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Does hearing the words Black Friday or Cyber Monday send a shiver down your spine? This season can be stressful for email marketers. The stakes can be high. Are you ready to send higher volumes of emails while avoiding the spam folder? Will your designs and subject lines stand out in the inbox?  There’s a lot to keep in mind about getting ready for Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) and how to optimize holiday campaigns.

We sat down with Kickbox to discuss how email marketers can get ready for this busy holiday marketing season. Pour yourself a calming cup of tea and read through the great insights below.  You’ll be Black Friday and Cyber Monday ready in no time. 💪

How can you optimize holiday campaigns for Black Friday and Cyber Monday?

Optimizing every email is important, of course. But when it’s peak marketing season and consumers are spending more money, sending them a flawless email can only help your cause. Where do you start?

A1: There’s a lot to do, but I’d say the starting point is to figure out what your offer is going to be. All the marketing tactical prowess in the world isn’t going to do much good if you don’t start with an irresistible offer for CFCM. #EOAchat

— Brian Dayman (@brian_dayman) September 26, 2019

We certainly can’t argue with Brian’s point. BFCM is the heaviest marketed time of the year. Competition is fierce and brands are constantly trying to one-up each other with exciting promotions and specials. Whatever your offering is, be sure to nail down how you’re going make it irresistible starting with the inbox display.

A1: ask people in advance if they want the hard core BFCM messages or BFCM ‘light’ – then send summary’s to the lights and more in depth email(s) to the others! #eoachat

— Kate Barrett eFocus (@eFocus_marketin) September 26, 2019

Kate’s approach is perfect in order to segment out your avid customers from your passive ones. Avid customers probably already know they’re going to be spending money with you this season and are actively looking out for your BFCM emails. Unfortunately, not every customer is going to share their enthusiasm. Be sure both your messaging and sending frequency is appropriate for each segment.

A2. Verify your lists to get rid of undeliverables. Gradually increase your sending cadence prior to #blackfriday & #cybermonday to get your subscribers used to a more frequent send. #EOAchat pic.twitter.com/8jcXFdw2VL

— Kickbox (@kickbox) September 26, 2019

This is key: warm up your audience (and spam filters) by gradually increasing your sending frequency. By doing so, you’ll be able to avoid more spam folders when you deploy your big announcement and minimize unsubscribes as well.

What steps should email marketers take to get ready for BFCM?

Preparing yourself for BFCM isn’t limited to your emails. Take a page out of Jen’s book below and make sure you’re physically and emotionally prepared to optimize holiday campaigns. We’re all human and these are high stress times—the best thing you can do is to make sure you can find calm in the storm.

#EOAChat A2. Start stockpiling your favorite snacks now. Select a special coffee mug that features a snappy quip. And do your very best to keep your cool. I'm a fan of the @calm app! Don't panic if mistakes happen. If disaster strikes, great advice here: https://t.co/cL3LUm7HWi https://t.co/CsaSE2l8LZ

— Jen Capstraw (@jencapstraw) September 26, 2019

Once you square away your peace of mind, it’s time to plan the course of email action.

A2. 📝 Chart a clear plan on your deliverables. You may out-do, but ensure to not under-do or miss out on essentials.
💭 Reflect on previous campaign performances to see what worked (which will give you a hint on what will work)
💌 Target the right audience segments. #EOAChat

— Zoho Campaigns (@ZohoCampaigns) September 26, 2019

And finally, when all is said and done, finalize your segments and lists as Karen suggests. You’ll want to know exactly who you’re sending to, and be thoughtful in your messaging to each segment.

A2: Create (or refine) your definition of an active, engaged subscriber. Conduct a re-engagement campaign to the disengaged now (Sept. is ideal). Then consider engagement-level segmentation for BFCM campaigns – sending only to your most engaged. #EOAChat

— Karen Talavera (@SyncMarketing) September 26, 2019

What are some unique ways to stand out in the inbox during BFCM?

Again, these are high competition times. You and lots of other brands in the BFCM world are vying for subscriber’s attention in the inbox. How’s an email marketer supposed to make theirs stand out?

A3: It may not be that unique anymore, but this is prime time to invest in animation . . . video . . . and creative treatments (like countdown clocks, inventory counters, dynamic content elements) that give your messages movement and life. #EOAChat

— Karen Talavera (@SyncMarketing) September 26, 2019

A3. A/B test your subject lines. Be creative. Create a sense of urgency. Ask a question. Put that pre-header text to work. Try something different like a pre-pre Black Friday Sale or a post-Black Friday sale. #EOAChat #ecommerce #emailmarketing https://t.co/I1N4uYK2m3

— Kickbox (@kickbox) September 26, 2019

A3: Try a fun HTML technique!
🤳 Use a pulsing CTA
🕵️‍♀️ Include a search bar in your emails so subscribers can find products
🖼 Use GIFs to capture attention#EOAChathttps://t.co/7nhsJkMbJc

— Email on Acid (@EmailonAcid) September 26, 2019

Or, all of the above. During this season when consumers are hitting their purchasing peaks, try adding an interactive click-to-reveal feature or another unique element that’s sure to grab attention.

What are some fresh ways to create a sense of urgency in emails?

Marketing as an industry made its name by creating scarcity and urgency around acting on a purchase. As email marketers, we know some surefire ways to land an email in a spam folder, all of which are meant to invoke “urgency”:

• ALL CAPS (shhhhh…)
• Excessive exclamation points!!!!!!!!!
• Spammy phrases

While running a spam test before sending your email helps you land in more inboxes, it’s easier to just avoid them in the first place. So, what are some ways to avoid spam folders but still impress upon subscribers that time is of the essence?

One of the best performing emails I've seen is one where someone was selling a course framed as the "worst Black Friday sale ever" with explicit full price and buy-anytime (or don't) instead of fake scarcity 😆 Agreed it's getting tiresome

— Brian Dayman (@brian_dayman) September 26, 2019

Subscribers are smart. They receive dozens of emails daily, and talking to them has never been more challenging. They’re so used to be marketed to that they have gotten very good at quickly filtering what they will and will not spend their time on.

Remember that you’re talking to a person on the other end of your email, not a machine. Connect with them on a human level.

A4: Email and BFCM have urgency already built into them. I recommend creating scarcity vs. urgency. #EOAChat

— Karen Talavera (@SyncMarketing) September 26, 2019

When do you plan to start marketing your BFCM promotions and how will you use email to create hype around them?

The consensus is that it’s best to stick to what you know, have a plan, and for the love of subject lines, segment.

Just like a subscriber list, it’s also helpful to segment out your specials and promotions based on when they fall throughout the season. That way, your offers will always follow a logical cadence. Also if you can, tease them out early. That’s a natural way to warm up your lists for the larger announcement.

A5. 🗓 Starting atleast two weeks in prior helps (again, test#t until you find your brand’s email cadence). Splitting email phases into pre-holiday, during-holiday, and post-holiday will throw some clarity. Also, use a marketing calendar to mark your holiday schedules. #EOAChat

— Zoho Campaigns (@ZohoCampaigns) September 26, 2019

A5 – Now is not the time to try new techniques, go with what you know works! Use all your segments, re- engagement and info from a/b tests. Get your emails ready and in a plan, make sure you have tested your emails as well so they arrive looking awesome! #eoachat

— ActionRocket (@ActionRocket) September 26, 2019

And we’ll never argue with Jen’s point: value over hype. Well said.

#EOAChat A5: With the exception of a handful of must-have items each year, what is truly hype-worthy? Let's just communicate value. And be real. Exercise empathy. Our #emailmarketing subscribers can respect that. "Hype" is stale. Be human instead. https://t.co/HLCzdLA6Se

— Jen Capstraw (@jencapstraw) September 26, 2019

Do you plan on sending to an older/larger segment of subscribers for BFCM? If so, what steps are you taking to warm up those older/less engaged subscribers?

When you’re trying to find out if a friend from the past wants to reconnect, there’s at least the “hey, remember me?” re-introduction. Same thing applies to your less engaged segments. Warm them up and get re-acquainted before you send your offer.

Plus, it’s just good subscriber list hygiene.

A6. Warm them up slowly towards BFCM but also cleanse your lists incase old email address have been turned into spam traps or deleted #EoAChat

— Steven Sayo (@Sayo1337) September 26, 2019

A6: Again, time to conduct subscriber re-engagement campaigns is now (consider making it a full re-permission campaign requiring a response or be dropped from list). Dial back frequency or suppress anyone who still doesn't open or click on re-engagement effort. #EOAChat

— Karen Talavera (@SyncMarketing) September 26, 2019

A6. You should be warming up your lists now. Email verification is essential — don’t wait until the last minute. Remove undeliverable & disposable email addresses. Test role email addresses. Do this prior to #blackfriday & #cybermonday. #EOAchat https://t.co/0T44TiwEJY

— Kickbox (@kickbox) September 26, 2019

With more visitors coming to your site/stores during the holiday season, what plans do you have to capture more subscribers & grow your list?

There’s always an opportunity to grow your email list. From point-of-sale (POS) sign-ups to giveaways and social media, put your digital real estate to use and start motivating more subscriptions to your list.

A7. Use the good-old signup form technique—grow your list in a permission-based, consented manner. Quirky-yet-direct pop-ups can be used to garner visitors’ interest, but don’t over-play! Never show the same pop-up message immediately after a visitor closes it. #EOAChat

— Zoho Campaigns (@ZohoCampaigns) September 26, 2019

A7. If you have a retail store start capturing email data at point-of-sale! Still baffles us that so many retailers miss this opportunity. Bonus points if you integrate #emailverification into your e-pos system. #EOAchat https://t.co/gVF7ixpMMb

— Kickbox (@kickbox) September 26, 2019

A7. It's time to start collecting email addresses!
1. Ask for emails at store checkout in store
2. Offer incentives for sign-ups (% off, giveaway, etc.)
3. Optimize your sign-up forms
4. Put social media to work!#EOAChathttps://t.co/9NZ5AS3vR0

— Email on Acid (@EmailonAcid) September 26, 2019

What are some common problems that can occur during BFCM if you’re a high-volume sender and how can you avoid those problems?

High-volume sending comes with its share of risks—mainly in the deliverability arena. Spam folders and inboxes don’t love mass sends, especially when mass sends aren’t a typical practice for the brand.

That’s why it’s important to gradually warm up your IP and subscriber lists (and those subsequent spam folders) so there’s a higher chance of landing in the inbox.

A8 you could get listed on some blacklists for ramping up your send volumes. Be sure to ease it up and monitor your IP addresses! #EoAChat

— Steven Sayo (@Sayo1337) September 26, 2019

A8. Avoid getting sent to spam!
👉Spam testing before every email send to make sure you're not on a blacklist
👉 Warm-up your list early
Otherwise, you might not even make it to the inbox. #EOAChathttps://t.co/yxeszNZJRd pic.twitter.com/PGxQqR9FMl

— Email on Acid (@EmailonAcid) September 26, 2019

A8. A keen watch on the domain reputation is crucial. As BFCM season calls in for many emails, don’t strain your mail server—split your emails in multiple batches for respective schedules, and monitor the performance of each batch. Aggregated results bring more insights. #EOAChat

— Zoho Campaigns (@ZohoCampaigns) September 26, 2019

Consider This Your BFCM Resource Page

• Get inspired with the best BFCM designs from last year
• Learn how to optimize your holiday marketing campaigns
• Grow and maintain your email list using social media
• Create a pulsing CTA to drive clicks on your BFCM campaigns

Don’t Send a Broken BFCM Email

Forgetting to test your emails could cost you—BIG. Test ahead of time and ensure that CTAs work, images are optimized, and that your emails are accessible to everyone on your list. We offer email testing on 90+ clients and devices so you can feel confident when you hit send and get the maximum ROI on your Black Friday and Cyber Monday email marketing campaigns.