Have you ever missed an important email campaign? Perhaps you didn’t realize that ‘International Women’s Day‘ was looming or Valentine’s Day just slipped your mind (not only with your partner). These missed events are missed opportunities to promote your brand under a different light. For that reason, it’s extremely important to plan ahead and get those email campaigns sent out like clockwork.
How far in advance should you plan your email campaigns?
It’s a good idea to create a solid plan for the next three months and a rough plan for the following three (six months in total). We wouldn’t recommend spending too much time preparing your email campaigns over the three-month mark as things do change!
So, let’s say we are in January! Where else would we start?
Month 1: January
The official: ‘Get a balanced life month’!
The perfect opportunity to promote your brand with a life-changing twist! Your average stationary store becomes a haven of life improving products; that must have agenda to organize the year ahead. Nutritional companies, such as diet-subscriptions or a healthy cookbook publisher, are given the opportunity to tug on those resolutions! That television streaming website that lures you into thinking you MUST sign up to survive the cold, long (penniless after Christmas), winter months. Whatever the nature of your business, you should be able to find an angle.
Month 2: February
February is a short and welcomed month after the lonesome drag of January. People are generally happier and ready for a bit of Valentine’s Day love! We’d recommend putting a Valentine’s Day spin on your February email campaign. If you are a hater of all things Valentine’s, do NOT reach for the sick bucket just yet! It doesn’t have to be pro-Valentine.
A tech company could play on the theme with, “Where are you taking your OS this Valentine’s?“, if you have seen the film ‘Her‘, you’ll know what we mean. Whatever the nature of your business… if you take some time to think, you should be able to relate each holiday to your brand/service in some way. For example, here at SMTP2GO, we could play on email delivery with, “Still alone? Ensure your Valentine’s Day emails are delivered this year by following our top tips on inbox delivery“. Anything you like to boost website traffic, purchases and brand awareness in general.
Month 3: March
International Women’s Day is NOT to be missed. You’ll want/must be seen as a supporter; a shout out to the ladies on your team wouldn’t go amiss. It’s time to donate some of your profit to women’s charities or a discount on women’s products to generate sales and website traffic. Perhaps there are a few inspirational women in your field who have gone down in history or made your product what it is today! Acknowledge them and let it be heard: “We love you and we are grateful!”
Depending on the year, Shrove Tuesday may land in March (you’ll have to do your research as it depends on Easter). Shrove Tuesday is about giving something up/fasting. So, how could that work for you? At SMTP2GO, we could do something such as, “Give up the Spam folder for 30 days and try SMTP2GO for free“. If you can make it humorous, that’s always a plus!
Before the official first day of Spring, Saint Patrick’s Day pops up, providing those alcohol brands or hospitality services optimum leverage; and then there’s Father’s Day, the list never ends!
Over the three-month mark
So, we’ve hit the 3-month mark! It’s time to think about our up and coming email campaigns and research which holidays/events are on the horizon (but, don’t go into too much detail). There’s April Fools Day, Easter, Labor Day, Mother’s Day, Independence Day, the first day of summer, holidays in general and so on. Remember, when jotting down your ideas, try to include a short description for each one! You wouldn’t believe how much you’ll forget between now and then! Those lone words from great mind mapping sessions are suddenly undecipherable. Why make life hard for yourself?
Alongside your everyday yearly calendar, daysoftheyear.com is a great website to check on a regular basis. They’ll tell you which events are celebrated on that particular day. And they really do include EVERY single day.
A simple template to follow
Using a tool like Google Sheets or Excel is a great way to plan your email campaigns. A simple template such as the one below is enough to ensure you’ll stay on track. Plus, keeping it simple will allow your team to easily follow, update and take over if needed.
There we have it! If you are organized, you have absolutely no excuse to miss an important campaign. You’ll have no idea how frustrating it is when you’ve missed one that would have complemented your brand to its optimum potential.
