The holiday season is an unbelievable time to double your subscribers across all of your marketing channels. Customers are eager to get their hands on the freshest deals, hottest products and be in the "know" before their friends.
So, here are some tips that you can use throughout all of your channels – email, fax, SMS and social media – to double your opt-ins, gain new followers and generate the necessary Christmas-buzz.
(Oh, and these tips work year-round, too!)
1. Get out into the mix early
Honestly, one of the very best ways to immediately double your opt-ins is to get out ahead of the holiday.
First, you can't be too obnoxious about all things Christmas when the leaves are still falling, but you can gently and carefully remind your customers that the holiday is right around the corner.
Second, plant a seed. If you think that one of your products has the staying power and mojo to be come "the gift of the year," then say so, and say so early.
2. Create specific benefits for each marketing channel
Treat each marketing channel differently. What works for email may not work for SMS, and fax marketing and social media are like oil and water.
The whole point of opting in for some subscription service is to get the deals and information before everyone else.
Create specific benefits for each of your channels.
3. And make those benefits awesome
Yes, this tip sounds like a no-brainer, but it's critical. You need to offer more than just updates, product information, and the occasional deal if you want to lure in Christmas shoppers.
To ensure that your benefits are awesome, try to do something different for the holiday season, rather than just duplicating what you're doing the rest of the year.
What makes Christmas shopping so special? Free shipping! Lots of products in stock! Last minute delivery! Free gift-wrapping!
4. Promote across all of your marketing channels
Your marketing channels – email, fax, SMS and social media – aren't autonomous and they don't function in a vacuum. If they do, then your strategy is completely out of whack.
The entire point of multi-channel marketing is to not only reach as many customers as possible but also use the channels to support the efforts of the others.
Encourage your email subscribers to sign up for your SMS deals. Or, encourage your Facebook fans to opt-in for your Christmas emails.
Need help collecting and managing all of those new subscribers? Try out SimplyCast's free List Management service. Sign up today and think of it as an early Christmas present from us.
