{"id":50994,"date":"2025-09-24T11:13:01","date_gmt":"2025-09-24T15:13:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/?p=50994"},"modified":"2025-09-25T12:41:15","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T16:41:15","slug":"litmus-holiday-marketing-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/litmus-holiday-marketing-guide","title":{"rendered":"How to Create a High-Performing Holiday Email Marketing Strategy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t<div id=\"simple-text-block-block_fdc8ca8e88fbc2d883d7f3259cb11ebd\" class=\"block-simple-text-block alignfull \" style=\"background-color:\">\n  <div class=\"container\">\n  \t<div class=\"row\">\n  \t\t<div class=\"col\">\n  \t\t\t<div class=\"copy\">\n  \t\t\t\t<table style=\"background-color: #f2f3f6;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"block-1\" style=\"padding: 20px;\">\n<h3>Key takeaways \u2728<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>A high-performing strategy<\/strong> starts with a clear, actionable goal\u2014or goals\u2014 and the corresponding metrics to measure the performance of your campaigns.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Distribute your sends thoughtfully<\/strong> to smaller, targeted segments where the message will resonate most. Also cross-promote them on social media.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Set up automations<\/strong> <strong>whenever you<\/strong> can to take the stress off of sending and to speak to your subscriber at the right time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The holiday season presents a prime opportunity for businesses to boost engagement and drive sales through email marketing. With inboxes flooded with festive offers, your <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/holiday-email-insights\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">holiday email marketing strategy<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> needs to cut through the noise and deliver measurable results.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This article will show you how to craft a holiday email marketing campaign that captures attention and converts.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Table of contents<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"#season\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What is considered the holiday season?<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"#power\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The power of successful holiday email marketing<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"#winning-strategy\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How to build a winning holiday email marketing strategy<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"#examples\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Examples of successful holiday email marketing campaigns<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"#best-practices\">Best practices for holiday email marketing<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"#tactics\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Essential email tactics<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"#pitfalls\">How to avoid the common pitfalls of holiday email marketing<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"#success\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Measuring the success of your holiday email marketing campaigns<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"season\">What is considered the holiday season?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Think the holiday season is just about decking the halls? Think bigger! From Diwali to Lunar New Year, your holiday email calendar can sparkle for months.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Key moments to shine:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Cultural celebrations<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Retail events<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (Black Friday, Cyber Monday, <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/green-monday-emails\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Green Monday<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>New Year&#8217;s parties<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (both Western and Lunar varieties)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And don\u2019t forget those <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/fun-holiday-email-campaigns\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">quirky holidays<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> like National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_100764\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-100764\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-100764\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Holiday-Marketing-Key-Dates.png\" alt=\"A list of key holiday dates for November, December, and January, perfect for your holiday email marketing campaigns, includes Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day, Hannukah, Diwali, and Winter Solstice. Some dates vary each year.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1008\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Holiday-Marketing-Key-Dates.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Holiday-Marketing-Key-Dates-300x252.png 300w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Holiday-Marketing-Key-Dates-1024x860.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Holiday-Marketing-Key-Dates-768x645.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-100764\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/resources\/holiday-email-marketing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Holiday Email Marketing Guide<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Each of these moments offers a chance to connect with your audience in a unique and relevant way. But how do you announce a holiday campaign in an email?<\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"background-color: #f2f3f6;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"block-1\" style=\"padding: 20px;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\ud83d\udca1 Before launching a holiday-themed promotional campaign, take a moment to reflect on these important questions:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Does this campaign genuinely resonate<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>,<\/strong> or is it merely performative?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Do these values truly align<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with our brand? What proof do we have to support that?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>How does our messaging<\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">connect with marginalized communities?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>How can we effectively communicate our support<\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">for these communities and the reasons behind it?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you&#8217;re going to talk the talk, make sure you&#8217;re ready to walk the walk. Authenticity is key\u2014don\u2019t just capitalize on these holidays for revenue\u2019s sake. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As Jaina Mistry, Brand and Content Marketing Leader, puts it: \u201cThink about how authentic your brand might come across to customers if you\u2019re trying to force a connection.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Instead, focus on making a real impact that aligns with your brand\u2019s values and genuinely supports the communities you&#8217;re spotlighting or celebrating.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"quote my-5 col-12 blue-quote\" >\n\t\n\t<div class=\"row d-flex align-items-center\">\n\t<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-9\">&#8220;<em>Understand who your audience is, what they want, and choose seasonal campaigns that will bring all of that together. And in a crowded inbox where everyone\u2019s trying to message around one very specific seasonal holiday, your brand will stand out by leveraging a topic that resonates better with your audience.<\/em>&#8220;<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-3 text-center\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/jaina-mistry.jpg\" alt=\"Brand and Content Leader\" width=\"125\" height=\"125\" class=\"mt-3 mt-lg-0\">\t<p><strong>Brand and Content Leader<\/strong>\t<br><span class=\"quote-title\">Jaina Mistry<\/span><\/p>\t<a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/linkedin.com\/in\/jainamistry\" target=\"blank\"><i class=\"fa-brands fa-linkedin\"><\/i><\/a>\t<\/div>\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<h2 id=\"power\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The power of successful holiday email marketing<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u200b\u200bNovember and December aren&#8217;t just busy\u2014they&#8217;re prime time for <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/holiday-email-insights\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">email engagement<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Why? <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Well over half of them<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are itching to pounce on early holiday deals. And if they&#8217;re on your email list, they&#8217;re primed to buy.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_100765\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-100765\" style=\"width: 1356px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-100765\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Holiday-Marketing-Engagement-Chart.png\" alt=\"A bar chart illustrating monthly subscriber engagement, highlighting the highest and lowest engagement periods.\" width=\"1356\" height=\"978\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Holiday-Marketing-Engagement-Chart.png 1356w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Holiday-Marketing-Engagement-Chart-300x216.png 300w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Holiday-Marketing-Engagement-Chart-1024x739.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Holiday-Marketing-Engagement-Chart-768x554.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1356px) 100vw, 1356px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-100765\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/trends-in-email-engagement\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Trends in Email Engagement<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here&#8217;s why your holiday campaigns matter:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Eager audiences. <\/strong><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nrf.com\/media-center\/press-releases\/thanksgiving-holiday-weekend-sees-record-number-shoppers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Over half of consumers<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> actively seek early holiday promotions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Extended season<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>.<\/strong> Engagement opportunities stretch from late September through January.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Higher intent<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>.<\/strong> By nature, email is a permission-based channel. Subscribers have opted-in to your email list because they <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">want<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to hear from you\u2014and they\u2019re more likely to purchase than non-subscribers.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"h-lg text-teal\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>\u201cEmail outreach was reported by 29% of merchants to be their most effective marketing channel.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 200px; text-align: right;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014<a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.searchenginejournal.com\/survey-shows-ecommerce-strategies-for-2024-holiday-season\/526086\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Search Engine Journal<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n  \t\t\t<\/div>\n  \t\t<\/div>\n  \t<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"post-cta-buttonblock_31f814caf3d1abf3cef3b8c856b76a32\" class=\"block-post-cta-button mt-5\">\n  <div class=\"container px-0\">\n    <div class=\"row\">\n      <div class=\"blog-post-cta-button-wrapper col-12 col-lg-10 mx-auto p-4 d-block d-lg-flex align-items-lg-center align-items-start\">\n\t\t  \t\t  \t\t  \t\t  \t\t  \t\t  \t\t  \t\t \t\t\t  \t\t  \t\t  <div class=\"blog-post-cta-button-icon col-2 float-start mx-auto float-lg-start float-none background-white d-flex flex-column justify-content-center align-items-center text-center\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/icon_send_blue.svg\" alt=\"email send and email testing by litmus\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t  \t\t  <\/div><!--blog-post-cta-button-icon-->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  \t\t  <div class=\"col-12 col-lg-9 ps-lg-4 ps-0 text-center text-lg-start mt-3 mt-lg-0\">\t\t\t  \t\t\t  <h2 class=\"h-sm\"><strong>Craft winning holiday emails and boost engagement<\/strong><\/h2>\n\t\t\t   \n\t\t\t  \t\t\t\t\t<p>Discover strategies for creating effective holiday email campaigns that will make you stand out during the busiest time of year.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t  \t\t  <\/div><!--col-12 col-lg-9 ps-lg-4 ps-0 text-center text-lg-start mt-3 mt-lg-0-->\t\t\t  \t\t  <div class=\"text-center text-lg-end col-12 col-lg-1 ms-lg-2 ms-0\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"btn btn-primary\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/resources\/holiday-email-marketing\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tPlan holiday emails\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t  \t\t  <\/div><!--text-center text-lg-end col-12 col-lg-1 ms-lg-2 ms-0-->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t        <\/div><!--blog-post-cta-button-wrapper-->\n    <\/div><!--row-->\n  <\/div><!--container-->\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\t<div id=\"simple-text-block-block_5b5a0e3ae9191e2ad33755416e47a78c\" class=\"block-simple-text-block alignfull \" style=\"background-color:\">\n  <div class=\"container\">\n  \t<div class=\"row\">\n  \t\t<div class=\"col\">\n  \t\t\t<div class=\"copy\">\n  \t\t\t\t<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"winning-strategy\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How to build a winning holiday email marketing strategy<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Creating an effective holiday email marketing strategy calls for thoughtful planning. Here are some <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/top-email-marketing-tips\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">email marketing tips<\/a> to hit the mark and close out Q4 with a major win.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Set clear, actionable goals<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First, define what success looks like for your holiday campaign. Reflect on your business objectives from a macro perspective\u2014e.g. how will our email campaigns support the larger picture? Set clear, measurable goals and <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/the-email-metrics-marketers-measure-and-the-ones-they-should\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">key performance indicators (KPIs)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that align with your overall business objectives.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These can include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Revenue targets.<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Set specific, achievable revenue goals based on historical data.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Brand awareness.<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Measure increases in social mentions and overall visibility.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>List growth.<\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consider expanding your mailable audience during this high-engagement period.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re in eCommerce, chances are you\u2019re looking to increase revenue. Before mapping out your strategy, take a look at any historical data you have from previous holiday email marketing campaigns and benchmarks based on your own <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/the-5-metrics-you-should-add-to-your-email-reporting\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">email performance metrics<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Plus, with a higher volume of sends, it\u2019s a great time to A\/B test new tactics that foster clicks and <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/resources\/first-party-best-party\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">first-party data<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Consider how <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/your-guide-to-email-personalization-for-ecommerce\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">email personalization for eCommerce<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> can drive these efforts, enhancing your strategy for even better results.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If your goal is to boost brand awareness, consider leveraging your <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/newsletter-best-practices\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">newsletters<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. They\u2019re perfect for sharing resourceful, educational, and helpful content\u2014the bread and butter of <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/roi-of-email-marketing-relationship-building\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">top-of-funnel (TOFU) marketing<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For specific holidays, you might include gift guides or spotlight brands and community members related to the occasion. Then, measure success by using a <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/help.litmus.com\/article\/711-litmus-personalize-sentiment-trackers-guide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sentiment tracker<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to gauge how well your content is resonating with your audience. Plus, each vote counts as a click, inherently boosting engagement while collecting valuable feedback.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_86268\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-86268\" style=\"width: 1232px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-86268\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Sentiment-tracker.png\" alt=\"sentiment tracker\" width=\"1232\" height=\"620\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Sentiment-tracker.png 1232w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Sentiment-tracker-300x151.png 300w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Sentiment-tracker-1024x515.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Sentiment-tracker-768x386.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1232px) 100vw, 1232px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-86268\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sentiment tracker made with <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-personalization\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Litmus Personalize<\/span><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Segment your audience<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There\u2019s no such thing as sending \u201ctoo many emails\u201d if you\u2019re segmenting effectively! Gone are the days of \u201cbatch and blast\u201d\u2014this holiday season, segmentation will be your best friend. \ud83e\udd1d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Break down your list into targeted groups:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Purchase history<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>.<\/strong> Recent buyers, high-value customers, occasional shoppers<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Engagement level<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>.<\/strong> Active openers, frequent clickers, dormant subscribers (e.g., clicked an email in the past two weeks vs. six months ago)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Demographics<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>.<\/strong> Age, location, occupation (if relevant to your products)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Preferences<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>.<\/strong> Product categories, content types, communication frequency<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consider additional factors for segmentation:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Site behavior<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/collect-zero-party-data-through-email\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Zero-party data<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/four-types-of-data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First-party data<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Webinar or event attendance<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 15px; border-left: 10px solid #0d5477;\"><strong>LitTip:<\/strong> The holidays can be a sensitive time for subscribers. And while holiday opt-out emails have become popular in recent years, we advocate for allowing your audience to opt-in rather than opt-out.<strong> <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/a-case-against-the-holiday-opt-out-email\">More on this \u2192<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Content creation<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now let\u2019s dive into the heart of your campaigns: the content!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What should be the subject of a holiday email? It depends on a few factors. The key is to determine which type of email will resonate most with your audience segments.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether you\u2019re planning content for a standard <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/resources\/what-makes-a-really-good-newsletter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">newsletter<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a one-off promotional campaign, or an <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/email-automation-to-the-rescue-how-to-get-started\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">automated triggered email<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, assess which format will perform best.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For eCommerce retailers, a structured series of promotional emails might look like this:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Announcement<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>.<\/strong> Introduce the sale with an initial email, including an <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/help.litmus.com\/article\/744-litmus-personalize-add-to-calendar-guide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">add-to-calendar link<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> so they don\u2019t miss out.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Reminder<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>.<\/strong> Notify subscribers that the sale is now live.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Doors closing<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>.<\/strong> Send a reminder email as the sale is nearing its end.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Final minutes<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>.<\/strong> Alert them that the sale is ending within 24 hours or an order-by deadline, with a <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/using-countdown-timers-to-boost-engagement\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">countdown timer<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to introduce urgency and drive action.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Sale extension<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Inform them of a sale extension, if applicable. <\/span>But do so sparingly so you don\u2019t get in <a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/emailexpert.com\/industry-news\/legal\/nike-faces-class-action-lawsuit-over-misleading-email-marketing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">trouble like Nike<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You might also consider using a mix of soft-sell and hard-sell emails. <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shopmoment.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Moment<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> effectively employs this strategy with a series of emails featuring various themes and leveraging hierarchy (more on this next!):<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>\u201cGift guide\u201d email<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>:<\/strong> The primary <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/click-tap-and-touch-a-guide-to-cta-best-practices\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">call-to-action (CTA)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is the gift guide, with a secondary CTA to \u201cshop the deals.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>\u201cThank you\u201d email:<\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A more personal, letter-style email expressing gratitude and announcing an exclusive discount.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Promotional email:<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> A straightforward email highlighting the details of their holiday sale.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Scroll down to see each email in action.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cGift guide\u201d email example<\/span><\/h4>\n<div class=\"image-scroll mb-3\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/1u-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n\n<p class=\"text-muted\">Source: <a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/reallygoodemails.com\/emails\/the-2022-gift-guides\">Really Good Emails<\/a><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThank you\u201d email example<\/span><\/h4>\n<div class=\"image-scroll mb-3\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2u.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n\n<p class=\"text-muted\">Source: <a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/reallygoodemails.com\/emails\/were-grateful-for-you\">Really Good Emails<\/a><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Promotional email example<\/span><\/h4>\n<div class=\"image-scroll mb-3\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/3u.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n\n<p>Source: <a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/reallygoodemails.com\/emails\/its-on-black-friday-deals-are-live\">Really Good Emails<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Design for impact<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The holidays are a perfect time to embrace festive themes! You don\u2019t need a major design overhaul\u2014sometimes, just adding a few seasonal touches to your existing <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-templates\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">email templates<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> can make all the difference.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consult with your <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/role\/designers-developers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">email designer and developer<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to explore what\u2019s possible within your current <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/email-design-system\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">email design system<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Ask which elements can be elevated with a holiday touch. Remember, these updates don\u2019t have to be a heavy lift.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dress up your emails with holiday headers, like <a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/food52.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Food52<\/a> does:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-scroll mb-3\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Food52.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here\u2019s a side-by-side comparison of their normal header:<\/span><\/p>\n  \t\t\t<\/div>\n  \t\t<\/div>\n  \t<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\t<div id=\"simple-text-block-block_d6da3af1de23f536c7fa1bf66f431dc4\" class=\"block-simple-text-block alignfull \" style=\"background-color:\">\n  <div class=\"container\">\n  \t<div class=\"row\">\n  \t\t<div class=\"col\">\n  \t\t\t<div class=\"copy\">\n  \t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Below is an example of our twice-per-month newsletter, <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/litmus-news\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Litmus News<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. See the differences between the holiday-themed newsletter (left) and the normal version we send (right)? We\u2019ve added a few decorative elements like colored string lights and a background image featuring snowflakes. Modules were swapped in or out based on the content of the newsletter.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"experience-66c768b47bf7b\" style=\"position: relative; width: auto; padding: 0 0 60.6%; height: 0; top: 0; left: 0; bottom: 0; right: 0; margin: 0; border: 0 none;\" data-aspectratio=\"1.65016502\"><iframe class=\"ceros-experience\" style=\"position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; bottom: 0; right: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0; border: 0 none; height: 100%; width: 100%;\" title=\"Holiday-Marketing-Guide-Litmus-News\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/packages\/holiday-marketing-litmus-news-experience-66c768b47bf7b-08-22-2024-1639\/index.html\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/packages\/holiday-marketing-litmus-news-experience-66c768b47bf7b-08-22-2024-1639\/assets\/scroll-proxy.min.js\" data-ceros-origin-domains=\"\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beyond the look and feel, another crucial component to consider is <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/resources\/foundations-of-email-design\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">email hierarchy<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: visual differences that reinforce the importance and help readers quickly consume email content. On average, a subscriber spends <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/trends-in-email-engagement\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">8.97 seconds with an email<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, so you\u2019ll want to make sure your email has visual anchor points to make it easy for them to scan.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While it\u2019s best practice for an email to focus on a single, primary message, some types, like <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-templates\/newsletter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">newsletters<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, naturally include multiple key points.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For these emails, use hierarchy to clearly distinguish between your primary and secondary messages to help the reader quickly digest the most important parts of your email. This allows your main message to stand out, while still effectively incorporating additional content or <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/resources\/guide-to-ctas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">email CTAs<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_100767\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-100767\" style=\"width: 1585px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-100767 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Holiday-Marketing-Sample-Email-Layout-1-e1725471341767.png\" alt=\"Example of a holiday email marketing sample layout for email\" width=\"1585\" height=\"1263\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Holiday-Marketing-Sample-Email-Layout-1-e1725471341767.png 1585w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Holiday-Marketing-Sample-Email-Layout-1-e1725471341767-300x239.png 300w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Holiday-Marketing-Sample-Email-Layout-1-e1725471341767-1024x816.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Holiday-Marketing-Sample-Email-Layout-1-e1725471341767-768x612.png 768w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Holiday-Marketing-Sample-Email-Layout-1-e1725471341767-1536x1224.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1585px) 100vw, 1585px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-100767\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Source: <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/resources\/foundations-of-email-design\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Foundations of Email Design<\/span><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\nIn the example below, <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.studio.co.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Studio\u2019s<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> primary message announces its early sale for an upcoming <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/black-friday-email-marketing-strategy-guide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Black Friday email campaign<\/a>. Secondary messaging can be found above the hero image (e.g. \u201cWe\u2019ve extended our returns until Jan 14\u201d) and throughout the body of the email in the form of <a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/help-personalize.litmus.com\/article\/605-create-a-live-poll\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">live polls<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-scroll mb-3\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Studio-BF-poll-1.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n\n<p><strong>Need help getting started?<\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019ve got you covered! Get started quickly with one of our free holiday email templates from our <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-templates\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Email Template Hub<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014tested and approved by our very own email artisans.<\/span><\/p>\n  \t\t\t<\/div>\n  \t\t<\/div>\n  \t<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"post-cta-buttonblock_311b17ab64c7192bd69329bcaa22938b\" class=\"block-post-cta-button mt-5\">\n  <div class=\"container px-0\">\n    <div class=\"row\">\n      <div class=\"blog-post-cta-button-wrapper col-12 col-lg-10 mx-auto p-4 d-block d-lg-flex align-items-lg-center align-items-start\">\n\t\t  \t\t  \t\t  \t\t  \t\t  \t\t  \t\t  \t\t \t\t\t  \t\t  \t\t  <div class=\"blog-post-cta-button-icon col-2 float-start mx-auto float-lg-start float-none background-white d-flex flex-column justify-content-center align-items-center text-center\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/icon-sparkle-08212024.svg\" alt=\"\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t  \t\t  <\/div><!--blog-post-cta-button-icon-->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  \t\t  <div class=\"col-12 col-lg-9 ps-lg-4 ps-0 text-center text-lg-start mt-3 mt-lg-0\">\t\t\t  \t\t\t  <h2 class=\"h-sm\"><strong>Stunning emails, big results<\/strong><\/h2>\n\t\t\t   \n\t\t\t  \t\t\t\t\t<p>Explore our top picks for emails that can help your brand get more clicks, more revenue, and provide better in-email experiences.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t  \t\t  <\/div><!--col-12 col-lg-9 ps-lg-4 ps-0 text-center text-lg-start mt-3 mt-lg-0-->\t\t\t  \t\t  <div class=\"text-center text-lg-end col-12 col-lg-1 ms-lg-2 ms-0\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"btn btn-primary\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-gallery\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tGet inspired\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t  \t\t  <\/div><!--text-center text-lg-end col-12 col-lg-1 ms-lg-2 ms-0-->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t        <\/div><!--blog-post-cta-button-wrapper-->\n    <\/div><!--row-->\n  <\/div><!--container-->\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\t<div id=\"simple-text-block-block_2e8ae3ee78b08c7ef5def8436fd30312\" class=\"block-simple-text-block alignfull \" style=\"background-color:\">\n  <div class=\"container\">\n  \t<div class=\"row\">\n  \t\t<div class=\"col\">\n  \t\t\t<div class=\"copy\">\n  \t\t\t\t<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Email distribution<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How will your emails reach the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">right<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> audience? Your holiday email marketing strategy can leverage a few key pieces:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/ip-domain-email-warm-up\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">IP warm-up<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>.<\/strong> If you\u2019re anticipating a spike in email volume due to promotions, consider warming up your IP or domain. This involves gradually increasing the number of emails sent from your IP address or domain over time to ensure smooth delivery during the rollout of your <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/fun-holiday-email-campaigns\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">holiday email campaigns<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Promote it on social.<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> If you\u2019re offering exclusive content (like a special gift guide) or big sale, use <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/how-to-successfully-integrate-email-and-social-media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">social media to draw in new subscribers<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Post about it to bring awareness to your holiday campaigns and incentivize sign-ups by offering early access or a discount, e.g. \u201cbe the first to know\u201d or offer a special welcome discount.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Segmentation<\/strong><b>.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Tailor your email sends based on engagement levels. For example, use email personalization tactics like <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/how-to-use-email-scratch-offs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">email scratch-offs<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or compelling <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/best-email-subject-lines-for-black-friday-cyber-monday\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">holiday <\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">subject lines<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to boost open rates. Don\u2019t forget to include segments that have specifically <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">opted-in<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to receive holiday emails (e.g. via your preference center) and exclude those who have opted-out.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Clear timelines<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The key for a stress-free holiday season is preparation! Create a timeline that includes key milestones, from content creation to design to final send. This will help you and your team avoid last-minute stresses and stay on track during this busy season.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Plan ahead.<\/p>\n<p>We know its coming every year. Plan far ahead.<\/p>\n<p>That includes scheduling time off \ud83d\ude4c\ud83c\udffe<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Kisha @ EmailArtisan (@EmailArtisanIO) <a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/EmailArtisanIO\/status\/1673722707228209153?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 27, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><strong>When should you send holiday marketing emails? <\/strong><b>\u200b\u200b<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You don\u2019t want your emails to get lost in inbox clutter, but you also don\u2019t want to miss the moment when your subscriber is ready to engage. That\u2019s why identifying the best time of day to send emails is such a popular topic in email marketing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-analytics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Litmus Email Analytics<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the morning\u2014specifically between <\/span><strong>10 a.m. and 11 a.m.<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014is consistently the prime time for email activity across six different regions, regardless of time zone, based on our analysis from August 2021 to August 2022.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_100766\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-100766\" style=\"width: 1386px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-100766\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Holiday-Marketing-Open-Rates.png\" alt=\"best time for email activity and engagement\" width=\"1386\" height=\"662\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Holiday-Marketing-Open-Rates.png 1386w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Holiday-Marketing-Open-Rates-300x143.png 300w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Holiday-Marketing-Open-Rates-1024x489.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Holiday-Marketing-Open-Rates-768x367.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1386px) 100vw, 1386px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-100766\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Source: <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/trends-in-email-engagement\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trends in Email Engagement<\/span><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, when we focused on email open patterns from 2.5 billion email opens between Thanksgiving and New Year\u2019s Day 2021, we found that evenings were actually more effective. Specifically, 7 p.m. emerged as the peak time, accounting for an average of 9.45% of email opens.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_101174\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-101174\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-101174\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Chart-USEmailOpensByTimeofDay2-1024x635-1.png\" alt=\"Most popular email open times, measured by United States email opens (November 26, 2020 \u2013 January 1, 2021) with Litmus Email Analytics\" width=\"1024\" height=\"635\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Chart-USEmailOpensByTimeofDay2-1024x635-1.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Chart-USEmailOpensByTimeofDay2-1024x635-1-300x186.png 300w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Chart-USEmailOpensByTimeofDay2-1024x635-1-768x476.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-101174\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Most popular email open times, measured by United States email opens (November 26, 2020 \u2013 January 1, 2021) with <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-analytics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Litmus Email Analytics<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>What does this mean for you?<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The answer to \u201c<\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/whats-the-best-time-to-send-email-we-analyzed-billions-of-email-opens-to-find-out\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">when should you send an email<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d\u00a0 isn\u2019t one-size-fits-all. Consider the following:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Before your campaign launch, dive into any historical data<\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">you have on your audience pertaining to send time, usually available within your <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/a-snapshot-of-the-email-service-provider-landscape\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">email service provider (ESP)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Set a baseline for audience engagement.<\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First, determine the most popular open times for your target audience. Use these insights to test and <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/whats-the-best-time-to-send-email-we-analyzed-billions-of-email-opens-to-find-out\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">optimize your send times<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, checking if adjusting the timing improves email performance. Don\u2019t focus solely on open rates; also monitor how different send times affect click rates and overall conversions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>If your audience spans multiple time zones<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and important markets are spread out, <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/combining-segmentation-and-personalization\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">segmenting your list<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by time zone can be a highly effective strategy.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Factors like day of the week and when<i> others<\/i> are sending<\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">can impact how crowded inboxes are when you send. Experiment with the best times <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">before<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> your big send (perhaps you might consider <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.beehiiv.com\/p\/best-time-to-send-an-email-on-saturday\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a Saturday send<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">!).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 15px; border-left: 10px solid #0d5477;\"><strong>LitTip: <\/strong>for more thorough insights like <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/email-read-rates\">read rates<\/a> and <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-client-market-share\">top email clients<\/a> among your subscribers, use a third-party tool like <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-analytics\">Litmus Email Analytics<\/a> to help inform your send time.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"timeline\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your holiday email timeline<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Planning is the gift that keeps on giving. Here&#8217;s a timeline for <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/industry\/retail\">retail and eCommerce<\/a> to keep you on track:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>September:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Finalize your overall strategy<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Start warming up your IP<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Begin designing templates<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>October:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Launch list-building campaigns on social media<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Start teasing holiday content to your most engaged subscribers<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Early November:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Send your first holiday-themed newsletter<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Launch early bird promotions<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Mid-November to December:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ramp up promotional emails<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Implement your main holiday campaigns<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Monitor and adjust based on performance<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Late December:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Transition to post-holiday sales and New Year messaging<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>January:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Ramp up post-holiday sales<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Educate about returns and exchanges<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Encourage referrals and gift card use<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remember: flexibility is key. Be ready to pivot based on performance data and emerging <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/trends-in-email-marketing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">email marketing trends<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"examples\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Examples of successful holiday email marketing campaigns<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A single well-crafted holiday email can create a snowball effect\u2014leading to increases in revenue, brand loyalty, and long-term customer relationships.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Take for example Kate Spade\u2019s holiday email marketing strategy from a recent Black Friday email:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-scroll mb-3\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/4u.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n\n<p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Source: <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/page.litmus.com\/live-polls-and-social-proof.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Guide to Live Polls and Social Proof<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The email was executed as a two-part send:<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><strong>The initial send:<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Kate Spade sent an email with a <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/how-litmus-uses-live-polls\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Litmus Personalize Live Poll<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> paired with a progress bar, made up of spades to align with their branding. Every click registered as a vote (aka, invaluable <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/email-for-first-party-data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">first-party data<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">). Each time a subscriber opened an email, they were guaranteed real-time results, as <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-gallery\/live-polls\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">live poll<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> results were updated with the latest results from subscribers casting their votes.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><strong>The follow-up send:<\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">24 hours later, Kate Spade sent a follow-up email, segmenting based on the subscribers who voted, based on their click category. Each recipient received an email with in-stock products based on their vote. Those who didn\u2019t vote received an email containing best-selling items.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The results? As the marketing team at Kate Spade puts it, \u201c<\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/page.litmus.com\/live-polls-and-social-proof.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This was a great strategy that really worked!<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d They saw:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>84% increase<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/kpis-you-should-be-tracking#:~:text=The%20click%2Dthrough%20rate%20(CTR,starting%20point%20for%20further%20digging.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">click-through rates (CTR)<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>12% increase<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in overall CTR<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>47% increase<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in revenue<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>140% growth<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in users year-over-year<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not too shabby, right?<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"h-lg text-teal\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>\u201cWe increased CTR using the poll in email one and then had a bigger pool of engaged people to send a targeted, click-based follow up to. This was a great strategy that really worked!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 200px; text-align: right;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014Performance Marketing Manager, Kate Spade<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another route is to promote a list of limited-time gift ideas and special offers with a gift guide, like <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.urbandecay.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Urban Decay<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> did for their Cyber Weekend deal. They featured a personalized image as the hero for a personal touch and included a <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/page.litmus.com\/live-polls-and-social-proof.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">live poll<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to gather <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/social-proof-in-email\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">social proof<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014just one of several <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/dynamic-email-content-to-increase-engagement\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">dynamic email content examples<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> you can try for your holiday campaigns.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-scroll mb-3\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/KateSpade-BlackFriday-3.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another route is to promote a list of limited-time gift ideas and special offers with a gift guide, like <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.urbandecay.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Urban Decay<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> did for their Cyber Weekend deal. They featured a personalized image as the hero for a personal touch and included a <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/page.litmus.com\/live-polls-and-social-proof.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">live poll<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to gather <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/social-proof-in-email\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">social proof<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014just one of several <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/dynamic-email-content-to-increase-engagement\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">dynamic email content examples<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> you can try for your holiday campaigns.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 1213px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/UD-timedimg-poll.png\" alt=\"Holiday email marketing example\" width=\"1213\" height=\"2154\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-gallery\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Email Gallery<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In another email, Urban Decay uses <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-gallery\/content-automation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">content automation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to display imagery of and three recommended products.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 1422px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/UD-BF-PI-DT-CTA-and-live-prods.png\" alt=\"holiday email marketing example\" width=\"1422\" height=\"3888\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Source: <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-gallery\/content-automation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Email Gallery<\/span><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/help.litmus.com\/article\/707-litmus-personalize#Personalize-widgets-80MWk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Litmus Personalize Quick-Start Templates<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, no coding experience is required to add personalized email elements like live polls, countdown timers, Scratch-Offs, Interest Signals, and Instagram Feeds. All it takes is a few clicks!<\/span><\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 2560px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/d33v4339jhl8k0.cloudfront.net\/docs\/assets\/55ad6bf6e4b0b0593824e281\/images\/6603d8ca09d5bd1e74f49779\/file-JEM5Hdyhro.jpg\" alt=\"Litmus Personalize Quick-Start Templates\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1517\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/help.litmus.com\/article\/707-litmus-personalize#Personalize-widgets-80MWk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Litmus Personalize Quick-Start Templates<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Want more holiday email marketing examples and tactics to apply to your campaigns this year? Check out our <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/resources\/holiday-email-marketing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Holiday Email Marketing Guide. \u2192<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"best-practices\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Best practices for holiday email marketing<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make the most out of this busy season with best practices to include in your holiday email marketing strategy:<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Email personalization<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Personalization can go a long way\u2014especially in a crowded inbox. We\u2019re talking<\/span> <a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/456500\/daily-number-of-e-mails-worldwide\/\">361.6 billion emails<\/a> sent daily in 2024. That number is expected to rise to 424.2 billion by 2028.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s break it down:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>80% of consumers<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are more likely to make a purchase from a <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.epsilon.com\/us\/about-us\/pressroom\/new-epsilon-research-indicates-80-of-consumers-are-more-likely-to-make-a-purchase-when-brands-offer-personalized-experiences\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">brand that provides personalized experiences<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>64% of emails are sent by companies that<\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">leverage personalization using dynamic content. This means personalized emails are <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/page.litmus.com\/state-of-email-design.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">an industry standard<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Personalization works\u2014that goes without saying. However it&#8217;s important to recognize that not all <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-personalization\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">email personalization<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is created equal. Our latest research found that most marketers <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/resources\/state-of-email-innovations\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">rely on basic personalization<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> capabilities within their ESPs\u2014like merge tags for text-based personalization (e.g. subscriber name, company, birthday). But with so many emails starting with a first name, is that really enough to make an impact? By incorporating <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/holiday-email-personalization-with-dynamic-content\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">dynamic content for holiday<\/a> campaigns, you can go beyond basic personalization to deliver targeted, engaging messages that resonate with your audience.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ensure your emails are connecting with your audience on a 1:1 level, and if possible, <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/email-personalization-best-practices-the-ultimate-checklist-for-email-marketers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">go beyond the basic text-based personalization<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that subscribers are accustomed to seeing, like \u201cHello, %%first_name%%.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Today&#8217;s personalization is smarter, slicker\u2014and dare we say, more fun.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This could look like:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Interactive elements.<\/strong>\u00a0<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Think digital <a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/help.litmus.com\/article\/741-litmus-personalize-scratch-offs-guide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">scratch-offs<\/a> revealing holiday deals. It&#8217;s like an advent calendar, but way cooler (and less waxy chocolate).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Countdown timers.<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Nothing says &#8220;buy now&#8221; like a ticking clock. Use these for sale deadlines or shipping cut-offs.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-gallery\/live-polls\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Live polls.<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Ask subscribers what they want for Christmas. They feel heard, you get data. Win-win.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/how-to-create-an-add-to-calendar-link-for-your-emails\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Add-to-calendar.<\/strong> <\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make sure your holiday sale doesn&#8217;t get lost in the shuffle. One click, and it&#8217;s on their calendar. Easy peasy.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/help.litmus.com\/article\/753-litmus-personalize-rule-based-images-guide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Rule-based images.<\/strong><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Show the chocolate lovers a chocolate cake and the vanilla lowers a vanilla cake. It&#8217;s like mind-reading (thanks to <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/four-types-of-data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">zero- and first-party data<\/a>), but legal.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/help.litmus.com\/article\/740-litmus-personalize-interest-signals-guide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Interest Signals.<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8220;257 people bought this in the last hour!&#8221; Peer pressure works, folks.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/help.litmus.com\/article\/375-litmus-real-time-data-feeds\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Real-time data feeds.<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keep it fresh with auto-updating content. Because nobody wants last year&#8217;s leftovers.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><strong><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/help.litmus.com\/article\/710-litmus-personalized-images-guide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Personalized images.<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>Instead of &#8220;Hello, %%first_name%%,&#8221; add their first name to an image to stand out from the masses.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now, here&#8217;s where the magic happens: mix and match these features like you&#8217;re crafting the perfect holiday cocktail. Start with a base of solid segmentation, add a splash of behavioral triggers, and garnish with dynamic content. Always be testing and tweaking\u2014what delights one group might fall flat with another.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The good news for email marketers is those who embrace <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/we-need-to-talk-about-personalization-evolution-trends\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">real-time personalization<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are much more likely to create experiences that truly cut through the noise.<\/span><\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-101430\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Holiday-Table.png\" alt=\"a table of personalization tactics\" width=\"1256\" height=\"1000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Holiday-Table.png 1256w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Holiday-Table-300x239.png 300w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Holiday-Table-1024x815.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Holiday-Table-768x611.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1256px) 100vw, 1256px\" \/>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What does that look like in practice? Here are holiday email marketing examples for <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/how-to-create-inspiring-personalized-emails\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">email inspiration<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> this season.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>First up: a Cyber Monday email from Hunter, featuring a <a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/help.litmus.com\/article\/708-litmus-personalize-countdown-timer-guide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">countdown timer<\/a> in the header to drive urgency.<\/p>\n<div class=\"image-scroll mb-3\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/5u.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n\n<p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Source: <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-gallery\/countdown-timers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Email Gallery<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.katespade.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kate Spade<\/a> kicks off a Black Friday email campaign with an announcement email with clever <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/best-email-subject-lines-for-black-friday-cyber-monday\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Black Friday email subject lines<\/a>, featuring an Interest Signal for <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/social-proof-in-email\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social proof<\/a>, &#8220;9,263 people are shopping Black Friday RN!&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"image-scroll mb-3\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/KS-Black-Fri-1.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n\n<p>Source: <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-gallery\/social-signals\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Email Gallery<\/a><br \/>\n<a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mobiles.co.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mobiles.co.uk<\/a> uses a <a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/help.litmus.com\/article\/710-litmus-personalized-images-guide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">personalized image<\/a> with a <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/resources\/live-polls-and-social-proof\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">live poll<\/a> to tease an upcoming Black Friday email campaign, asking subscribers to &#8220;Vote for the type of deals you would like to see.&#8221; Each vote counts as valuable first-party data, providing subscriber insights and feedback about their products.<\/p>\n<div class=\"image-scroll mb-3\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Mobiles7-1.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n\n<p><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.studio.co.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Studio<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> kicked off the holiday season with a <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-gallery\/personalized-image\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">personalized image<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (\u201cJORDAN\u201d in the hero image) paired with the numbers of days left until Christmas in the form of a a <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-gallery\/countdown-timers\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">countdown timer<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (an effective tactic that can yield results like a <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/customers\/adventure-travel-trade-association\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">32.5% engagement rate<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">!).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Each time a subscriber opens, the timer updates with the appropriate number of days left.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-scroll mb-3\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Studio-xmas-personalized-timer.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n\n<p><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mamasandpapas.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mamas &amp; Papas<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> puts their Black Friday sale front and center as the primary message, followed by <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-gallery\/nearest-store\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">nearest store<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> locations, which displays relevant store locations based on the subscriber\u2019s location at the time of open.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-scroll mb-3\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/blog-mamas-and-papas-10082024.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n\n<p style=\"padding-left: 15px; border-left: 10px solid #0d5477;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>LitTip: <\/strong>visit our <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/resources\/holiday-email-marketing\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Holiday Email Marketing Guide<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for more ideas and inspiration!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This holiday season, don&#8217;t just send emails\u2014create experiences. Make your subscribers feel like VIPs at the world&#8217;s best holiday party. Because when you nail personalization, you&#8217;re building relationships that last.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A\/B testing<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/resources\/a-b-testing-reality-vs-expectations\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A\/B testing<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> should be done prior to holiday email marketing campaign planning, to set a reliable baseline for your holiday email marketing strategy. \u201cThis will ensure you&#8217;ve got the best versions of your emails going out during the holiday season\u2014and ensures you&#8217;re not potentially missing 50% of your revenue with an A\/B test where one version performs much worse than the other!\u201d says <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/linkedin.com\/in\/jainamistry\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jaina Mistry<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is one caveat to keep in mind: consumer behavior during peak holiday season will vary wildly compared to any other time of the year. \u201cConsumers are looking for deals\u2014not just for themselves, but for others for gifting. So while you may A\/B test your way to awesome emails during the holiday season, the way consumers behave may not match how they usually behave.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beyond the usual <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/subject-line-tests-and-tips\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tests like subject line<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and sender name, you might consider:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Testing various <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/top-email-design-trends\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">design elements<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>,<\/strong> such as a new layout, a new module arrangement (<\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/email-modules-and-modular-email\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">modular building<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> makes this easy!), or tapping into an <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/top-email-design-trends\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">email design trend<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Experimenting with your <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/resources\/guide-to-ctas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CTAs<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to see what drives more action. This can include A\/B testing button styling, text styling, or copy.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Testing personalized elements<\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to see what brings in higher results, e.g. whether <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/page.litmus.com\/live-polls-and-social-proof.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">social proof or a live poll<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> will yield a highe<\/span>r CTR (<a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/customers\/by-lauren-jean\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">though we\u2019re confident it will<\/a>!).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"quote my-5 col-12 blue-quote\" >\n\t\n\t<div class=\"row d-flex align-items-center\">\n\t<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-9\">&#8220;<em>We conducted a series of A\/B tests featuring Live Polls, and the outcomes were remarkably consistent\u2014the live poll always outperformed! Because of the consistent performance of Live Polls, we have been able to roll out the Diamond Cut Showdown across the entire email list and gain valuable information about our subscribers\u2019 preferences.<\/em>&#8220;<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-3 text-center\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Lauren-Jean-headshot.jpeg\" alt=\"Lauren Jean\" width=\"125\" height=\"125\" class=\"mt-3 mt-lg-0\">\t<p><strong>Lauren Jean<\/strong>\t<br><span class=\"quote-title\">Email Specialist and Owner of ByLaurenJean<\/span><\/p>\t<a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/lauren-luedeke\/\" target=\"blank\"><i class=\"fa-brands fa-linkedin\"><\/i><\/a>\t<\/div>\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<h3>Email marketing automation<\/h3>\n<p><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/holiday-tips-for-triggered-emails\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Triggered holiday emails<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> might just be your secret weapon this season! It\u2019s the perfect time to leverage <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/litmus-for-email-automation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">email marketing automation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for more effective campaigns. Take inventory of your current \u201con\u201d campaigns and identify the opportunities that make the most sense for your email program. This might look like:<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Abandoned cart emails<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With faster purchase decisions during the holidays, time your <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-templates\/cart-abandon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">abandoned cart emails <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">just after the typical return period for cart abandoners.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How long does it take for the majority of cart abandoners to return to their cart on their own (without prompting)? However long that is for you, send your cart abandonment email a little after that time, so you\u2019re nudging buyers along but not interrupting their normal buying behavior.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Browse abandonment emails<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have access to data about website visitors, make it an integrated experience by setting up a triggered <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/browse-abandonment-email-types\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">browse abandonment email<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This could look like someone who spent time on a product page but failed to add anything to their cart.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-scroll mb-3\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/peets-coffee-holiday-welcome-email.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inventory alerts<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inventory might move quickly, use back-in-stock trigger emails to notify subscribers who abandoned a page with an out-of-stock product, or signed up to receive an alert once they were back, like the example from <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.williams-sonoma.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Williams Sonoma<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-scroll mb-3\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Williams-Sonoma.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Welcome emails<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These are some of the first emails a subscriber receives from your brand, so<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">swapping seasonal imagery and copy can add the perfect holiday. You might also consider updating your <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/welcome-email-onboarding-tips\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">welcome email<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> offer to reflect the promotions you\u2019re <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">already<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> running\u2014e.g. offering a bigger discount for new subscribers than you would regularly, which is perfect for shouting about on your <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/how-to-successfully-integrate-email-and-social-media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">social channels<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">!<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"tactics\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Essential email tactics<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regardless of the season, remember to leverage tried-and-true tactics and strategies that are effective year-round.<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Always QA test your emails!<\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During this competitive time in the inbox, a broken image or link can harm your brand\u2014and conversions. Stay vigilant with <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-testing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">email testing<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> into your workflow to ensure your emails stay error-free. And lean on <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-guardian\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Litmus Email Guardian<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to keep a 24\/7 watch over your emails!<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong>Avoid using <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/misleading-subject-lines\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">misleading subject lines<\/a>.<\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Refrain from tactics that falsely suggest ongoing conversations, such as using a faux \u201cRe:\u201d in the email subject line when it&#8217;s the first email you\u2019re sending. Ensure you follow through on the message you\u2019re delivering in the subject line and <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/the-ultimate-guide-to-preview-text-support\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">preview text<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and avoid bait-and-switch techniques.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong>Ensure your emails are optimized for <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/the-ultimate-guide-to-dark-mode-for-email-marketers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dark Mode<\/a>.<\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dark Mode adoption has increased steadily over the years\u2014our latest research found an average of <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/the-ultimate-guide-to-dark-mode-for-email-marketers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">35% of email opens<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> were in Dark Mode. Don\u2019t alienate those subscribers and leave them in the dark.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong>Keep <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/ultimate-guide-accessible-emails\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">email accessibility<\/a> top of mind.<\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ensure everyone can receive and understand your message, regardless of any disabilities or assistive devices they may be using.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 15px; border-left: 10px solid #0d5477;\"><strong>LitTip:<\/strong> <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-testing\">Email testing<\/a> with Litmus includes accessibility checks for color vision deficiency and more! You can also use this <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/pdf\/email-accessibility-checklist-2025.pdf\">accessibility checklist<\/a> as a starting point.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><strong>A\/B test and optimize.<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Experiment with subject lines, preview text, CTAs, and personalization tactics to refine your email content.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Reward loyalty:<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Offer discounts and free shipping to loyal customers to encourage additional purchases.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><strong style=\"font-size: 1rem; text-align: var(--bs-body-text-align); background-color: var(--bs-body-bg);\">Simplify purchasing:<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Make it easy for subscribers to buy by linking directly to your purchase page from your emails.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n  \t\t\t<\/div>\n  \t\t<\/div>\n  \t<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"post-cta-buttonblock_4ace8b957ddf59d4396e4578a61b7a4e\" class=\"block-post-cta-button mt-5\">\n  <div class=\"container px-0\">\n    <div class=\"row\">\n      <div class=\"blog-post-cta-button-wrapper col-12 col-lg-10 mx-auto p-4 d-block d-lg-flex align-items-lg-center align-items-start\">\n\t\t  \t\t  \t\t  \t\t  \t\t  \t\t  \t\t  \t\t \t\t\t  \t\t  \t\t  <div class=\"blog-post-cta-button-icon col-2 float-start mx-auto float-lg-start float-none background-white d-flex flex-column justify-content-center align-items-center text-center\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/icon_signals.svg\" alt=\"\" width=\"50\" height=\"50\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t  \t\t  <\/div><!--blog-post-cta-button-icon-->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  \t\t  <div class=\"col-12 col-lg-9 ps-lg-4 ps-0 text-center text-lg-start mt-3 mt-lg-0\">\t\t\t  \t\t\t  <h2 class=\"h-sm\"><strong>Unlock endless revenue<\/strong><\/h2>\n\t\t\t   \n\t\t\t  \t\t\t\t\t<p>Let\u2019s take a look at how much email-driven revenue you could be leaving on the table.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t  \t\t  <\/div><!--col-12 col-lg-9 ps-lg-4 ps-0 text-center text-lg-start mt-3 mt-lg-0-->\t\t\t  \t\t  <div class=\"text-center text-lg-end col-12 col-lg-1 ms-lg-2 ms-0\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"btn btn-primary\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/infographic-the-roi-of-email-marketing\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tCalculate ROI\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t  \t\t  <\/div><!--text-center text-lg-end col-12 col-lg-1 ms-lg-2 ms-0-->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t        <\/div><!--blog-post-cta-button-wrapper-->\n    <\/div><!--row-->\n  <\/div><!--container-->\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\t<div id=\"simple-text-block-block_fd5676edd94f9e03909e142effb2862f\" class=\"block-simple-text-block alignfull \" style=\"background-color:\">\n  <div class=\"container\">\n  \t<div class=\"row\">\n  \t\t<div class=\"col\">\n  \t\t\t<div class=\"copy\">\n  \t\t\t\t<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"pitfalls\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How to avoid the common pitfalls of holiday email marketing<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There\u2019s <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a lot <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">on an email marketer\u2019s plate during the holidays. Here are some email marketing tips to help avoid some of the most frequent pitfalls:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Excessive sending<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>.<\/strong> Avoid the \u201cbatch and blast\u201d mentality: balance your frequency to maintain engagement without overwhelming your audience\u2014otherwise, this will lead to fatigue and <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/the-dos-and-donts-of-unsubscribes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">unsubscribes<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Balance your frequency to maintain engagement without overwhelming your audience.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong>Using generic messaging<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>.<\/strong> Avoid vague, one-size-fits-all content\u2014and personalize beyond merge tags, if you can. With <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/help.litmus.com\/article\/707-litmus-personalize#Personalize-widgets-80MWk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Litmus Personalize Quick-Start Templates<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, all it takes is a few clicks to set up real-time personalization\u2014like live polls and countdown timers!<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong>Ignoring data<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>.<\/strong> Neglecting to use your data can result in missed opportunities! Use any <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/collect-zero-party-data-through-email\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">zero-party data<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> collected from preference centers and <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/resources\/first-party-best-party\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">first-party data<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/how-litmus-uses-live-polls\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">live polls<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/social-proof-in-email\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Interest Signals<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for a more refined segmentation strategy.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong>Ignoring mobile optimization.<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0Ensure your emails are <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/using-responsive-email-templates\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">responsive<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and mobile-friendly to ensure your emails look great and be easily readable on all devices. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Need help in this department? <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check out these <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-templates\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">free email templates<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014all optimized for mobile devices and Dark Mode.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong>Using a pre-flight checklist.<\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Have you ever opened an email only to find that a link isn&#8217;t working, images aren&#8217;t loading, or personalization is off? An <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/ultimate-email-checklist\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">email checklist<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> will help you mitigate common <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/how-to-recover-from-email-marketing-mistakes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">email mistakes<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, ensuring your holiday emails are set up for success..<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\"><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"success\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Measuring the success of your holiday email marketing campaigns<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The major holiday season comes around once a year, and while it can be a busy time, tracking all the details provides invaluable insights for future holiday campaigns and your email program as a whole.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tracking the right metrics<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The \u201cright\u201d metrics will vary depending on the goal of your holiday email marketing campaigns. Is it to drive revenue\u2014or even brand awareness?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While email marketing is generally thought of as a middle-of-funnel (MOFU) or bottom-of-funnel (BOFU) channel, it can certainly help drive awareness, too.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 1080px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ROI-Iceberg-1.png\" alt=\"Email ROI iceberg\" width=\"1080\" height=\"1350\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/roi-of-email-marketing-relationship-building\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Why CMOs Should Rethink Email Marketing Beyond ROI<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Email is a permission-based channel and so inherently, your audience is <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">giving you permission <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to send marketing communications to them. To build a relationship with your email audience, you need to show up consistently in the inbox to drive and maintain brand awareness.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A format that works well for this is <\/span><strong>newsletters<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. They\u2019re an excellent vessel for sharing high-value content that\u2019s resourceful, educational, and helpful. Plus, newsletters work: they\u2019re the<\/span> <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/resources\/state-of-email\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">common type of emails that marketers send<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (especially with the <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/newsletter-best-practices#landscape\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">surge in paid newsletters<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> over the past few years).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That said, depending on what your broader goal is, consider the following:<\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 678px; height: 229px;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 159.062px;\">\u00a0<strong>Top<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the funnel<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 356.938px;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Email list size, <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/measure-email-marketing-success\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">open rate<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, number of clicks, <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/email-read-rates\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">read rate<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or read time<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 159.062px;\">\u00a0<strong>Middle<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the funnel<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 356.938px;\">\u00a0<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CTR, a low unsubscribe rate, <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/help.litmus.com\/article\/164-analytics-engagement-metrics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">read rate<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or read time<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 159.062px;\">\u00a0<strong>Bottom<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the funnel<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 356.938px;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CTR, conversion rate (CVR), revenue per email (RPE), revenue per subscriber (RPS), subscriber lifetime value (LTV), <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/infographic-the-roi-of-email-marketing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">return on investment (ROI)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, forward rate\/email sharing<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Leveraging the best tools<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Speaking of metrics, <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-analytics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Litmus Email Analytics<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> can help you drill down to the nitty-gritty of subscriber engagement. You can get access to insights on whether a subscriber read, skimmed, or glanced at your email.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 1021px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/litmus-email-analytics-engagement-report-1.png\" alt=\"Litmus Email Analytics\" width=\"1021\" height=\"1056\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-analytics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Litmus Email Analytics \u2192<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another tool we recommend? <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-personalization\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Litmus Personalize<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">! With it, you\u2019ll get access to a library of <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/help.litmus.com\/article\/707-litmus-personalize#Personalize-widgets-80MWk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">quick-start templates<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that make email personalization a quick and easy to create. No coding experience is required to create <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/how-to-use-email-scratch-offs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Scratch-Offs<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, live polls, countdown timers for your emails. All it takes is a few clicks!<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/C7Cr8kFJI1s\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n<div style=\"padding: 16px;\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n<div style=\"width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;\"><a style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/C7Cr8kFJI1s\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by Litmus (@litmusapp)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n\n<div class=\"container pt-3 pb-5 px-1\">\n\t<div class=\"row blog-cta-blue rounded-5 p-4\">\n\t\t<div class=\"mx-auto col-12\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"row d-flex align-items-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col-lg-6 col-12\">\n\t\t\t\t<p class=\"bold fs-4\">Harness the power of email personalization<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<p>Create 1:1 experiences using email personalization that goes beyond &#8220;Hello, %%first_name%%&#8221; with dynamic content.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<button class=\"button-blue download\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/personalized-email\" class=\"text-white text-decoration-none\">Personalize better<\/a><\/button>\n\t\t\t<\/div><!--col-6-->\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col-6 d-none d-lg-block\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/download-blog-cta-09232024.svg\" width=\"221\" height=\"175\" alt=\"\">\n\t\t\t<\/div><!--col-6-->\n\t\t\t<\/div> <!--row-->\n\t\t<\/div><!--col-12-->\n\t<\/div><!--row-->\n<\/div><!--container-->\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Iterating on learnings and wins<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Take the time to document your learnings\u2014what worked, what didn\u2019t, and why. Identifying trends and successes can provide a clear roadmap for future campaigns. Evaluate your email performance with your reporting format of choice (like an <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/evaluate-email-performance-email-reporting-template\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">email reporting template<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">!).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consider hosting a post-mortem meeting after the holiday rush to reflect on your findings, discuss key takeaways, and strategize for the next year.<\/span><\/p>\n  \t\t\t<\/div>\n  \t\t<\/div>\n  \t<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"post-cta-buttonblock_fd0fec54207249a6ef74cffb798f8dbd\" class=\"block-post-cta-button mt-5\">\n  <div class=\"container px-0\">\n    <div class=\"row\">\n      <div class=\"blog-post-cta-button-wrapper col-12 col-lg-10 mx-auto p-4 d-block d-lg-flex align-items-lg-center align-items-start\">\n\t\t  \t\t  \t\t  \t\t  \t\t  \t\t  \t\t  \t\t \t\t\t  \t\t  \t\t  <div class=\"blog-post-cta-button-icon col-2 float-start mx-auto float-lg-start float-none background-white d-flex flex-column justify-content-center align-items-center text-center\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/icon_send_blue.svg\" alt=\"email send and email testing by litmus\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t  \t\t  <\/div><!--blog-post-cta-button-icon-->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  \t\t  <div class=\"col-12 col-lg-9 ps-lg-4 ps-0 text-center text-lg-start mt-3 mt-lg-0\">\t\t\t  \t\t\t  <h2 class=\"h-sm\"><strong>Stand out in crowded inboxes this holiday<\/strong><\/h2>\n\t\t\t   \n\t\t\t  \t\t\t\t\t<p>Create 1:1 experiences at scale with Litmus Personalize. Use live polls, countdown timers, and more to captivate subscribers.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t  \t\t  <\/div><!--col-12 col-lg-9 ps-lg-4 ps-0 text-center text-lg-start mt-3 mt-lg-0-->\t\t\t  \t\t  <div class=\"text-center text-lg-end col-12 col-lg-1 ms-lg-2 ms-0\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"btn btn-primary\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-personalization\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tStart creating\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t  \t\t  <\/div><!--text-center text-lg-end col-12 col-lg-1 ms-lg-2 ms-0-->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t        <\/div><!--blog-post-cta-button-wrapper-->\n    <\/div><!--row-->\n  <\/div><!--container-->\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Deliver magic to your subscribers all season long with our holiday marketing guide.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":100397,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[10317,9363,86,10261,381],"blog_category":[10306],"class_list":["post-50994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-abandoned-cart","tag-email-marketing-strategy","tag-engagement","tag-holiday-emails","tag-personalization","blog_category-email-marketing-strategy"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.5 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Guide to Holiday Email Marketing: Strategy, Examples, Tips - Litmus<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Boost your holiday engagement with a winning email marketing strategy. Discover examples and tips for creating effective holiday campaigns.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/litmus-holiday-marketing-guide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"2025 Guide to Holiday Email Marketing\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Boost your holiday engagement with a winning email marketing strategy. Discover examples and tips for creating effective holiday campaigns.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/litmus-holiday-marketing-guide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Litmus\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/litmusapp\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-09-24T15:13:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-25T16:41:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Holiday-Guide-Hero.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1380\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"725\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"How to Create a High-Performing Holiday Email Marketing Strategy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@litmusapp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@litmusapp\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Guide to Holiday Email Marketing: Strategy, Examples, Tips - Litmus","description":"Boost your holiday engagement with a winning email marketing strategy. 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