Are you using the holiday season to grow your email list? If not, you’re missing out on a major opportunity to grow your business and build relationships that will last beyond the holidays.
One of the best things about email marketing is you can use it to reach people who’ve purchased your products in the past and brand-new users who join to learn more about your company. Email will also make it easy for you to build rapport and create memorable customer experiences, which translates to more sales.
During the biggest shopping season of the year, email marketing is crucial. People are far more likely to make online purchases during the holidays, which means they’re more likely to engage with your brand and read your emails.
That’s why growing your email list before and during the holidays is so important.
Today, I’ll show you several actionable ways to start collecting email addresses from potential customers. I’ve implemented the following strategies between October and December for the past 5+ years and have seen tremendous success. I believe the same is possible for you!
Promote a Seasonal Lead Magnet
Lead magnets are an excellent way to get website visitors to join your email list. Simply put, a lead magnet is a piece of content or promotion you give to people visiting your website or social media account in exchange for their email address. These offers come in many different forms, but they all share one thing in common: they can help you grow your email list.
The key to creating a click-worthy lead magnet is to choose a topic that means a lot to your target audience.
For example, a clothing store might have an infographic with fashion predictions and trends for 2024. Since the people visiting this site care about clothes and fashion, there’s a good chance they’ll hand over their email address in exchange for this type of content.
You can take it a step further and create lead magnets for specific segments of your audience. In this case, you could create a guide for the best upcoming shoes of 2024 and only display the offer on posts with the shoe tag.
Since 80% of people say they’re more likely to engage with a brand that shows personalized promotions and content, this can help you turn more visitors into subscribers.
Here is a short (but not complete!) list of lead magnet ideas you can grab and shape to your industry and the needs of your audience:
– Ebooks
– Checklists
– Ultimate guides
– Webinar invitations
– Online courses
– Discounts
Create a Holiday Landing Page
A landing page is a standalone part of your site designed to get people to take action. In our case, we want website visitors to join our email list. Landing pages are typically different from your homepage, which contains more general information about your entire business.
There are plenty of clever ways to use these pages to get audiences’ attention and show off your value proposition. For example, you could create a landing page for your big Black Friday sale or a holiday gift guide.
Another great way to use your holiday landing page is to include an advent calendar so users can see what’s coming up in the month ahead. If visitors see an event or promotion they don’t want to miss, they may decide to subscribe to get a reminder and learn about your brand.
If you follow my last tip and create a lead magnet, show it on your landing page, too. An appealing offer will get their attention if other things on the page don’t convince them to click the signup button.
Host a Giveaway
Hosting an online giveaway is one of the best ways to grow your email list during the holiday season. When you offer a prize your target audience is excited about, they’ll be more likely to enter their email address to participate.
Here are a few tips for hosting a successful holiday giveaway:
– Choose an eye-catching prize – People are far more likely to participate if you offer something they care about. Our contest prizes are usually an annual license to one of our tools or something everyone can use, like an Amazon gift card.
– Promote your giveaway – Share your event on social media and your website so people know it’s happening. I recommend pairing it with your on-site holiday landing page and promoting it through posts on social media.
– Choose the right time frame – If your contest is too short, people might not have enough time to enter. If you drag it on too long, they may forget they entered in the first place. We’ve found that announcing the event 2 weeks in advance and then allowing entries for 2-3 weeks is the best approach.
– Ask for email addresses – This is the most important step! To enter your giveaway, participants should have an option to sign up for your newsletter or an exclusive discount. This will allow you to add them to your email list and send them marketing messages long after the event has ended.
– Announce the winner – Announce the winner on your site and social media. Not only will the winner appreciate this gesture, but it also gives everyone who entered some closure.
– Follow up – After announcing the winner, don’t forget to contact people who participated and send them a discount for engaging in the event. There’s a good chance these people were already interested in your product or service, so they’re more likely to take action.
Create Festive Content on Social Media
Did you know that over 4.74 billion people use social media? With this shocking statistic in mind, it’s no surprise that many business owners and marketers have turned to social media to grow their email lists.
We already discussed giveaways, so let’s talk about other ways you can create and share festive content on social media.
One of our favorite strategies is to create video content by live-streaming and recording videos in advance. You could create festive videos that showcase your products or services or wish your followers a happy holiday season. There are countless other options to choose from, depending on your industry.
But one thing is for sure: video content works. Nearly 90% of marketers who pursue this strategy say it has resulted in a positive return on investment for their business.
It’s also a good idea to show social proof, like reviews and positive messages from customers and other community members. If a new user finds your channel and sees that you shared messages from existing customers, they’re more likely to trust you and visit your website. If your content and products match their needs, there’s an excellent chance they will sign up for your email list.
Partner with Content Creators and Businesses
Finally, I want to talk about partnering with content creators, like affiliates and influencers, as well as other businesses. Many partnerships are formed during this time of the year because brands want people to know about their products, and content creators know this is the perfect time to gain traction.
When it comes to working with affiliates and influencers, it’s important to ensure their target audience aligns with your own. People are not going to click their links and join your email list if the content or products are not relevant to their interests.
Imagine a company that sells coffee advertising with a mattress company, and you can see why working with someone with a relevant audience is vital to your success. Under the right circumstances, about 40% of businesses in the U.S. say this type of affiliate marketing is their number one customer acquisition channel!
The awesome part about working with other businesses is you can use some of the strategies I mentioned today with others. For example, you and another like-minded business owner could host a joint webinar or offer a co-created lead magnet. You can even chip in together and get giveaway gifts that will attract visitors to both of your websites.
If you’re going to go down this path, I highly recommend you research your options and always start on a per-project basis. You don’t want to enter a long-term contract only to find out that things aren’t going to work out.
There are plenty of possibilities, and you will no doubt find creators and businesses that can help you get more subscribers.
Final Thoughts
The holiday season is, without a doubt, the best time to grow your email list. If you haven’t started yet, don’t worry, it’s not too late!
By following the tips in this article, you can create lead magnets, landing pages, and giveaways that will attract new subscribers. You can also create festive content on social media and partner with content creators and businesses to reach a wider audience. Take the time now to grow your email list during the holiday season; you can set your business up for success in the new year.
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Syed Balkhi is an award-winning entrepreneur and online marketing expert. He is the co-founder of OptinMonster, WPBeginner, MonsterInsights, and WPForms.