With the holiday season coming to a close, some marketers may lock their offices’ doors and wait to approach prospects in the new year, while savvy professionals realize opportunities still remain. Companies that want to increase revenue before the end of 2012 must look at last-minute holiday shoppers as ideal audiences to target with aggressive, promotional branded content.
In some instances, these consumers may be frantic over what to get their loved ones and annoyed at how long they waited until they ran to the nearest store or online hub. Fortunately, new data from eCircle notes that email marketing helps convert higher percentages of consumers during the holiday season than any other outreach program – so, brands should draft some quick email blasts to capitalize on laggard shoppers.
According to a new survey from eCircle, 40 percent of marketers say email is “very important” for driving sales, well above SEO and SEM (33 percent). More, social media marketing may not be an effective last-minute platform, with only 20 percent of respondents citing it as effective for driving holiday promotions. Social media content may be a better long term practice, rather than a last-ditch approach to holiday sales.
In fact, 70 percent of brands rate email marketing as “excellent” or “good” for driving revenue upticks and ROI. Ninety-three percent say they believe email will inevitably increase consumer spending this holiday season, and 40 percent report email generates up to a 10 percent revenue increase overall.
The latest report from eCircle complements data published by StrongMail. In a recent study conducted by StrongMail, 55.5 percent of brands report that they’re likely to increase email marketing spend moving into 2013, despite many digital experts focusing their attention on social media, SEO content and search marketing.
Marketers who want to benefit from email’s persuasive powers must craft well-written copy that compels viewers to respond before the year comes to an end. Content marketing services that employ expert writers generate promotional copy for a wider array of clients, and these agencies deliver timely copy that drives sales and shows increases in ROI. While the end of the year is approaching rapidly, marketers should begin to evaluate how they deploy audience targeting initiatives, and then look for assistance in their efforts to make 2013 truly a year to remember.
