Issue #152 All About Email

Utilise Seasonal Segmentation in Email Marketing

AuthorAuthor

Simon Harper & Vicky Smith
August 05, 2024

Hi, friend. 👋

Welcome to Issue #152 of All About Email!

Last week, we started a mini-series on the new Email Love Figma plugin and examined the “Components” and “Email Design Systems”.

This week, I'm sharing my fourth summer guest post from Vicky Smith, a fellow email geek, voice of reason, and sounding board.

Let’s go! 👇

Guest Author - Vicky Smith

Vicky Smith profile image

Vicky Smith

Vicky Smith, Founder of Flic Email, helps eCommerce brands build customer relationships and drive sales through customer-focused email strategies.

Now, on to the good stuff! 🎉

Utilise Seasonal Segmentation in Email Marketing

Every quarter, supermarket giant Tesco sends out vouchers to its Clubcard members.

Last month, they sent me a voucher for double points on their BBQ accessories range. However, I live in a first-floor flat, so this was of absolutely no interest or use to me. 🤦‍♀️

In contrast, I faithfully buy a bottle of Port from them every Christmas season, but I have yet to receive a voucher for this on December 1st. 😅

Even though they have a truckload of data on my buying patterns, it constantly feels like Tesco’s quarterly ‘rewards’ are more about pushing products they want to sell rather than thanking me for my weekly shopping.

“Understanding and leveraging your customers’ shopping habits throughout the year can only lead to more highly relevant and engaging campaigns that drive sales and foster customer loyalty.“

Vicky Smith

🧠 We shouldn’t be mad at the shopper who only pops up for the Black Friday deal or who only buys gifts for Mother's Day; instead, we should find ways to work with this behaviour.

So, how do we utilise seasonal segmentation in email marketing?

A comic book style illustration in a synthwave theme showing the concept of utilising seasonal email marketing for different holidays of the year. The scene is divided into four wide panels, each representing a different holiday. The first panel is for New Year, featuring a marketing professional with fireworks and celebration themes. The second panel is for Summer Vacation, showing a professional with beach and sunshine themes. The third panel is for Halloween, depicting a professional with spooky and pumpkin themes. The fourth panel is for Christmas, with a professional using snowflakes and holiday decorations. Each panel includes neon colours, grid lines, and futuristic elements, with the words 'New Year', 'Summer Vacation', 'Halloween', and 'Christmas' in their respective panels.

You’ve got to laugh at AI images sometimes.

Start by gathering data on your customers’ seasonal shopping habits using purchase history, email analytics, and customer surveys.

🔎 Look for patterns in their behaviour - do they splurge on summer fashion, stock up on winter gear, or make last-minute Christmas gift purchases?

2) Create seasonal customer segments

⚡️ Utilise these seasonal interests to develop distinct segments such as “Summer Fashion” or “Black Friday Shoppers.”

3) Create season-specific campaigns

Personalise your email campaigns by tailoring product recommendations to each segment based on their seasonal interests.

✅ Offer targeted promotions, discounts, and special offers that resonate with their preferences.

4) Time your campaigns

Optimise the timing of your seasonal emails for maximum engagement, such as pre-season and peak season.

⏱️ Maintain customer interest by finding the right balance in email frequency.

5) Find cross-selling and upselling opportunities

Identify complementary products that align with seasonal needs, such as suggesting sunscreen with summer clothing or creating seasonal bundles that provide added value to your customers.

Segmentation is key to keeping your customers feeling appreciated and engaged year-round.

Remember, “Every little helps!” 😉

That’s it for this week 👋

A big thank you to Vicky for guest authoring this week’s newsletter.

Throughout the summer, we have had regular guest authors:

  • Lindsey Carroll (Issue #146)

  • Emily Ryan (Issue #148)

  • Elizabeth Jacobi (Issue #150)

  • Larissa Uredi (still to come)

  • And “perhaps” a very special guest…

⏭️ Next week, we will continue our mini-series on the Figma to Email plugin from Email Love. ❤️

Email Marketing News & Tips

This week's excellent and insightful Email News & Tips:

  • Fatherhood - Becoming a Dad Changed the Way I Think About Newsletters. (Inbox Collective)

  • Profits or Problems? - The Business Impact of Email Deliverability Issues. (Send It Right)

  • Celebration - Some of my colleagues got included in “23 of My Favorite Free Marketing Newsletters“ (HubSpot) **

  • Flashback - Email Pro Simon Harper, on Email Newsletter Marketing and the Most Common Email Mistakes. (ZeroBounce & Me)

  • iCloud Down - Did your Open Rates drop? This could be why. (Spam Resource)

  • Too Big to Care? - “Our disappointment” with Cloudflare’s anti-abuse posture. (Spamhaus)

  • It’s Back! - One of my favourite conferences is back! Email Camp - Train to become an email legend. (Sinch)

  • Horsing Around - Jay Oram knocked this experimental email out of the park! To appreciate this email, view the code or read his live process. (Action Rocket)

  • Embrace It - How Email Marketers Should Navigate the Gmail Promotions Tab Today. (Litmus)

  • Got An Opinion? - Valimail DMARC/Deliverability Community Survey (Valimail)

  • Auto-Thumbnails - Automatically created video thumbnails for streaming video channels of choice. What a time-saver! (Klaviyo)

** How many of these newsletters do you subscribe to friend? I subscribe to 9. I must have good taste. 😉

If you have a question about this email or email marketing, reply, and I will answer you as soon as possible.

I hope you have a great week! 👋

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