Success for the 2011 Holiday Season B2C Marketing using Email and Social Media

I am sure you have begun your marketing campaigns for the 2011 holiday season but I thought I would pass along some trends and tips to up your success rate no matter which stage of your plan you are already in.

I'm sure that you are already aware that more shopping is happening online every year. Online retail sales grew by 12.6 percent in 2010 and Forrester Research projects 10 percent year-over-year compound annual growth through 2015, but online sales can't happen for your organization unless people visit your website.

In the 2010 holiday season, email was a major force in driving traffic to websites. ForeSee reports that 19 percent of people surveyed reported visiting a website as the result of a promotional email.

According to the Direct Marketing Association, email continues to be the most productive channel in terms of ROI. Social media may be sexier, search engine optimization and marketing are effective for people who don't know you, but a strategic marketing program to people that have opted in to receive email from you is the best way to have a positive impact on your bottom line.

Here are some trends from previous years that will continue in 2011, along with some new ideas for making the most of your holiday email marketing.

-Stay Focused on Value in Your Marketing 
Offering dollars or a percentage off is good, but don't be afraid to get creative. Retailers are also having success with gift-with-purchase offers, coupons good for discounts on future purchases, and other value-based ways to drive sales.

-Its Ok to mention FREE when it's Shipping 
Earlier this year, it was reported that the No. 1 offer used by retailers in email marketing was free shipping. Don't be concerned that using the word "free" in your subject line will cause your email to be filtered as spam. That alone won't cause your email to be diverted from the inbox. Free shipping is so common that most consumers have come to expect it and many will rethink buying from you online if they have to pay for delivery.

-Up Your Email Frequency... Strategically
If this is your peak selling season, your email frequency should increase. But be careful not to bombard your list and alienate your recipients.
Have an email that did particularly well? Do an "encore" send, letting people know that this promotion is being repeated or extended because it was so popular. Just be sure to keep a close eye on your unsubscribe and spam complaint rates as your frequency increases -this can be a symptom of overmailing.

-Use Social Media to Acquire Email Subscribers
Use social media as a way to introduce yourself to prospective customers and entice them to sign up to receive email from you to sell them. Email has the added advantage of allowing you to target messages. Ask for enough information at email signup to do this effectively.

-Use Social Media to Drive In-Store Sales
Newer social media channels, like Foursquare, offer businesses the opportunity to reach potential customers who are shopping near brick-and-mortar locations. Offering an immediate discount on purchases may drive people who would otherwise walk past to walk in and buy from places that offer your products.

Definitely keep email the main focus for your primary online marketing channel this holiday season, but be mindful to mix in social media. It can prove to be a way to boost sales even further.