Making email stand out

Peak sales season isn’t that far off, and for retailers and eCommerce businesses, it’s both a blessing and a curse.

Let’s face it – while there are likely to be plenty of people out there looking for a bargain (more so than ever these days, arguably), the amount of noise being made by your competition will be deafening.

How do you make yourself heard above that din? What can you do to ensure people shop with you rather than the rest?

At times like this, it all comes down to effective email marketing.

With that in mind, we’ve got five awesome tips for standing out during peak sales season.

1. Start early

Don’t wait. Get those emails out – now.

Seriously. It might feel early, but the sooner you end up in someone’s inbox, the more likely you are to capture any early interest they might have in forthcoming sales.

We all joke about Christmas arriving earlier each year, but there’s a point behind that – retailers want you in their minds well in advance.

2. Don’t just send for the sake of sending

Make sure you have something valuable to share with your audience; something which will pique their interest because it will genuinely make a difference to their lives.

Inspiring your audience in this way will be a differentiator during peak sales season. While your competitors are all chucking out discounts on old stock, you could do something far more interesting.

A list of your best gifts for under £30 is one example, but you could also dive into your best sellers and present them in a way which makes your audience feel like they’re missing out on something.

3. Combine your email and social efforts

Whatever approach you take during peak sales season, you need to be speaking the same language across all marketing channels.

So, if you undertake a specific sales campaign on email, make sure you tease the details on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, too.

This form of cross-promotion will not only reach a wider audience, it’ll make your brand far more recognisable for those who already follow you. Think about it: an email here, Facebook update there – it won’t take long for you to settle nicely into their minds for when the sales hit.

4. Offer reservations

Why wait until your sales go live to ensure to you have confirmed purchasers?

Try offering reservations for your hottest sales lines. “Be first in the queue”, “don’t miss out” – that kind of language will set a tone of scarcity which should prompt your subscribers to take action and put their names down in advance for your forthcoming deals.

5. Ramp up expectation

Treat your forthcoming sales promotions like a Hollywood movie and introduce them slowly, well in advance (see tip 1).

By creating mini ‘trailers’ for your sales promotions and sending them out in timed intervals via email, you’ll gradually ramp up interest in what’s to come.

People love this. It gets them excited and places your brand firmly within their minds for when the time to hit the ‘add to cart’ button arises.

To really take advantage of this strategy, make sure you have a big banner on your website indicating that some exciting sales are on the way, complete with a registration form for people to add themselves to your list. You’ll be surprised by how quickly your subscriber base grows when you do this.

Wrapping up

There’s no reason to be a shrinking violet during peak sales time. Our tips above will help you stand out during this vitally important time of the year.

Give them a go!