to some, but when you are tasked with trying to market your way through the November labyrinth it can get a bit daunting. With so much going on it can be hard to work out what to focus on. It is important to know what is applicable to you and your business.
For instance, for a UK audience, there is almost no point in creating a Thanksgiving campaign. Similarly, it is not every country or culture that feels the need to celebrate an act of failed terrorism dating back 400 years. Events like NaNoWriMo might be applicable to a publishing house, but perhaps not for a dairy farmer. Separate the wheat from the chaff. In some instances less is definitely more.
A single coherent campaign, will be more effective than a confetti-scattering of various ideas.
Dare to be a little different
As much as Mark Ellis advocates “going bad” with puns around Halloween, after that I believe it should stop. Heading into November, when everyone’s sales “rocket”, or parties are going “with a bang”, we all start to get a little anaesthetised to the groan-eliciting cliché of it all. It is time to stand out.
Consider the success of the Movember campaign. There were no exploding fireworks on nightmare-black backgrounds. We didn’t have to overcome the monotony of yet another incendiary pun, or the quintessentially British introductions that comment on how cold the weather is getting. The Movember Foundation have not only raised millions of pounds and awareness for Men’s health, the uniqueness of their campaign engaged half the world.
Give a little bit more in November
What makes November such a nightmare is the amount of money we are expecting people to spend. People are starting to get frivolous, mostly in preparation for Christmas. Over recent years, the UK have made the commercial decision to incorporate Cyber Monday and Black Friday into the calendar. For me, it is just an excuse to watch those grainy mobile-videos of people hitting each other over the head with a cut-price TV. For companies, despite the low prices, these are massive sales opportunities. If you want to cash in some of that sales action, then maybe you should give something first.
Why not create an info-graphic or two? Perhaps a survival guide to Black Friday, or chance to pre-order your Cyber Monday prices. Any help to the general shopping public on these two pivotal days will be greatly appreciated, and most definitely not forgotten. Your November email could positively affect their shopping experience.
An Autumn’s tale!
If creating various marketing campaigns in November sounds like a minefield to you, then let’s simplify it. Make one campaign. Tell one story.
Create a Hero that can journey through, and ultimately survive, November. As I described in a recent blog, stories are almost folkloric, and they are easier to remember. A hero’s story is the perfect to market your way through a hectic November.
Wrap up (nice and warm)
The important thing is to enjoy the opportunities that November will provide you. Where there are sales, there are creative opportunities. It might take a little imagination to stand out from all other marketers. OF course, it will definitely take a few cups of coffee to create those November campaigns.
A November email is a challenge. Overcome it. Don’t find yourself sitting on 36 barrels of gunpowder because your email marketing is getting you down this November. Get a little inspired.
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