There is no doubt that Christmas and New Year’s Eve represent a break in the year for many people. And this will probably be even more true this year considering the tough months that have just gone by.

People try to please others and themselves at the same time, looking for good deals and spending hours looking for the perfect gift. Brands are aware of this and are communicating more and more during this period. Especially this year, when digitalization is a must for everyone.

Promotions, original gift ideas, special offers, greeting campaigns, there are plenty of ideas for the holiday season. So how to stand out and make your newsletters more visible?

In this article, we have prepared a few tips to help you boost your results. We have also selected a few templates to help you to find inspiration and enchant your Christmas and New Year‘s newsletters.

Add a touch of enchantment to your Christmas and New Year’s newsletter

One would think that this highly awaited time of year would lead to unequalled performance in terms of opening rates, clicks and reactivity. However, it is rather the opposite phenomenon that is observed. And this is mainly due to the fact that your contacts receive far more messages than usual. That’s why you need to make your newsletters stand out in your recipients’ inboxes. Attract the eye and catch their attention. A word, an image, a punctuation mark or an emoji can make the difference.

Pay attention to the object and the preheader

This incredible duet «Email Subject / Preheader» doesn’t need to be introduced anymore. They both represent an opportunity to catch the attention of your customers and prospects before they even open your email.

A clear and precise wording for your subjects and preheaders

Don’t beat around the bush and go straight to the point. Choose your words carefully to make your core message stand out clearly in the subject line and preheader of your campaign.

Christmas Emojis in your subject line

To bring clearly the holiday topic in the subject line of your newsletter, remember to integrate emojis that remind you about the holiday season and winter in your email Subject. Here are some examples that you could include:

❄ 🎀 🎁 🎅 🎉 ✳ ⛄

Be careful, the emojis are not displayed in the same way in all email clients! Test your newsletter on different kinds of inboxes (webmails, outlook, mobile application, etc.) and adapt your subject line if needed.

Use a warm tone in your newsletter

To stand out, you will also have to take care of the wording of your email body. Don’t hesitate to use words that bring to mind holidays and moments with the family. Be creative and humanize your content. Christmas isn’t just a marketing event to boost your sales, it’s also an opportunity for you to exchange, share with your customers and build their loyalty.

For the more commercial side of the message, keep in mind that, for deliverability reasons, you should mention the amount of your promotions in your visuals rather than in your editorial content. Also, be careful to avoid the abusive use of spamwords such as «free», «for free», «promotion», «refunded», etc. in the body of your message. You will find a wider list of words to avoid here.

Play on the graphic design

While remaining consistent with your usual visual identity, your newsletter must reflect the colors of the holidays. The spirit of the festive season should be clearly visible at first glance on your email. So give your contacts a little bit of magic by illustrating your campaigns with visuals that invite them to dream. Choose pictures that evoke snow, winter, gifts, festive meals and/or family, and that arouse the emotions of your readers.

Also think about integrating GIF animations to highlight your selection of Christmas items, to catch the eye of your recipients and to create a festive atmosphere for the holidays…

Don’t forget your goal for your end-of-year campaigns: stand out! So think outside the box and focus on what makes you different and what defines your brand identity.

Deliver a relevant message adapted to the festive season.

The Christmas good deals

It’s Christmas! Your contacts are all looking for the perfect gift, but no one is against saving some money. Your contacts, both prospects and customers, expect you to make special offers. Don’t miss the opportunity to highlight them in your Christmas newsletters or your customers may go to your competitors!

Think about using promotional codes, special offers during the Holiday season and give something to make a difference: offer free shipping, add a small extra gift with each order, highlight your loyalty program or offer a «refer a friend» offer to get your new customers talking about you….

Suggest gift ideas

Everyone may need a little help to know what to buy for Christmas. Guide your customers in their search by highlighting a selection of special products or a product category for Christmas.

You can also suggest a selection based on your customers’ top rated gifts or your best sales.

Reassure your customers

If there is one thing that scares all online shoppers as Christmas is approaching, it’s for sure the question, «Will I get my order in time for Christmas Eve?» Reassure your customers by clearly reminding them of your delivery guarantees and times.

You can also inform them about your return, exchange and refund policy.

Build a Strong Relationship with Your Contacts

The overly commercial approach to Christmas communications is often criticized. So think different and stand out from the crowd by sending a newsletter that is more focused on the relationship with your contacts.

• Simply wish your customers and subscribers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
• Send a video with the highlights of the year
• Set up a contest for your subscribers
• Reward the loyalty of your customers by giving them a discount voucher or a special offer with their loyalty card.
• Send an Advent calendar with gifts to be won every day.

Personalize and target your messages

Personalize and target yes, but where should I start? Here are a few tips to help you to set up a targeted and relevant communication for each of your contacts.

Recent data for a relevant personalization

Your contact list is the working base for the segmentation and personalization of your Christmas newsletter. In order to offer the best possible customer experience with a personalized and relevant message, it is essential to clean and update your database on a regular basis.

Segment for a better targeting

To ensure the success of your Christmas newsletter, it is essential to segment your customer database by distinguishing the different profiles among your contacts:

• Recurring customers who have made a recent purchase: thank them for their loyalty!
• Occasional customers: Suggest items recommendations based on your best sales and current trends.
• Inactive customers who have neither opened your emails nor made a purchase in the last 12 months: Christmas can be an opportunity to contact them again with a dedicated offer.
• If you have several stores, it may be relevant to segment your database by geographic area. This will help you encourage your contacts to go to the store that is located in their area.

Personalize your message

Use the most information you have in your database to create a unique message for each of your contacts: call them by their first or last name by inserting personalization fields and adapt the content of your message, the visuals and the products highlighted according to their previous purchases, their age, their location, etc. using conditional blocks.

Discover our selection of newsletters templates for Christmas and New Year’s Eve

Smart template: send your wishes with a branded template

Surprise your subscribers with an innovative design. This Smart Template will allow you to send your greetings with a festive, elegant and modern design while respecting your brand identity. Personalize the text according to the message you want to deliver and send your campaign in a matter of minutes!

I want to try Smart Templates

As a reminder, Mailify’s Smart templates feature allows you to generate email templates with your brand identity in one click. Simply enter the URL of your website. Your logo, the main color of your graphic charter and your social networks are automatically integrated into our Smart Templates.

Email template «Christmas»: a newsletter to get immersed in the holiday mood

I want this template

All your Christmas campaigns don’t have to be about a special offer! Instead of giving them an additional discount or gift certificate, you can simply send your best wishes to your subscribers by conveying the Christmas spirit through your visuals, thank your customers for their loyalty and even summarize the highlights of the year in a few paragraphs.

Template «Christmas 2»: a traditional newsletter design

I want this template

This newsletter template, adorned in the Christmas colors, brings out the warmth that will make your readers feel that the Christmas season is coming. This template is perfect to boost the sales of your Christmas gift selection thanks to the call to action buttons included in each block.

VR Winter email template: a newsletter template to highlight your offers

I want this template

With its winter colors and patterns, this template is perfect for e-merchants who want to highlight their Christmas collections and good deals.

Christmas template «Santa Gift»: an elegant and modern newsletter

I want this template

This stylish, festive and sober Christmas newsletter template is perfect to highlight your gift ideas and promotions. Its dark gray and gold tones suggest quality, luxury and celebrations at the same time.

Christmas email template «let it snow» for a vintage newsletter

I want this template

Here is an example of a Christmas newsletter that combines beautiful colors and a minimalist vintage design. Perfect to send a short and concise message or redirect your subscribers to a page dedicated to your offers.

Christmas template «Little Gift»: a refined newsletter to highlight your offers

I want this template

This Christmas newsletter template with red as main color is perfect to catch the attention of your recipients. The structure will also help you to place your products at the heart of your campaign and increase your click-through rate.

Newsletter template «SantaMail» to highlight your special deals

I want this template

This model is the perfect combination to share the Christmas spirit and highlight your special offers at the same time. Add your text and images, videos or gifs via the editor and let the magic happen.

Stylish newsletter template «New Year» to send your wishes

I want this template

Almost minimalist, this simple design will allow you to send your best wishes to your subscribers and customers for the New Year through a short message.

Newsletter template «NewYear 2»: a festive email for New Year’s Eve

I want this template

This template has a simple design that clearly brings up the Holiday season to send your greetings. All you have to do is personalize the message and send your campaign.

«Happy New Year» email template: a contemporary newsletter to welcome the New Year

I want this template

This model will allow you to send your contacts a message from your CEO for the holiday season through a stylish design with a touch of modernity.

Newsletter model «Year in review» to take stock of the year

I want this template

The New Year can be an opportunity to look back on the highlights of the year. This template is perfect to send your greetings along with a review of the past twelve months.

To conclude, if you want to use these templates to create, personalize and send your Christmas and New Year campaigns, you must have a Mailify account. If you don’t have one, then create an account for free right now.