The holiday season is one of the most important times of year for businesses, offering opportunities to boost revenue, strengthen customer relationships, and capture new leads. But with so much competition in inboxes, success depends on more than just sending a festive email or two—you need a well-planned holiday email marketing campaign that stands out, delivers value, and drives action.
In the following, we’ll walk through a step-by-step process to help you plan, prepare, and execute your most successful holiday email marketing campaign yet.
Why holiday email marketing matters
The holidays are one of the most lucrative periods for businesses across industries. According to the National Retail Federation, holiday sales often account for up to 19 percent of annual retail revenue, with some sectors seeing an even higher percentage. But with inboxes overflowing during this season, having a clear, well-executed holiday email marketing campaign is the key to cutting through the noise.
Email remains one of the highest ROI marketing channels—delivering an average of $36 for every $1 spent—making it the perfect medium for promoting seasonal offers, sharing gift ideas, and nurturing customer relationships. Unlike social media, where algorithms can limit your reach, email puts your message directly into your subscribers’ inboxes, allowing for greater personalization and timely delivery.
Additionally, holiday email campaigns can do more than just drive short-term sales. They can:
- Introduce new customers to your brand during peak shopping periods
- Strengthen loyalty with existing customers through exclusive perks and appreciation messages
- Capture post-holiday interest with follow-up campaigns and New Year offers
- Provide measurable data on what content, promotions, and messaging resonate most with your audience
In short, the right strategy can make your holiday email marketing not just a seasonal win, but a year-round growth driver.
Step 1: Set clear goals
Before you start creating content, take time to identify exactly what you want to achieve. Common holiday campaign goals include:
- Increasing seasonal sales or upsells
- Driving traffic to holiday-specific landing pages or promotions
- Growing your subscriber list with seasonal lead magnets
- Re-engaging past customers or inactive subscribers
- Promoting gift cards or special services
The key is to make your goals measurable. For example, instead of “increase sales,” aim for “increase holiday sales by 20 percent compared to last year.”
Step 2: Create a realistic budget
Your budget should account for every aspect of your campaign, such as:
- Email platform costs (including list growth or sending volume increases)
- Creative resources like design, copywriting, or photography
- Promotional discounts or free shipping offers
- Paid ads to boost campaign reach
- Testing tools for A/B subject lines or email layouts
Budgeting early helps ensure you have the resources to deliver high-quality campaigns without overspending.
Step 3: Build a campaign timeline
A successful holiday email marketing campaign doesn’t happen overnight.
Map out your timeline in advance:
- 3-4 months before: Finalize your goals, budget, and high-level campaign theme.
- 2-3 months before: Draft email content, design templates, and prepare supporting landing pages.
- 1 month before: Schedule your sends, run A/B tests, and verify your subscriber list is clean.
- 2-3 weeks before: Launch teaser or “coming soon” emails to generate buzz. This also can be cross-promoted on other platforms to generate new email subscribers.
- During the holiday period: Send your main promotions, time-sensitive offers, and reminder emails.
- Post-holiday: Follow up with thank-you messages, feedback surveys, or “New Year” offers.
Step 4: Segment your audience
The holidays are a great time to personalize your marketing. Segmenting your list ensures each subscriber receives content that’s relevant to them.
Examples of holiday audience segments include:
- Loyal customers who shop every year
- First-time buyers from earlier in the year
- Inactive subscribers you want to re-engage
- Shoppers interested in specific product categories
- Local customers for in-store promotions
Personalization can significantly increase open and click-through rates during the competitive holiday season.
Step 5: Craft compelling holiday content
Your holiday email content should combine festive spirit with a clear call-to-action. Consider:
- Strong subject lines that stand out (such as “Your perfect gift is waiting 🎁”)
- Eye-catching visuals that reflect your holiday theme
- Exclusive offers or VIP deals for subscribers
- Gift guides to help customers shop faster
- Urgency triggers like “only 3 days left” or “limited stock”
Remember to keep emails mobile-friendly, as many holiday shoppers browse and buy from their phones.
Step 6: Test before you send
Testing is crucial during the holidays, when mistakes can cost both sales and credibility.
Before launching your campaign:
- Run A/B tests on subject lines, preview text, and calls-to-action
- Test email deliverability to ensure messages land in inboxes
- Check all links, discount codes, and images
- Preview emails across devices and email clients
A small testing phase can lead to significant improvements in campaign performance.
Step 7: Monitor and optimize
Once your holiday email marketing campaign is live, keep an eye on performance metrics like:
- Open rates
- Click-through rates
- Conversion rates
- Revenue generated
- Unsubscribe rates
If a specific email is performing well, consider resending it to non-openers with a new subject line. If engagement is low, adjust your messaging, offer, or send time.
Step 8: Follow up after the holidays
The end of the holiday season is the perfect time to strengthen relationships with your audience. Send follow-up emails that:
- Thank customers for their support
- Offer post-holiday clearance sales or exclusive deals
- Share a sneak peek at new products for the new year
- Request feedback through a short survey
A thoughtful follow-up helps maintain momentum and positions your brand for continued success.
Step 9: Integrate with other marketing channels
Your holiday email marketing campaign shouldn’t exist in isolation. By coordinating with other channels, you can increase reach, reinforce your message, and create a seamless brand experience.
Ways to integrate your holiday email campaign:
- Social media: Share snippets of your email content, promote your holiday offers, and encourage followers to join your email list for exclusive deals.
- SMS marketing: Send timely reminders about flash sales or expiring offers directly to subscribers’ phones for higher engagement.
- Website banners: Mirror your holiday email design and messaging on your homepage, landing pages, and checkout process.
- Paid advertising: Retarget subscribers who opened but didn’t click your emails, using holiday-specific ads.
- In-store signage (for brick-and-mortar locations): Promote your holiday email list in-store with QR codes for quick sign-ups.
By aligning your email content with other marketing touchpoints, you create a consistent, recognizable campaign that keeps your holiday promotions top of mind—no matter where your customers engage with you.
Holiday email marketing campaign checklist
Here’s a quick recap you can use for planning:
- Define clear, measurable goals
- Set your budget
- Create a detailed campaign timeline
- Segment your audience
- Write and design compelling holiday content
- Test before sending
- Monitor and adjust during the campaign
- Send thoughtful follow-up emails after the holidays
- Integrate with other marketing channels
Conclusion
Planning your holiday email marketing campaign in advance ensures you stand out during one of the busiest—and most profitable—times of the year. By setting clear goals, budgeting wisely, creating a detailed timeline, and personalizing your messaging, you can boost engagement, increase sales, and end the year on a high note.
DailyStory can help you manage every step of your holiday campaign—from audience segmentation and automation to A/B testing and analytics—so you can focus on delivering messages that delight and convert.
